University of AveiroDepartment of Communication and Arts

1st Semester / 4th Year

Project for the courseCurriculum Development And Teaching of Visual Arts I

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT OF ARTISTIC CREATION AND ART EDUCATION IN CYPRUS

Giorgos Stylianou59184

AveiroFebruary 2011

Contents

Abstract........................................................................................................................................2

Introduction...............................................................................................................................2

1. Artistic Creation in Cyprus..............................................................................................3

1.1. From Antiquity until the late 19th Century................................................................................3

1.2. From late 19th century to the present.......................................................................................5

1.2.a. Modern and Contemporary Art....................................................................................................5

1.2.b. Folk Art and Crafts and Naive Art...............................................................................................8

2. Art Education in Cyprus...................................................................................................9

2.1. Before 1960..............................................................................................................................9

2.2. After 1960 – The Independence.............................................................................................10

Conclusions...............................................................................................................................15

References..................................................................................................................................16

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Abstract

The present paper provides information regarding the Artistic Creation and the Visual Arts Education in Cyprus as well as the socio-historical background in which they were shaped and evolved through time. The information is divided mainly by the two main fields that are mentioned above and their subdivisions which are sorted chronologically. That is to distinguish the Arts from the antiquity until the present times and the Art Education during the last 100 years, with emphasis on some important historical and political facts which eventually created the ideal environment for artistic and cultural prosperity in Cyprus.

IntroductionCyprus is an island located in the Eastern Mediterranean sea between the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. The strategic position and the various natural resources of the island led many conquerors/visitors there with each and every one of them putting his piece to form the cultural mosaic of Cyprus. Dating back to around 7000 B.C. when the first Neolithic settlement was built, we can see the beginning of an endless cultural exchange of Cyprus with its surrounding civilizations of Egyptians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Persians and among them the Greeks, which were the most influential during the ancient times. Later the Romans, Byzantines, Saracens, the English and the Franks during the Crusades led the way for the Venetians, the Ottomans and last the English, before Cyprus became independent at 1960.

The inhabitants of Cyprus never rejected their needs for artistic creation of any form and of any material, despite all the difficulties and the oppression of the constantly changing island’s authorities. Using originally clay for expressive and functional purposes and later developing the art of mosaics and Byzantine frescoes they kept their creative spirit alive delivering some of the most important works of Art of their period and their kind. One of the most damaging periods in the recent history of Cypriot art is considered to be that of the Ottoman Empire (1571-1878) whose religion forbade depiction and the only type of art practised then was the Byzantine art which was supported by the church of Cyprus. The rather apathetic and unconcerned English who took over the island’s administration next, opened the way for many Cypriot artists to satisfy their artistic concerns by studying in some of Europe’s most important art centres like London, Paris and Venice.

A lot of Cypriot artists returned to their home country after their studies, bringing back with them the trends and the styles of the most influential Art Movements developed then. The biggest problem that they’ve faced on their return was the illiterateness of the public which wasn’t educated enough to understand the messages that the artists were trying to express. That is one of the main reasons why a lot of those artists turned to art education. This phenomenon is considered very influential for the development of Arts and Art Education in Cyprus, as some of the most important artists were creating and teaching at public schools at the same time. Those artists also lead the way for the future artists by founding organizations that support and promote artistic creation and satisfy their demands and legal rights.

After 1960 the independence of Cyprus helps to shape a more concrete education system and to improve the working conditions of the artists. Despite the problems caused by the Turkish invasion in Cyprus at 1974, Arts continue to prosper reaching their peak today, while joining the European Union at 2004 was an important step for gaining artistic recognition and higher level Art Education.

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1. Artistic Creation in Cyprus

1.1. From Antiquity until the late 19th Century

Human beings are born with an innate need for expressing themselves in numerous ways. During the ancient times and even before the industrial revolution, it was more usual for people to choose the Visual Arts as a way to express, which is a more direct and a more universal medium. Another need that led the first humans towards their first creations was the need for worship. They needed a representation of a higher being to guide them along their everyday life and their expectations. The combination of those two needs is what brought the creation of the first art forms in ancient Cyprus. Using clay to create pottery and ceramics and later adding more functional and decorative elements taken from the surrounding cultural influences the first creations were built well enough to stay preserved until today.

Image 1. Cross-shaped figure found in Pomos, Cyprus. ~3000 B.C. Cyprus Archaeological Museum.

