All language subtitles for Children Who Draw (1956) Susumu Hani

Selected by the Ministry of Education

An Iwanami Film Production

What is this?

[inaudible]

What's this?

Rain.

This? What's this?

A mouse, squeak squeak!

CHILDREN WHO DRAW
Understanding Children's Art

We all enjoy doodling
as young children.

But developing that
into an expressive skill

requires some effort.

April

In the spring,

the new students arrive in outfits
carefully picked by their mothers.

This is also the start of our
year-long teaching of art.

--in school, in school

We study together

What a happy time

Their first art lesson.

As we distributed
the sheets of paper,

we discovered everyone
was terribly nervous.

When they receive their paper,

they first check what
the others do with it.

Will they be scolded by the teacher
if they draw what's on their mind?

They seem worried.

They have not become friends yet
with the other children.

What are you drawing in black?

Some children are unruly,

as though they are still at home.

Teacher! Teacher!

It'll be a flying butterfly.

The anxious ones

finally begin drawing
after some encouragement.

From this pose,

we can tell he's not yet grasped
the spirit of a classroom.

Even after the class
had warmed up,

there remained one student
who was not drawing.

He seems to be curious at heart.

But he doesn't respond
when we speak to him.

On this day, his paper
remained blank.

Okay, now,

spread your arms out wide--

The lessons continued onward.

Take some steps back.

Please line up with
your neighbors.

Take the first bead,
and here we go.

One.

Two.

Their art during this period
look very much alike.

They're timid,

and remain within
a certain mold.

But even among these works,

we can find budding
traces of originality.

We focus on the trees.

The work of a tough girl,

who holds her own
against the boys.

That girl seems to have a lackey,
and this is their artwork.

A level-headed and
rather stylish child.

The feelings of a child
are quite flexible.

They are very impressionable
and easy to change.

Early on, I found this boy

to be the most active
and roughest in the class.

But one day,

he appeared with a
clean shaven head.

Everyone teased him.

His attitude has
changed ever since.

This is his drawing.

In it, I find him expressing

his vulnerability and
isolation from others.

Go!

The moment that left the most
lasting impression on us,

took place during
a physical education lesson.

The pressure of a race.

Go!

When she fell behind the others,

it must have made her very sad.

Ms. Tagawa, late from crying,

hurried in to her art class.

She first drew the sun,

but it was engulfed
by the other colors.

Her strokes were intense,

pressing hard against the paper.

She drew a red flower
in the center of her canvas.

Lastly, using a deep purple crayon,

she fenced everything in.

Purple is often used to
represent physical injury,

or to express unhappiness
coming from one's failings.

This vivid red might reveal
the intensity of her anguish.

But once she drew this picture,

she appeared to be
much more at ease.

This is the drawing on
the back of her paper.

The colors are brighter
and more refreshing.

June

As I look through the
children's drawings,

I learn a lot from them.

We gather each child's work,
and sort them chronologically.

We also make sure to stamp
them with the date.

Here's the work by Machino,

who didn't draw
on the first day.

This is his first piece of art,
a lonely looking house.

There's a good picture!

For about five weeks,

drawings of the house continued.

Machino's house is located
to the south of the school.

She must be an acquaintance.

His family does not own a house,

but rents a room in this
small apartment building.

Machino tells us,

he is often alone by himself
in this room until night time.

A drawing of the house at night.

Children often incorporate
emotion in their art in this way.

This picture evokes
something frightening.

Machino now enjoys art.

But instead of color,

he elects to draw
detailed pencil art.

He catches fishes from the sea.

He first puts it in
the tank behind him.

The ones that overflow are stored
in the bottom of his boat.

It's his first major work.

I believe these
repetitive elements

indicate that he has yet
to overcome his worries.

Ms. Tagawa, who cried
after her sprint.

In contrast to Machino,

she drew imaginative
pictures from the beginning.

I get the impression that she was
raised by a warm and nurturing family.

Her father is a hard worker,
employed at a lumber mill.

