The significance visual arts education and student upbringing in primary education regarding visual artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The teaching of visual arts education and upbringing, in its complexity, is designed to enable students to learn, understand, develop, and nurture their creativity, express their imagination, and experience themselves and the world around them in a unique way. To better understand the significance of visual arts education, we chose to focus our research on students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades of primary school, with an emphasis on their knowledge of visual artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina. We applied various research methods to obtain relevant conclusions. The descriptive method allowed us to thoroughly describe the phenomenon, while the theoretical analysis method created a framework for a better understanding of the context. The historical method contributed to reviewing the historical development of art, and the method of analysis and proof was used to evaluate data. The research results were processed using descriptive statistics, employing frequencies and percentages, and presented in tabular form. The obtained results indicated that there were more respondents who answered that they knew something about visual arts compared to those who did not. This suggests a certain degree of uncertainty or limited knowledge among students, which may result from a lack of education or exposure to art. There is a clear need to expand their knowledge and understanding of art. Although there is recognition of some famous artistic works, the percentage of those unable to name any work or responding with "I don't know" suggests the need for further education and awareness raising about different artistic expressions among students. While some artists, such as Safet Zec, are widely recognized, there is also a wide variety of responses, indicating ignorance or undefined answers, suggesting the need for further development of cultural education to broaden understanding of art among students. The majority of respondents expressed a sense of happiness while drawing or painting in all grades, with a percentage above 45%. This may indicate a positive experience of artistic expression. Respondents rarely expressed a sense of boredom, but the percentage increases from grade to grade. Most respondents in Sarajevo have visited galleries with artworks, which is commendable considering that education places little emphasis on visual education, art, or gallery visits. Safet Zec is the most commonly recognized visual artist, with Alija Kučukalić and Afan Ramić being recognizable among students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades. In all grades, the majority of respondents show interest in sculptural works, indicating that students appreciate aesthetics and visual design in sculptures. All of the above can stimulate diversity of interests and a deeper understanding of art among students. There is a certain interest among students in creating artworks inspired by Bosnian-Herzegovinian artists. This analysis will help us assess the level of awareness among students about artists from our country and contribute to the further development of visual arts education.