Except pottery and a particular type of primitive sculpture, another art form that flourished in Cyprus during the Roman period was that of mosaics. The subjects depicted in mosaic works of that period usually represent scenes from ancient mythology in Greco-Roman style. While some elements of that style are preserved the subjects depicted are constantly enriched with symbols of Christianity during the late 4th century A.D. when Cyprus passes from the Romans to the Byzantines. After the 5th century A.D. the Orthodox Church of Cyprus gained independency by the Byzantine emperor and the Byzantine Art with its particular style and expressive ability was embraced by the Cypriots. After almost two centuries of peace, during the 7th century A.D. the Saracens constantly invaded and looted the island until the mid 10 th century when they were defeated by the Byzantines. The Byzantine Art is possibly one of the oldest types of art in Cyprus and it is kept intact until today since it first appeared. This type of art was and is still applied as a fresco to decorate the interior of Christian Orthodox churches and it is also applied in pieces of wood.

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Image 2. Mosaic in the House of Dionysus (UNESCO) in Nea Paphos, Cyprus. End of 2nd century A.D.

Image 3. Byzantine fresco in Holy Cross Church (UNESCO) in Pelendri, Cyprus. Mid 14th Century A.D.

As mentioned before, Cyprus’ important strategic position led to the island’s captivity by the English (1191 A.D.) and later by the Franks (1192 A.D.) during the crusades. The oppressive Frankish reign prevented the artistic practise from the locals which lived in poverty due to heavy taxation. Despite this the Frank nobles contributed mainly to the local architecture by building some impressive gothic cathedrals like the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Ammochostos (Famagusta), castles like the Saint Hilarion castle in Kyrenia and the Bellapais abbey also in Kyrenia. The Venetians that took over the island at 1489 A.D. contributed to its fortification by building walls around Nicosia and Ammochostos (Famagusta) to protect it from the Ottomans which finally managed to break through the defence and capture the island at 1571 A.D.

The period of reign of the Ottomans lacked of any kind of artistic creation as it was a period of heavy oppression and poverty. Another reason for that artistically unproductive period is the rule of the Muslim religion that forbids any kind of depiction but despite that the Byzantine Art was still being practised in smaller scale during that period. At 1878 A.D. that period was over when the English were the last conquerors of the island before it becomes independent in 1960. With the English administration, which finally wasn’t what the Cypriots were expecting to be, some opportunities were given to aspiring artists who wanted to study in Europe. These opportunities were taken advantage of by some artists and the general circumstances allowed further development of Arts and Art Education in Cyprus.

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1.2. From late 19th century to the present

1.2.a. Modern and Contemporary Art

Following the year 1878 when Cyprus passed from the Ottomans to the English, a lot of Cypriots resettled in their native country from the surrounding regions and mainly from Egypt, bringing with them their knowledge along with many diverse cultural elements to form the basis where the future Artistic Creation will be based upon. This change also gave the chance for artists to study abroad, as long as they could afford it. The absence of Higher Art Education schools in Cyprus meant that those who wanted to specialize in Fine Arts they would have to leave their country and most of them went to study in London and Athens for obvious reasons.

The years following the beginning of the English dominance were also the years when the first acclaimed Cypriot artists came to life. The sculptor Andreas Thymopoulos (1881-1953) is considered to be the first artist to complete his Art studies in Athens’ Polytechnic School and his works are seen as the basis of the modern cypriot sculpture. He is also one of the first art teachers in Cyprus as he taught Sketching (Ichnography) and Calligraphy in secondary schools and he also worked as a sculptor making public monuments. Two other important figures are Vassilis Vryonides (1882-1958) who took courses at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and the Academies de la Grande Chaumière and Colarossi in Paris and the influential artist and art teacher Ioannis Kissonerghis (1889-1963) who studied in Athens’ Fine Art School.

The beginning of the 20th century marks the birth of the first generation of Cypriot artists who put the foundations for the further development and evolution of Artistic Creation with their creative and educative contribution. That generation is categorized chronologically in the period of 1900-1922 when the artists called the “Fathers of Modern and Contemporary Cypriot Art” were born. Among them, two of the most important are Adamantios Diamantis (1900-1994) and Telemachos Kanthos (1910-1993) with both developing their own particular expressive

Image 4. Andreas Thymopoulos, Odysseas Nostalgon,1908, plaster, 95 x 68 x 96 cm,

Image 5. Ioannis Kissonerghis, To Anemisma, 1953, aquarelle, 33 x 33 cm.

