Hearts

Consider the heart.

By far, it is my favorite graphic symbol. Voluptuously shaped, lushly hued and succinctly ending, hearts are small bursts of visual joy. At this time of year, I am in heart heaven.

Children’s first attempts at art go round and round, circular lines which mimic the roundness of planets, orbits, moons, stars and galaxies. But before long, kids want to draw a heart. “Well”, I say, “can you draw an ear? Just try putting two ears together with no head in between.” Once the heart is mastered, many young children sprinkle hearts lavishly throughout their artwork.Hearts

Hearts are not only satisfying to draw, they are also one of the first symbols children understand. Is it any wonder that young artists fill their pictures with “love”?

Older artists are not immune to the seductiveness of the heart. Wayne Thiebaud, for example, has painted many huge canvases with the heart as the sole subject matter. His signature includes a tiny heart as well.

But pop artist Jeff Koons has sculpted the ultimate Valentine gift, his 9 foot tall, 3,500 pound, stainless steel sculpture entitled “Hanging Heart”. Sadly, I will be unable to purchase this splendid heart for my true love. The selling price was $23.6 million.

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1 thought on “Hearts”

  1. Mary–I love how you share your artistic observations with your knowledge of what makes kids tick. Thank you so much for sharing. Heartfully, eve & michael

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