Lines!

A conversation in the Art Room

Me: "Today we are going to learn about lines! What is a line?"
Student: "A large predatory animal!" 
Me: "Ummmmmmm......"

vs.

 

#lines by #waitsfieldschool #gradesoneandtwo

A post shared by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Feb 21, 2017 at 12:38pm PST

Inspired by Monet's Waterlilies

What color is water?

First and second grade artist learned about Impressionist painter Claude Monet. We talked about how Monet broke from the art traditions of the time by painting outside in nature and trying to capture the beauty of sunlight at different times of day.  We looked at examples of his many waterlily paintings.

Google Arts & Culture has some very cool tools for getting up close and personal with famous works of art. 

You can take a virtual tour of Monet's waterlily paintings at the Musee de l'Orangerie in Paris using Google Art Project.  
Click here to check it out! 

You can use the ZOOM tool to get close enough to one of Monet's Water Lily paintings that you can see each impressionist brushstroke. 
Click here to check it out! 

#monetwaterlilies and by #gradesoneandtwo at #waitsfieldschool with #quotes by #claudemonet

A video posted by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Feb 3, 2017 at 5:47am PST

Matisse Paper Cut Out Shapes

"It is not enough to place colors, however beautiful, one beside the other; colors must also react on one another. " - Matisse 

First and second grade artists made "shape collections" inspired by Matisse's paper cut outs. 

 

Click here to read more about Henri Matisse from MoMA.org

Click here for an interactive tour of Matisse's work from the Baltimore Museum of Art 

About Henri Matisse 

Henri Matisse grew up in the northern part of France. His father was a grain merchant and strict with Henri. He went to school in Paris and studied law. In 1888 he passed the bar and took a job as a law clerk. 

Becoming a Painter 

In 1889 Henri came down with appendicitis. During his recovery his mother got him some art supplies for something to do. He fell in love with painting and art. He decided he wanted to become an artist. His father was very disappointed. 

Henri began to explore painting. His mother encouraged him not to follow the normal rules of art, but to try out new things and to paint his emotions. 
In 1897, Matisse was introduced to impressionism and to the work of van Gogh. It opened up a new world to Matisse. 

Early Works 

Matisse painted his first masterpiece in 1897. It was called The Dinner Table. He continued to paint being influenced by artists such as van Gogh and Cezanne. He studied the works of J.M.W. Turner as well and even took on some of the style of Pointillism from Seurat. 

Fauvism 

In the early 1900s Matisse developed a new style. He began to paint with bright masses of colors that were freely applied. He used the colors to express emotion often using colors that had nothing to do with the natural colors of the subject. One critic called them "fauves", which meant "wild beasts". The name stuck and their style of art was called Fauvism. 

Cutouts 

In his later years, Matisse began to experiment with cutouts. He would cut out colored paper and make collages. He released a book of these cutouts called Jazz that was very popular. Some of his cutouts have become famous pieces of artwork including The Blue Nude, The Knife Thrower, and Icarus. 

Legacy 

Matisse is considered one of the founders of Fauvism art. He is also considered one of the leading figures of modern art as his paintings and art influenced many artists throughout the 20th century. 

Interesting Facts about Matisse: 

• He was good friends with artist Pablo Picasso. They later became rivals.
• Major patrons of Matisse included Americans Gertrude Stein and the Cone Sisters. They purchased a number of his paintings. He also introduced them to Picasso, whose paintings they also purchased.
• He ran a small art school called Academie Matisse in Paris between 1908 and 1911.
• Some of his paintings have sold for over $20 million.
• Movie star Al Pacino is set to play the role of Henri Matisse in a movie called Masterpiece.

Click here to read more about Henri Matisse from Ducksters.com

Children looking at Matisse's work at the Tate Museum 

Footage of Matisse Making his Paper Cut Outs 

Beetle Mania!

First and second graders looked at the art of Christopher Marley.  He creates mosaics and "prisms" out of real beetles, butterflies and other insects.  Click here to see more of Marley's Insect Art. 

We also read "The Beetle Book," by Steve Jenkins and talked about the many varieties of different beetles in the world.  We noticed that all bugs are symmetrical.  This ties in with students' math class work about symmetry.  

"Some Bugs," by Angela DiTerlizzi was another fun resource for checking out different types of beetles and insects.  This book has beautiful illustrations!  

Additionally inspired by the well-loved art of Eric Carle, first and second grade artists drew their beetles, collaged them with tissue paper and added them to a group mosaic in the style of Christopher Marley.  

Monster Draw!

Leaf collages

Here are our collages made by first and second graders from our leaf rubbings and leaf printing.