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language. Diamantis studied in the Royal College of Art in London and at 1923 he finished his studies and shared a drawing award with the English sculptor Henry Moore (1898-1986). Then he returned to Cyprus to begin his 40 year long career as an Art teacher in public schools, he organised Cyprus’ Folk Art Museum and encountered some of the island’s most important poets, writers and other intellectuals, who enlightened him spiritually. During that period he also created some of the most influential art works in the Cypriot art emphasizing his preference in human figures and especially the female figure in contrary with Kanthos who preferred landscapes and natural scenes combined with the human interaction with its environment in a more lyrical manner. Kanthos studied painting and engraving in Athens’ School of Fine Arts and on his return to Cyprus he also taught Arts in public schools and continued his artistic creation in painting, engraving and scenography, delivering some fine works.

The first generation of Cypriot artists had a lot more to offer as more people got involved pursuing their goals in Fine Art Academies of Europe and especially Greece (Athens) and some of them self-taught, demonstrated their talent without higher Art studies. Gathering influences from the various Art Movements, their teachers, the cypriot history and tradition combined with their present socio-political circumstances, the artists put all these elements together to create a thematically and aesthetically rich Art. The self-taught painters Georgios Paul Georgiou (1901-1972) and Fotos Hadjisoteriou (1919-2004) combined elements from the Byzantine tradition with references to folk art and in some cases draw subjects from the rural life of Cyprus. The artistically educated Solomos Frangoulides (1902-1981), Victor Ioannides (1903-1984), Andreas Asproftas (1919-2004), Xanthos Hadjisoteriou (1920-2003) and Takis Frangoudes (1901-1978) sometimes make their Cypriot tradition origins obvious and sometimes they combine them with Cubistic, Impressionistic, Expressionistic and other elements of Modern Art.

The second generation called the “Interwar Generation” was consisted of artists that were born during the period of 1922-1940, between the two World Wars. That generation which acted mainly after the Independence of Cyprus at 1960 led the way for the Contemporary Artistic Creation in Cyprus with participations in important Biennales (Venice, Sao Paolo, Alexandria, Buenos Aires) and international exhibitions which led to worldwide recognition. Incorporating elements mainly of Geometrical Abstraction, Constructivism and Fauvism in painting and working with many types of materials besides the traditional ones such as fabrics and ceramics,

Image 6. Adamantios Diamantis, Sto Panigiri tis Panagias tou Araka, 1942, oil on canvas, 92 x 104 cm,

Image 7. Telemachos Kanthos, Black Trunks, Red Almond Trees, Goats (Mavroi Kormoi, Kokkines Amygdalies,

Aigies),1968, oil on canvas, 109 x 86 cm.

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those artists created impressive artistic works. Some of the most important artists of that generation are the painters: Christoforos Savva (1924-1968), Stelios Votsis (1929-), Andreas Chrysochos (1929-), Stass Paraskos (1933-) and Nikos Kouroussis (1937-), the engraver Lefteris Economou (1930-) and the sculptor and potter Valentinos Charalambous (1929-).

The third and last generation of Cypriot artists whose work can be estimated at the present is that of the artists who were born after 1940. With most of them contributing nowadays to the artistic creation and the art education of Cyprus and other countries where they chose to follow their artistic career, those artists work incessantly dealing with universal matters and also commenting the divided island’s political situation. The artists of the third generation went a step forward using mixed media, creating installations and following successfully some of the world’s leading artistic trends. The most important figures that were born during the 1940s are: Andreas Ladommatos (1940-), Georgios Kotsonis (1940-), Michail (Mikis) Finikarides

Image 8. Georgios Paul Georgiou, Ksetelepse ki o Monogenis, oil on

wood, 220 x 124 cm.

Image 9. Takis Frangoudes, Cypriot Girls at the Faucet (Kypriotopoules

sti Vrysi). Uknknown Year.

Image 10. Andreas Chrysochos, Abstract, 1968-70, acrylic on canvas.

Image 11. Christoforos Savva, Maternity (Mitrotita), 1965, fabric, 106 x 27 cm,

Image 12. Stelios Votsis, White – Black Series (Aspro – Mavro), 1968, acrylic

on canvas.

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Image 16. Part of fringe (Krosie) with schematized horses and triangular tips.

