Children are always the single most priority for every household. A child’s well being does not depend on physical security only but it definitely concerns their psychological upbringing. The environment of early years in a person’s life is reflected in their personality. Upto the age of seven all our senses and values develop, setting our personality for the life that awaits. Therefore this crucial period of growing and developing years should be dealt delicately with understanding.
Infants are more expressive and familiar to visual arts, they can recognize picture earlier than words. Thus, painting paints an impression in child’s mental development, in the way they perceive world and learn to engage in analytical and abstract thinking. Art gives birth to creative thinkers.
Painting was to the ancient world what the internet is to the modern society. From the earliest ages, people unknowingly made art an instrument of learning. Understanding and appreciating a piece of painting reflects the creative bend of mind, which begins at very early ages.
For a child the most familiar and comforting friend, other than parents, could be the pets. Animals help a child to learn and grow, to recognize responsibility, humility, friendship, the values of life. Therefore, it is parent’s responsibility to introduce them to that world of animals, initially it can be through paintings, to create to the idea, to learn their interests. Generally people chooses dogs and cats as their friends.
If the animal chosen is a cat, then we must delve in some history of the creature. History shows the transition of cat headed Gods to the pets who are symbolic of witches. The domestication of cats came with the agricultural society, merely for controlling pests. Unlike dogs, cats therefore cannot be trained as easily, they take their own space and time and come willingly to the owner, not through training. Thus, children learn to love and be loved without the sense of authority.
Psychologically cat teaches a child to practice and learn social skills as says Dr. Jane Brunt, a feline specialist and member of the American Veterinary Association. Cats are made more familiar to children through animation. The most famous animated series is The Tom and Jerry. Tom instantly becomes a household favorite character, most beloved image for a sleep to see before they sleep. They get the glimpses of an unique nature of friendship. Garfield is another known name to every child. Such animated paintings for a child could actually work as a guiding image of happiness.
In the past, cats were not so much available on screen, the only screen they can be seen is in the paintings. Some famous paintings records the typical natures of cat. The White Cat by Franz Marc, where white cat is seen rolled up to his yellow pillow. Marc being an admirer of naturalism, paints the comfort through his brushes, and the white colour records an endless possibility, a possibility of the unknown. Of course, these are not for a child to understand, but they surely can connect and gain from the visual prospect of the creature, lying with absolute ease.
