Full disclosure, I have never been a fan of abstract art.  I can easily dismiss it as playful, amateurish and unimpressive.  This may not be the ideal mindset for a K-8 Art Teacher, but I've never considered the merits of abstract art.  My mindset changed in an instant during a discussion with one of my second grade art classes.

We were looking at two drastically different pieces of animal art:

"Young Hare" by Albrecht Dürer, is a realistic painting.  It appears as if you could touch and feel the animal's fur.  Many consider this to be a supreme example of realism and it gives me an automatic sense of appreciation.

"Cat And Bird" by Paul Klee is an abstract work of art.  It features an orange cat with a bird on its forehead.  It's a cute painting but does not initially inspire any sense of appreciation for me.  In fact, because the shapes, colors and theme are so simple, I use it as a way to introduce oil pastels to second graders. Not exactly, a shining endorsement for craftsmanship and skill.

Here are a few questions and answers from our discussion of "Cat And Bird":

• Why is Bird on Cat's forehead?

Maybe Cat is hungry and thinking about its next meal.

• Why is Cat's nose pink and in the shape of a heart?

Maybe because the heart looks like a nose and noses are pink.

• Why is Bird pink too?

Maybe Cat is so hungry it smells Bird and loves it.  (Second grade...really?  YES!)

As we compared and contrasted "Young Hare" with "Cat And Bird" the discussion went to the difference between realistic and abstract art.  A student raised their hand and said one of the most profound things I've heard in nearly two decades of teaching art.

"Realistic art is trying to paint the outside and abstract art is trying to paint the inside."

WHAT?!?!?!  My mind was blown. Until I heard those words, I considered realism to be the ultimate artistic challenge.  Creating a three dimensional illusion on a two dimensional surface takes years of practice to accomplish and very few can do it masterfully.  Painting something abstract, such as the feeling of hunger, the heightened sense of smell that comes with it or the longing for a meal is an almost impossible task.

Imagine a teacher or a client saying, "Draw how it feels to be hungry."

How would you do it?

Paul Klee captured it and I would've missed it all.  Having been so accustomed to looking at the outside, I nearly missed the incredible interpretation of what happens on the inside.  It took the mindset of a child to open my eyes and I could not be more grateful for the lesson I've learned.