(1940-2006), Aggelos Makrides (1942), Susan Kerr Joachim (1943), Christos Foukaras (1944), Androula Angelidou (1947) and the engraver Hambis Tsangaris (1947) and after 1950: Paris Metaxas (1951), Theodoulos Gregoriou (1957), Maria Loizidou (1958) and others. One of the greatest achievements of that generation belongs to Theodoulos Gregoriou whose work Kyttara (Cells) entered the Louvre Museum in 2008.

The Cypriot artists who were born before 1950 lived through some of the most intense facts in Cyprus’ recent history, which were reflected in their Art sometimes deliberately and sometimes subliminally. Those facts were the October’s 1931 riots and the 1955-1959 national liberation fight of the Greek-Cypriots against the English sovereignty, demanding union with Greece. The same generations of artists as well as the younger ones, lived also to see the intercommunal conflicts of the Greek-Cypriots with the Turkish-Cypriots at 1963 which finally lead to the Turkish Invasion of 1974, dividing the island in two parts, until today. Cyprus entered the European Union as an unlawfully divided country at 2004 giving new opportunities to artists and funding Art Projects, as well as contributing to the island’s Art Education system. Despite this there are some private art schools and colleges but Cyprus is still in the lack of a public Higher Fine Arts School and it also lacks of apt art criticism, sometimes leaving the artists stranded trying to reach alone their own personal quests.

1.2.b. Folk Art and Crafts and Naive Art

During the long periods of foreign dominance the Cypriots carried through the centuries their tradition and skills that were achieved in the past and expressed themselves even with the simplest forms of Arts and Crafts. Embroidery was and still is one of the oldest types of Crafts still practised in Cyprus, as confirmed by the Neolithic bone-made embroidery needles that were found and later by medieval texts that confirm also the craftsmanship in Weaving and Pottery.

Image 13. Paris Metaxas, Cut Boat (Kommeno Karavi), 1992, wood, copper, lead, 120 x 20

cm.

Image 14. Theodoulos Gregoriou, Chambre Intime pour l’Homo Sapiens, 2001, cubic installation with video and

sculpture.

Image 15. Cotton scarf with woven

decoration. Karpasia, 19th Cen.

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The restless creative spirit of the Cypriots and their constant effort of reinterpreting expressively their surroundings in various ways, led many self-taught painters to create a type of Naive Art. This type of art could be considered thematically as Folk Art and aesthetically as Naive Art because many of the subjects are related to the depiction of traditional customs and actions of everyday life, presented in a more “childish” manner. The most important representative of this type of art is Michael Kashalos (1885-1974) who started painting after the age of 75 with the encouragement of the artist Adamantios Diamantis who later helped him to exhibit his works. Traditional in everyday life and in painting style, Kashalos was inspired by the country site, the traditions and the daily life of Cyprus. Giasoumis Georgiou (1924-1999) and Demetris Gerokostas (1934-?) also represent this style of art with a different approach that responds to the influences met by their generation.

Image 17. Michael Kashalos. The Dance and the Sewing of the Bed (O Horos kai to Rapsimon tou Krevatiou), 1965.

2. Art Education in Cyprus

2.1. Before 1960

As mentioned through the introductory text of this paper, the numerous conquerors that ruled Cyprus over the centuries didn’t allow a long period of peace in which the island’s artists could devise their own specific artistic language and receive any relevant education. After the arrival of the English rulers in Cyprus at 1878, the first steps to organise a public education system were made by the island’s few intellectuals and educated people, with the colonists relatively unconcerned. During the last decade of the 19th century many artists and art teachers mainly of Greek origin, came to Cyprus to fill in the new positions that were opened in the public education with the introduction of artistic courses.1 The characteristics of the Art Education system that the Greek teachers brought with them were adjusted according to the needs of the

1 The Greek teachers taught in Cyprus’ oldest secondary school Pancyprian Gymnasium (1812) in Nicosia through the years of 1906-1920, as mentioned by relative references.

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Cypriot students. In 1894’s Primary School Curriculum in Greece the term referred to artistic courses was “Technical courses” and included Music, Tracing (Ichnography), Calligraphy and Gymnastics and the Girls’ Only Schools included Handicrafts such as Embroiding, Knitting and Sewing. Those were the courses that the teachers taught in public Primary and Secondary schools in Cyprus at the end of the 19th century and during the beginning of the 20th.