The mother appears
to be diligent as well.

They didn't have the sweet roll?
So what did you buy?

[inaudible]

- Oh.
- This has bean paste in it.

Please put it over there.

Please put away the
shopping bag, too.

I'm told Ms. Tagawa is a kind child
who helps with her mother's tasks.

She always looked
cheerful at her home.

But she just can't seem
to fit in with her friends.

Yeah, I only have that one.

- This one?
- That's 10 yen.

- That'll be 10 yen too.
- I'll get one too.

[inaudible]

- It's 10 yen.
- I gave you 10 yen, too!

Okay, thank you.

Thank you very much.

Even in the classroom, she
was often seen by herself.

Early on, she drew a single flower.

With its warm colors, the drawing
suggests a reliance upon others.

A flower growing atop
a cold-colored mountain.

With this, the sense of
reliance is diminished,

and perhaps she wishes
to be more independent.

Soon, as if they represent
more knowledge,

there were more flowers.

It must have taken her a lot of
courage to draw these people,

consisting of such complex shapes.

It's still a juvenile piece of art,
yet it's an avidly drawn one.

Perhaps the children in the drawing
were Ms. Tagawa's little sisters,

whom she always looks after.

The children's art, which
used to be timidly drawn,

started to contain
a variety of subjects.

"Shot him"

"Rabbit"

A drawing with detailed,
written explanations.

"Was hit"

"Shot him, bang bang"

Although the shapes
are well-drawn,

some pictures are copied
straight out of a book.

This one shows more
of the child's own feelings.

However,

what conjured such grotesque
creatures within this boy?

Images of war are
another popular theme.

However, if we encounter
such a child,

who focuses on war drawings,

we should examine if he has reasons
to bear such resentment or anger.

Meanwhile, here is
Machino's drawing,

of a baby whale suckling
on its mother whale.

As his parents
are often away,

he stays late after school
wishing to spend time with us,

which is perhaps
reflected in his art.

July

We start by encouraging
the children,

no matter what they
choose to express.

That is because we value their courage
to honestly reveal their feelings.

Soft clay, for instance,

is another material to aid
their creative expression.

Any new material

first appeals to their
sense of curiosity.

Take it with your hands.

[inaudible]

- I'll give you a little more.
- One more, teacher!

Here.

Some children,

upon discovering the ledge by the
coal storage, worked standing up.

Make it even longer.

Gotta put water on it.

One two, one two...

Pat, pat, pat...

Even this boy, who had been
quiet since he was shaved,

looks to be having much fun.

Moreover, the slithering snake

bears a significant
meaning for children.

The snake's getting long.

It's gonna break apart!

Should I stretch the snake
all the way here?

Don't.

Here to over there?

Don't take mine!

If it flips over,
you're gonna pay.

Wow, the snake
turned the corner.

The enthralled children use
all of the muscles in their body

to make things with the wet clay
while enjoying its texture.

Teacher!

I made it!

I made a whale!

Oh, I like that one!

Ah, a whale?

That's impressive!

It's wonderful.

It's the one I drew
in class that other day--

It's the one-eyed monster
that I drew in class.

- Oh, the one-eyed one?
- Yeah.

Whether it is a snake
or a monster,

when it frightens the child,

he lacks the courage
to reproduce its form.

Even if a child still
fears the dark,

once they can create ghosts
from clay and in their drawings,

they must be gradually
getting over these fears.

Finger painting.

This is yet another material that
promotes the children's development.

By getting their hands dirty, we often
observed the children's preconceptions

naturally melt away
through their fingertips.

As they gain more confidence,

the children are eager
to test their own strength.

Just drawing swordfights
becomes inadequate.

It is at this age, it seems,

that they are most drawn
to physical strength.

Perhaps they can't keep
a handle on themselves.

We thought about drawing
on the large chalkboard

as a way for the children to make
use of their newfound strength.

If we simply scolded them,

it would only hinder their
hardy development.

Hey, Nakazawa.

Why don't you draw
the rest of this boat?

