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  Art 

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  The experience of beauty in art helps to form the mind and heart for the pursuit of truth and goodness. As Prof. John Crosby has said, “The child who is raised to respond to the beautiful is thereby sensitized to all that is good and right and worthy.” Taking time to expose our children to great art gives them the opportunity “to contemplate the ray of beauty that strikes us to the quick, that almost ‘wounds’ us, and that invites us to rise toward God” (Benedict XVI).
  
  At Light of Christ Academy, we strive to create an environment of inspiration by surrounding our students with beauty. As students walk the halls of the school they are able to stop and take in the beauty of many different types of classical art prints. Our art program combines art history, art appreciation, art theory, and hands-on art activities. Art for our youngest students is designed to develop a young child’s appreciation for art and poetry, encourage close observation of the paintings and instill a recognition of beauty, composition, color, and line, and encourage exploration in designing pieces that reflect elements of the masterpieces they have studied. More advanced studies special attention to the spiritual significance of art as an expression of “the human need to surpass the visible” (Benedict XVI), and teaches the “language of art” as they engage with masterpieces. Older students learn to focus on the principles of design (unity, variety, contrast, movement, proportion, emphasis, repetition, balance, and rhythm). Light of Christ students are given art classes each week.