The Tracing (Ichnography) 2 course taught the rules of basic depiction of objects with the use of simple straight and curved lines and simple shapes as well as the basic understanding of shade and light to cultivate the ability to sketch. The Calligraphy3 course developed the pupils’ writing ability in practical and aesthetic terms and as the Tracing course it was more technically oriented. Almost 20 years later, in 1913 the Primary School Curriculum in Greece included the Handicrafts course for boys at the 1st and 2nd grades of Primary School in an effort to cover the commercial needs of that period. The boys’ Handicrafts course included Sewing, Knitting and the use of paper, wood and clay to create objects that were mainly functional. These Curriculum changes were also applied later in the Primary and sometimes Secondary schools of Cyprus.

Most of the teachers who taught Arts in Cyprus’ schools during the end of the 19 th and the early 20th century were only Art/Artistic courses teachers but not artists and that was one of the main reasons why the courses remained mainly technical during that period. With the first generation of Cypriot artists arriving in the island after their studies to teach and to create Art, the course of Art Education changed. Among those artists, Ioannis Kissonerghis and Telemachos Kanthos who studied in Greece and Adamantios Diamantis who studied in England, carried with them their influences and applied different expressive models and teaching methods, encouraging the children to create freely with some basic directions. Those artists and mainly the youngest Kanthos and Diamantis, contributed in shaping the curriculum of Art Education until it was finally generalised as a course at around 1950 for Primary schools and after 1960 in Secondary schools.

2.2. After 1960 – The Independence

The year of the Independence 1960, is one of the most important in the history of Cyprus because it marks the beginning of a new period in which the Cypriots could finally take their own decisions about the Education, Administration and Economy of their country, probably for the first time ever through all the islands’ history. This fact somehow disappointed the majority of the Greek-Cypriots who wanted Cyprus to become part of Greece so the notion of this idea guided them through their everyday lives and shaped the education system methodology and curriculum, widely influenced by the Greek education system. The English influence was also part of the newly founded Republic of Cyprus, in many of its aspects.

The artists of the second generation who were born during the period of 1922-1940 had the chance to receive their education abroad in important worldwide artistic centres (London, Athens, New York, Beijing etc.) and there were also artists studying in Eastern European countries (USSR, Czechoslovakia etc.) with scholarships provided by Cyprus’ left wing political party AKEL. Many of those artists returned in Cyprus after 1960 to teach Arts and some of them specialised in Art Education, contributing in the evolution of teaching Visual Arts in public

2 The course of Ichnography (Ichnographia) originates from Ancient Greece when in 4th century B.C. it was taught as part of Aesthetics Education with the purpose of understanding the harmony of lines and shapes and not so much for practical purposes but mainly for developing a good taste and the ability to judge the subjective beauty of a visual stimulus.3 Calligraphy (Kalligraphia) was taught intensively during the Byzantine period along with Byzantine Music, both taught as part of the Aesthetics Education.

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education. The independence of Cyprus initiated a series of controversies between the more conservative and the more open-minded in the search of defining the cultural character and identity of Cyprus. With the more conservative supporting the Byzantine tradition and Folk Art aesthetics and subjects drawn from the rural life and the more open-minded supporting artistic creation in a more international and multicultural spirit, the Art Education Curriculum was affected by both opinions as Cyprus’ education and politics aimed to combine both tradition and modernity.

Finding detailed information about the Art Education Curriculum of the period that followed the Independence was very difficult but the information found confirms that the types of classes included in the general term of Aesthetics Education (Aesthitiki Agogi) were given a lot of attention and were considered very important pedagogically. The Art teachers proved themselves very capable in teaching those courses as confirmed with the participation of Cyprus in international contests of Children’s Art. Some of the participating works were awarded and two of those cases include the 1st prize of the UNESCO award in Paris in 19794 and the main Balaton prize in Hungary in 1980.5

The term Aesthetics Education was introduced in Greece at 1982 to replace the term of Technical Courses and it was divided in two parts: A – Painting, Drawing, Handicrafts and B – Music. After 1990, Aesthetics Education was consisted of three parts: A – Visual Education (Ikastiki Agogi), B – Music and C – Theatrical Education and there was given greater emphasis on the expressive ability of the pupil and the methods of depicting the personal ideas, feelings and experiences of the pupil. Those models were applied in Cyprus with some adjustments that were made to follow the general educational and cultural scheme. Since 1960 the Art Education Curriculum has undergone through many reforms to be able to correspond to the needs and the trends of each period of time and despite the problems caused by the Turkish Invasion in the island in 1974, the interest for improving the Curriculum remained intact. An important revision of the Curriculum was done in 1999 in which the pupils were divided in three levels according to their age, covering the range between 6 to 15 years which includes all the 6 years of Primary Education (6-12) and the first 3 years from the Secondary Education (12-15).

