Young Artists Learn From the Masters

Phil Rees was strolling through Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks when a “Picasso” caught his eye.

The wall-sized mural wasn’t in some trendy art shop, but rather hanging on a wall with other works by aspiring young artists from Laurence 2000 School in Van Nuys.

“I rarely see artwork by kids and I was interested to see what they are being taught about art,” said Rees, an art lover from Encino, as he paused before the exhibit. “It’s interesting to see what the next generation is coming up with.”

The art show is the culmination of a months-long art appreciation program at the independent school, said school director and founder Marvin Jacobson. The exhibit on the mall’s lower level will be on display through September.

In addition to learning about the masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci, Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse, Jacobson said, the kindergarten through sixth-grade students studied the artists’ native countries, languages and culture.

“Meaningful learning has to show children that there are connections between things and that nothing exists in isolation,” Jacobson said of the school’s integrated approach to learning.

The students’ knowledge of their subjects came through in the assorted murals, sketches, paintings and mixed-media works on display.

A mural depicting Cubist forms and faces in vibrant colors was an obvious nod to Picasso. Another mural showing sunflowers carefully arranged in a vase paid tribute to Van Gogh.

Other works, based on careers the young artists would like to pursue, included silhouettes of ballet dancers and basketball players as well as paintings of a magician, a tennis pro and a zookeeper.

The exhibit has boosted students’ self-esteem, Jacobson said. “They are so proud to come here and show their friends and relatives that they are in an art show,” he said.

“This is a wonderful way of making children feel good about what they can do.”