Even Ms. Tagawa, who had not
been too attached to us,

has become quite lively.

Her art has developed as well.

August

Summer break, by the river.

One two, three four.

The river is shallow and
moves slowly here,

but the children's imagination
transforms it into a grand ocean.

The ocean is a place
with strange creatures.

At the bottom, there is
a house of fish.

There's something taking a nap.

Could it be a large whale?

These are its eyeballs.

They look pleased with
their first collaboration.

Ms. Tagawa was digging
a hole away from the others.

A shy girl like her,

and the hole that
she dug herself.

By sitting there,

she must have found a safe, comfortable
space much like her own home.

October

The new semester has started.

In art class, the children begin
using opaque watercolors.

This child, who successfully
made a whale during the summer,

is now intensely working
with this new material.

This child was engrossed
with war drawings.

He's finding this
new task difficult.

Here's the boy who
picked on Machino.

You're good at this.

He is currently very
interested in human faces.

This is his fifth work.

It's a portrait that
is quite humorous.

Perhaps it's a self-portrait.

The desire to learn new things,

which continues to develop
within each of them,

is also reflected in
their other subjects.

Machino, too, is bravely
progressing in his studies.

"The picture--"

"He read to him from
the picture book."

"The elephant, stretching
its long trunk,"

"was picking up
the nuts and berries."

Good, well done.

The trip to the zoo, occuring during
this period of intense curiosity,

left a strong impression
on the children.

Scary, scary!

Here it comes.

Machino.

It's here.

How Machino has changed,

compared to his first
day in art class.

But the use of color

is a brand new world that
has just opened to him.

Hence it's a source of
apprehension and worry,

but he's also happy about it.

A child's art differs
from that of an artist.

Vividly expressing their
own feelings is paramount.

This fat, round elephant looks
to be enjoying himself.

It's hard to imagine

it's drawn by the same child
who, four months earlier,

drew this timid,
thinly-lined piece.

The brilliant color of this carrot

pulls the entire
picture together.

We demand more, physically,
out of the students.

But we make sure to
post their hard work

on the wires above
the blackboard.

Machino.

This is your drawing, right?

This elephant's colored well.

By doing so,

the children develop a sense
of pride for their work.

It also draws attention to
the other children's art.

This is by the boy who had his head
shaved at the beginning of the year.

Being an intelligent boy,

his work has a distinct
style to them.

On the other hand,

this drawing of a lion is charming
in how plainly childish it looks.

A painting by the
lonely Ms. Tagawa.

Imagining a life with little
birds and her peers.

She must be feeling very
cheerful at the moment.

Even during physical education,
her most challenging subject,

she has been building
much confidence.

Introverted children like her,

if they are properly encouraged,

have the capability to express
a warm, tender beauty.

Despite using many colors,

the canvas remains
cohesive and beautiful.

A fantastical way of viewing
things is hidden in every child.

Turning now to the children
who drew images of war,

or monsters with
their rough strokes.

These strong children

continue to boldly illustrate
the objects around them.

The picture on the left was
drawn together by five friends.

Even among these
tough children,

we see that each still retain their
individual personalities and beauty.

Growing within each child

are the capacity to honestly and
keenly perceive their world

as well as the ability
to create new things.

Your father takes his bag and
heads to the office, right?

Or to the factory.

He goes to many places.

Maybe he rides the train
to a workplace far away.

There are some people who
must travel far to work.

Your older brother might
work just like your father.

And your mother works, too.

And older sisters work as well.

Have you ever...

Helped out the grown-ups
with their jobs?

The other day,

everybody's friend, Sakai,

helped out at his family's store,
giving change to the customers.

And there's...

Ms. Mahara, another of your friends.

She was helping her mother
glue things together.

So for today, think about the jobs
that you've helped out at,

or the jobs you've seen,
or jobs you've heard about.

Remember the job you think is
the most fun, and let's draw that.

Okay, I'll give you
some paper...

END
Produced by Iwanami Films