In 1999 the Republic of Cyprus was already on its way to join the European Union and some changes had to be done in order to prepare the future citizens for the European multicultural and international spirit. The 1999’s Art Curriculum revision described a series of expectations that had to be met by the pupils of each one of the three levels and the Curriculum also referred to teaching Arts for at least eighty minutes per week throughout all the 9 years of obligatory Art Education. Helping children to practise Art, as well as learning about and through Art were the main objectives mentioned in 1999’s revision. Those objectives aimed to improve the personal and social development of the child along with bringing out his ability to express his ideas and feelings using the right methods and materials in order to develop a taste in Aesthetics and appreciate the value of artistic works. Art criticism is another important aspect of the Curriculum that was emphasised because of its importance to inform the pupils about the culture of their country and also to meet and appreciate other cultures through their artistic creation. Developing a personal sense of judgement was also promoted as part of the Art criticism which could be achieved through discussions and by exchanging opinions about artistic works seen in Museums, Galleries and even in the residences of the Artists themselves.

Nowadays, the main philosophy and purpose of Art Education remains the same as described in 1999’s revision, with some important additions in the methodology of teaching Arts. Those additions are related to the use of Technology and Digital Media to accompany the

4 The student Panagiota Demetriou was awarded for her work titled Life in 2000: Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots have fun in a wedding when she was 11 years old.5 The student Stavroula Kyriakou was awarded for her work titled The spring when she was 9 years old.

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traditional teaching methods and the integration of subjects like multiculturalism, local/world heritage and environment. The term used today changed from Aesthetics Education to Visual Arts (Ikastikes Technes) and its teaching is now obligatory for two years more than the previous scheme. The Visual Arts Education now covers the ages 5-16 and is divided in 4 levels in contrary with the 3 levels that it was previously divided. Those levels are:

- Level 1: Preschool – 2nd Grade of Primary School (5-7)- Level 2: 3rd Grade – 5th Grade of Primary School (8-10)- Level 3: 6th Grade of Primary School – 2nd Grade of Secondary School (11-13)- Level 4: 3nd Grade of Secondary School – 1st Grade of High School (14-16)

The evaluation methods, the approaches in teaching in classes with pupils of different level of skills as well as the consistency, continuation and evolution of all the aspects of teaching Arts is applied mainly according to England’s National Curriculum standards, U.S.A.’s National Standards and the models of other countries.

The Visual Arts classes are consisted of two main parts which are: (1) Creation and (2) Observation. These two key objects are further divided thematically and with relevant theoretical and practical objectives and expectations. Combining these two parts there are three main axes around where the material is centred. The three axes are described by three relevant key aspects:

1. Visual Arts as an experience providing the ability to explore the use of materials and media and observe various types of visual creation for ideas and inspiration.

2. The cultivation of morals and values of the contemporary democratic society and the development of the ability to criticise and express opinions and thoughts about the members of that society through team work.

3. The development of skills required to deal with the characteristics of the modern society through exploration of new technologies and by building a well structured methodology on how to find, choose and present information and ideas.

In practical terms there are specific objectives and expectations described for each level divided by age. Visual Expression and Thinking are the general terms that describe the practical application of the three theoretical aspects that are mentioned above. The practice is applied through a series of Morphological, Structural, Conceptual and some other additional expressive elements which aim to help the pupil develop specific skills in creating and as well as criticizing Visual Arts (Table 1). Those elements are combined with subjects such as local/world heritage and environment and there are various methods for approaching those subjects. The pupils are encouraged to work with materials and techniques used in Folk Art and Handicrafts and visit Museums, traditional villages and the workshops and ateliers of artists and workers who still practise this type of Art, to appreciate the effort and the skills that are needed to create it. Careful observation of traditional and contemporary architecture is also promoted in order for the pupils to know the materials and the textures that each of those materials create.

During the last years the Visual Arts Education program included museum and gallery visits as obligatory part of the teaching process. The State Gallery of Contemporary Cypriot Art in Nicosia, the State Gallery in Limassol, the Byzantine Museum in Nicosia and others, have developed specific programs in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Culture by which the pupils can be benefitted from while they observe, criticise and try to recreate the works of Art exhibited in those places. Some Cypriot artists also offered to give seminars and show their work to students and among them is the engraver Hambis Tsangaris. The great interest and the passion of some teachers in their work resulted in the creation of some

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remarkable works of art by the collaboration of the pupils in groups. Most of that work usually resulted in sculptures inspired by the Folk tradition, Poetry and Literature and some of them are exhibited in the schools and in public squares of the municipalities in which they were created.

