Representations of Violence in Contemporary Art as a Source for Education in Empathy in Elementary School

Abstract

Art as such can have important effects on our attitude towards ourselves, others, and the world we live in. Artworks can therefore be used to promote empathy among people. As children develop the ability to empathise from early childhood onwards, empathy is undoubtedly a fundamental skill of humankind. One’s ethical development can benefit greatly from learning to identify with a certain work of art. Contemporary art is most appropriate for this purpose, since it deals with contemporary issues and is thus closely connected with life. Themes such as sustainable development, globalisation, interpersonal relations, identity, migrations and cultural exchange are intertwined with the concept of active citizenship. In an elementary school context, the presence of violence in contemporary art and the imparting of empathy can be effectively explored via cross-curricular links. Our aim is to analyse the syllabus in order to identify the most effective way of linking school subjects, their contents and learning objectives. Art history methodology (iconographical, iconological, contextual analysis) will be used to determine which modern Slovene violence-depicting works of art might be suitable for educational purposes.