Kandinsky Concentric Circles and Collaborative Murals

First and second graders are studying abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky.  They are each creating a colorful concentric circle in the style of Kandinsky's most famous painting, Squares with Concentric Circles. They are also working collaboratively on murals in Kandinsky's style.  Kandinsky has synesthesia, which means that when he heard music, he saw colors and heard music when he painted. As first and second graders worked on these murals, we listened to music and considered how different colors make us feel. 

Click here to learn more about Kandinsky and synesthesia.

 

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#collaborative #mural inspired by #kandinsky by #Waitsfieldschool #gradesoneandtwo

A photo posted by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Feb 9, 2016 at 10:50am PST

#collaborative #mural inspired by #kandinsky by #Waitsfieldschool #gradesoneandtwo

A photo posted by Nora (@artclass_allday) on Feb 9, 2016 at 10:47am PST

Kindergarten Kandinskys

KThis lesson has become a Kindergarten "rite of passage" in the art room.   I use it nearly every year, almost always with fantastic results.  I recently was pleased to discover that when a group of first and second graders saw the painting "Squares with Concentric Circles," they immediately recognized it and remembered this lesson.

Kindergarten artists created their own Kandinsky-inspired circle drawings using oil pastel and liquid watercolor.

Kindergarten Kandinskys

Kindergarten Artists looked at Wassily Kandinsky's famous painting "Squares with Concentric Circles." Kandinsky was one of the first painters to create abstract paintings.

Kandinsky (1866 – 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. Art and sound were one and the same to him, because it is believed he had synaesthesia—a harmless condition that allowed him to appreciate two or more senses simultaneously. Kandinsky could not only see the color blue, he could hear it—he associated colors and tones with specific musical timbres. Part of his goal as an artist was to depict and share his synaesthetic experiences. The result is a painting that is complex and visually stimulating, with color combinations that reverberate. (from art.com)

We used oil pastels with a liquid watercolor rinse to create our own versions of this iconic painting.