Elements Level 1 (Age 5-7)

Level 2 (Age 8-10)

Level 3 (Age 11-13)

Level 4 (Age 14-16)

Morphological

-Point-Line: straight, curve, dotted, close-open, horizon line-Shape: geometric, organic-Colour: basic, secondary, mixes-Texture: soft, rough, smooth

-Point-Line-Shape: symmetric, asymmetric-Colour: warm, cold, hues-Tone-Texture

-Point-Line-Shape-Colour: primary/secondary, contrasts-Tone-Texture

-Point-Line-Shape-Colour-Tone-Texture

Structural

-Volume-Space-Pattern-Repetition-Motion-Time

-Placement-Size-Volume-Negative/positive space-Depth-Patten-Repetition-Rhythm-Intensity-Motion-Time

-Placement-Size-Analogies-Volume-Space-Patten-Repetition-Rhythm-Intensity-Motion-Time

-Placement-Size-Analogies-Vanishing point-Principles of perspective design-Volume-Space-Patten-Repetition-Rhythm-Intensity-Motion-Time

Conceptual

-Meaning-Symbols

-Meaning-Symbols-Storytelling-Expression of feelings

-Storytelling-Messages-Meaning-Symbols-Terms-Figures- Expression of feelings

-Storytelling-Messages-Meaning-Symbols-Terms-Figures- Expression of feelings

Additional

-Use of materials/media and techniques-Relation of Art with Physical Sciences

-Use of materials/media and techniques-Relation of Art with Health Education

-Use of materials/media and techniques-Relation of Art with History

-Use of materials/media and techniques-Relation of Art with Literature

Table 1. The elements of Visual Thinking and Expression and their practical application divided by levels.

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Image 18 & 19. The engraver artist Hambis Tsangaris in a seminar at Art Centre of Secondary Education Pupils in 2009.

18 19

Image 20 & 21. A sculpture created by the students of Linopetra Secondary School and exhibited in the school’s yard in 2010.

Image 22 & 23. A work inspired by a Giorgos Seferis poem created from the students of Zakaki Secondary School in 2009.

22 23

20 21

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In 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union and had to adjust its current Art Education System to correspond to the EU’s specifications. In doing so the adjustments made were mostly related with the theoretical context of the Art Education with less changes in the practical application. Those theoretical changes intended to help the pupils to know well and develop their National Identity and to appreciate and compare it with various types of Art from different countries and cultures. The appreciation of National Identity as well as the appreciation of Handicrafts and Folk Art in general was to be made through direct encounter with these forms of Art, with materials used and even with the Artists themselves. Considering the practical changes made, the integration of Technology and Digital Media in the Curriculum was introduced and now widely used to prepare the pupils for the Modern Society and to make the teaching of Visual Arts more entertaining for the children. The development of specific Art Education software was and is funded by the government and has become an integral part of the Curriculum, without abandoning the traditional Media and Art Techniques.

The European Union isn’t the only factor that affected the Art Education Curriculum as Cyprus nowadays constantly receives immigrants from various non European countries, mostly former Soviet Union countries (Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine) and Arab countries. The Ministry of Education and Culture has prepared a series of information to inform the parents about the Education Methods and Curriculum and developed specific parts of that Curriculum especially for the migrating pupils in languages such as English, Turkish, Russian, Georgian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Ukrainian and Arabic. As most classes and schools are now becoming multicultural the development of a team spirit of collaboration and constant opinion exchanging is important to shape the characters of the future Republic of Cyprus citizens. The Visual Art courses are considered very important to help the children develop a more open character to accept the cultural diversity and to actively criticise the actions of their surrounding environment.

ConclusionsThe absence of long periods of peace during the ancient and recent past of Cyprus may have deprived the islands’ inhabitants of the right to make their own decisions for their country but their passion and need for artistic creation and progress remained intact. The fact that Cyprus is an island, was and still is one of the main reasons that the Cypriot society tended to be more closed, more conservative and sometimes isolated. An obvious result of this tendency is the Orthodox Religion that is kept intact for about 15 centuries despite the pressure by the various conquerors to change it and also the spoken language in Cyprus which is a Greek Dialect influenced by Ancient Greek with additions from the Languages spoken by the various conquerors. As the times are now changing, the Cypriot society is becoming less conservative and more open-minded, influenced more by the Western than by its neighbouring Eastern Society tendencies.

