ART AND LITERATURE: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN VISION AND LANGUAGE

Pham Huynh Anh Tho – Class A2K11

According to Circular No. 32/2018 dated December 26, 2018, the new General Education Program aims to help students develop MORALITY, INTELLIGENCE, PHYSICALITY, and AESTHETICS. This indicates that, alongside the development of soft skills, enhancing the aesthetic capacity of students is also considered essential. Therefore, integrating the perspectives of Fine Arts into the 11th-grade Literature curriculum is a practical and meaningful method in building and developing the students' capabilities at Can Tho University Elite High School.

In the Literature textbook for 11th grade (Canh Dieu series), on page 56, the essay prompts such as "Express your thoughts on the beauty of a painting or a sculpture that you consider valuable" or "Discuss the allure of a film, play, or song that you like" have inspired the teaching staff of Literature in our school to explore the idea of creating a connection between Fine Arts and Literature: a bridge between vision and language.

Fine Arts and Literature closely relate and interact with each other. While Fine Arts can make literature more lively, rich, and diverse, Literature can deepen and refine Arts. Therefore, instead of mechanically and conventionally perceiving a literary work or a poem, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong and the team of 11th-grade Literature teachers have innovated teaching and learning by aiming for the interdisciplinary integration of Literature and Fine Arts to attract and stimulate students’ interests in Literature while developing the students’ ability to observe, analyze, and evaluate works of art. Given the opportunity by the school, students have also gained additional experiential lessons from Mr. Tran Van Duc (M.A. in Architecture, lecturer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture) who was invited to lecture at the school. This helps students acquire additional knowledge beyond the curriculum, contributing to the cultivation of individual cultural, aesthetic, and personal qualities

Mr. Tran Van Duc teaching class 11A2 on December 21, 2023

The goal of integrating art is to demonstrate the close connection between works of art and everyday social, historical, and cultural issues. It is not just a form of expressing beauty, but also a means of conveying human emotions, perspectives, and messages. If students have the opportunity to creatively analyze and present reports, photos, videos, posters, etc., based on works of art, it is a unique method to expand their horizons, develop thinking, and nurture the ability to evaluate art while still in high school. Through this new learning method, the access to and understanding of artworks from different periods, countries, and cultures become more vivid and enjoyable. The administration of Can Tho University Elite High School and the team of Literature teachers have always believed that developing soft skills is an essential part/part and parcel of education and have always created favorable conditions to ensure that students can keep up with the fast-paced development and the increasing demands from society.

            As one of the students who have experienced such classes, I and my peers feel that this is a truly unique and meaningful combination. We were taught how to systematically perceive a work of art. The bridge between vision and language is a wonderful area to expand on as well as to break the predetermined boundaries of the Literature subject. "Beauty" and "Literature" do not only create an immersive experience but also help us develop aesthetic perception, abstract thinking, and personal capabilities, while providing opportunities for us to engage in related learning activities. I hope that similar teaching approaches will appear more frequently in future classes so that each and every one of us students can have more interesting and exciting new lessons.