Salvador Dali was a famous Spanish artist known for being unconventional in both his creations and appearance. His paintings, sculptures and films often have a dream-like quality about them, often because the bizarre landscapes or actions depicted cannot happen in the real world. This led to his art being described as Surrealism. Though such terms might sound rather highbrow, the art can be surprisingly conducive to working with children because of the very lack of logical possibility. Here are a few ways that you can explore Salvador Dali with your learners in early childhood settings. 

Jackson Pollock was an American artist who painted in the abstract expressionist style. He is best known for works created by dripping and splashing paint on a large canvas that would lie flat on the floor. Additionally, he would often use dance-like movements when splashing colour on the canvas - a method that came to be known as action painting. Here are a few ways that you can explore Jackson Pollock with your learners in early childhood settings. 

One of the greatest French artists of the 20th century, Henri Matisse is known for his fluid use of colours and forms in paintings and sculptures.  The following provides information on Henri Matisse's art experiences that can be created by children. 

Considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso is famous for a style of painting known as Cubism. As opposed to traditional art which depicts three-dimensional figures as they might appear to a human eye – for example, the back of a human figure’s head or rear side of a house not being visible – cubism strove to represent all sides of a figure, often by breaking it up and re-assembling it in abstract and geometric form. Here are a few ways that you can explore Pablo Picasso with your learners in early childhood settings. 

Oscar-Claude Monet was a pioneer of the French Impressionist style of painting. According to this, an artist’s impressions of a landscape or object are more important than how it really looks. Yet another feature of his art was the painting of the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. The following provides information on Claude Monet's art experiences that can be created by children. 

Andy Warhol was one of the most famous American artists of the latter half of the 20th century. Born Andrew Warhola in 1928 in Pennsylvania, he originally worked as a commercial artist, designing commercials and window displays for stores. He soon became famous as an artist in the Pop Art movement which uses images from popular cultures like advertising, comic books and other everyday objects. The following provides information on Andy Warhol's art experiences that can be created by children. 

Creative arts offer children - through dance, crafts, music, art or drama – some of the most enjoyable ways to express their ideas and imagination. Along along with providing opportunities for freewheeling thinking, creative pursuits bring many developmental and learning benefits as well.

Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest figures in the history of art. His works exude intense emotional power with their vivid colours and bold brushstrokes. Described as Post-impressionist, Van Gogh’s paintings paved the way for the modernist movement in art around the world. The following provides information on Vincent Van Gogh's art experiences that can be created by children. 

EYLF curriculum, Belonging, Being, Becoming recognises the significance of artistic exploration in the early years. According to Element 5.3 “Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts” Educators can bring about this outcome when they teach art as a language and show how artists can use the elements and principles to construct visual texts. An excellent way to work towards this outcome is to incorporate famous artists into toddler and preschool art experiences. Here are a few ideas on how you can do this in your service.

Painting is one of the most vibrant ways that young children can experience the wonder of Art. Exploring the world of colours, textures, lines and forms can not only help children express their creativity and emotions but facilitate physical, cognitive and social development too.