The Art Education System of Cyprus is now consisted of qualified teachers and retains a high level of requirements for accepting each type of Education Studies. The teachers studying and specializing in Universities in Cyprus and around the world are already familiar with the spirit of multiculturalism that the government of Cyprus is trying to promote mainly through the Education, to prepare its future citizens. Even though the Cypriot government spends a lot of money for the maintenance and improvement of the physical infrastructure and the integration of Technology in schools, there is still no public Fine Arts School for Higher Education but only private colleges. Hopefully the future generations will have all the necessary knowledge and education to appreciate Arts and to support them, independently of their occupation and social status, contributing in the island’s Artistic Creation along with the hope of a unified island.

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ReferencesBooks

1. Christou, Chrysanthos (1983). A Brief History of Modern and Contemporary Cypriot Art. Nicosia: The Cultural Service of the Ministry of Education of Cyprus.

2. Chrysochos, Andreas et. al (1983). Cypriot Artists (p. 9-25). Nicosia: Chr. Andreou Publications.

3. Mentzafou, Olga (Editor) (1984). Contemporary Cypriot Art, The First Generation of Independence (p. 9-14). Athens: National Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum.

4. Karagiorgis, Vasos et. al (Editors) (1993). Cypriot Folk Art, Proceedings of the meeting organized by Pierides Foundation in 23/05/1992. Nicosia: Pierides Foundation.

5. Papadopoulou, Maria Th. (2004). Playing Art with Children: Elli Trimi’s Program for Preschool and Elementary School Children (p. 29-49). Thessaloniki: Kyriakides Brothers Publishing House.

Online Articles/Material

1. Kounenaki, Peggy et. al (1997). Tribute in Contemporary Cypriot Art. Nicosia: Kathimerini Newspaper.http://wwk.kathimerini.gr/kath/7days/1997/06/01061997.pdf

2. Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. Brief History of Cyprus. http://bit.ly/fBVZfW

3. Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA, Eurydice) (2009). Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe. Brussels: EACEA. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/thematic_reports/113EN.pdf

4. Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA, Eurydice) (2010). National summary sheets on education systems in Europe and ongoing reforms: Cyprus. Brussels: EACEA. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/national_summary_sheets/047_CY_EN.pdf

5. Appiou, Emilia (Translation) (2003). The National Art Curriculum in the Primary Education of Cyprus. http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/national_summary_sheets/047_CY_EN.pdf

6. European Parliament (2006). Financing the Arts and Culture in the European Union. Brussles: European Parliament http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/education/eurydice/documents/eurybase/national_summary_sheets/047_CY_EN.pdf

7. Ministry of Education and Culture/Cyprus Pedagogical Institute: Department of Program Development (2010). Curricula for Public Schools in Cyprus. Nicosia: Ministry of Education and Culture.http://www.paideia.org.cy/upload/analytika_programmata_2010/0.siniptikaanalitikaprogrammata.pdf

8. Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (2008). Educational Support Material for the Integration of ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) in the Learning Process. Nicosia: Cyprus Pedagogical Institute.http://www.e-epimorfosi.ac.cy/img/files/dimotiki%20texni%2001%20K07D.pdf

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Links

1. Ministry of Education and Culture: Annual Reports. http://www.moec.gov.cy/etisia-ekthesi/index.html

2. Ministry of Education and Culture: Public Schools Support.http://www.schools.ac.cy/

3. Ministry of Education and Culture: Elementary Education Teaching Material.http://www.schools.ac.cy/klimakio/index.html

4. Ministry of Education and Culture: Secondary Education Teaching Material.http://www.schools.ac.cy/EYLIKO/mesi/index.html

5. Cyprus Society For Education Through Arts (CySEA).http://www.koet.org/

Images

Cover Image: A work created by the pupils of Kokkinotrimithia Secondary School in 2006 using Iron, Concrete and Mosaics. This work symbolises the bonding of the Ancient Greek Culture with the European Culture, with references to patterns of Matisse and the 12 stars of the EU.http://www.schools.ac.cy/eyliko/mesi/themata/techni/mnimiaki_techni/mnim_kokkinotrimithia.pdf

Image 1: http://sfrang.com/historia/graphics/10/10-50.jpgImage 2: http://bit.ly/dPtt1L Image 3: http://bit.ly/ghXuPD

*The rest of the images were taken from the pre-mentioned printed and online material.

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