Specificity of Drawing of Blind Students. The Tree Diagram Representation as a Case Study

Abstract

Introduction: For centuries, drawing has been a creative form of human expression. The author shapes the image of the phenomenon according to his own sensory experience and imagination and the knowledge carried by the language and transmitted through culture. This article concerns the representation of real-world phenomena in drawings by individuals who are completely blind from birth. Research Aim: The research goal is encapsulated in the question: Do blind individuals go through a similar evolution in representing tree forms in their artistic development as sighted individuals? I am particularly interested in the following issues: What aesthetic characteristics (form and uniqueness of perspective) distinguish the drawings by blind students? Are the patterns of sighted individuals similar to those constructed by blind individuals? Do blind individuals present a distinct vision of the phenomenon based on their own imagination and sensory experiences? Method: The method of the research procedure involves the analysis of art works created in the process of the act of drawing. In order to gain knowledge about the created phenomenon, the interview method and participant observation during the creative act were used. The subject of analysis consists of convex drawings on microgrooved foil. The formal layer of the artwork in the drawings of trees by blind students will be subjected to analysis. The image components of the phenomenon will be analysed in relation to the typology of tree forms in the artistic creations of sighted children, as proposed by Stanisław Popek (1985). In analysing the graphical representations of the phenomenon, I will also refer to studies on the development of a child's artistic abilities presented by specialists such as S. Szuman (1990), V. Lowenfeld and W. Brittain (1977), R. Arnheim (1974/2004), S. Popek (2010) and M. Uberman (2019). Conclusion: Based on the analysis of drawings, it can be noted that the blind create the phenomenon of the tree in the following ways: a) according to the pattern of the sighted, b) also developing their own, individual patterns.