(30 minutes)
Children will learn about one famous artist and create their own “masterpiece” influenced by that person.
Claude Monet Wassily Kandinsky
Georges Seurat Salvador Dali
Vincent van Gogh Georgia O’Keeffe
Pablo Picasso Andy Warhol
Claude Monet was born in Paris and grew up drawing pictures of his
teachers, friends and sketched outdoors at the harbor. As he grew
older he found other artists who loved to paint outdoors, and actually
built an art studio aboard a little boat so he could paint as he floated
down the river. He worked quickly with bright colors to capture the
changing sunlight and weather. Monet loved to paint the French
seaside and gardens. Today, Monet is known as one of the world’s
greatest artists.
Monet’s Tissue Garden
Children use torn tissue paper to create a beautiful garden masterpiece.
Large flowers, tulips, daisies, sunflowers, roses, leaves, butterflies and
insects are created by layering different colored tissue paper.
Vincent van Gogh painted everything around him – the city streets,
people, flowers, and his own face- with great imagination and emotion.
His paintings are filled with dazzling colors and swirling brushstrokes.
In his own lifetime he only sold one painting. Today his paintings are
worth millions of dollars, and he is known as one of the greatest artists
of all time.
van Gogh’s Irises
Vincent van Gogh exposes students to the artist’s use of very thick paint, and his technique using both brushes and palette spreaders. Texture and the use of color lead the students to their own interpretation of their
“Iris Masterpiece.”
Wassily Kandinsky grew up wealthy in Odessa, Russia. He started painting late…when he turned 30. He went to art school in Munich, Germany and painted beautiful landscapes. Slowly his art began to change. Instead of painting people and places, he painted his inner world of imagination and feelings. He also captured music and sounds in abstract paintings. Kandinsky is known as a leader of German Expressionism and as the first abstract artist.
Sensational Shapes
Children are first asked to think about what colors and shapes make them feel happy, sad, or worried. They will then create an abstract piece that shows emotion and feeling through shapes and colors. Colored construction paper is used to create these shapes and designs, and then children add paint to finish their artwork.
created by Ms. Hilda (Instructor)
created by Ms. Leah (Instructor)
American artist Georgia O’Keeffe is one of the twentieth century’s greatest painters. Born in Sun Prairie Wisconsin, in 1887, Georgia grew up believing she would become an artist at a time when few women were encouraged to pursue their artistic talents. O’Keeffe is known for her beautiful images of gigantic flowers, vibrant cityscapes, and distinctive desert scenes.
Jumbo Flowers
Children create large three dimensional flowers from tissue and construction paper. Pom Poms, paint, rhinestones, and glitter paint are used to add beautiful detail to each flower.
created by Ms. Samantha (Instructor)
Georges Seurat was born in Paris and studied Impressionism, but thought he could improve on the methods artists of that time were using. He spent his lifetime studying color and color theory. He devised a method of painting which used dots of paint instead of using longer brush strokes to create the picture. If you look at his paintings up closely all you see are dots, but when you move away from the painting, your eyes form the dots into a picture. His method became known as "pointillism" or "divisionism". In 1881 he visited the island of La Grande Jatte( la grahnd zhot) which inspired many of his future works.
Dots and More Dots
Children use Q-tips as “paint brushes” to create artwork inspired by Seurat.
created by Ms. Hilda (Instructor)
Salvador Dali began painting as a young boy. As a young man he joined the Surrealist artists in Paris, who explored the world of imagination and dreams. Dali painted anything that popped into his head, no matter how silly, weird, or scary it seemed. He traveled to the U.S. and become one of the most popular artists of his day. Today he is known as one of the greatest Surrealist artists.
Double Images Project
Children create everyday images of people, places, and things, but use unconventional objects/images to represent them. Children are challenged to think “outside the box.” Magazines and newspapers are used to find images that can “double” as something else. Example: a cell phone for the body of a car, and donuts for wheels. Recommended for children 7 and up.
Picasso started drawing at a very early age. As a teenager he drew day and night, and often visited museums. He looked at everything and tried to understand how other artists worked. Picasso wanted his own art to surprise, shock, and inspire people to dream. Picasso produced thousands of works, creating art until the end of his life. When he died in 1973 at the age of ninety-two, he was known as one of the greatest artists of all time.
Pablo Picasso Collage
Children create Picasso inspired collages by mixing different textured materials and patterned cardstock, newspaper, and construction paper.
created by Ms. Leah (Instructor)
During the 1960’s Andy Warhol helped to create a new kind of art called POP ART. He painted popular brand name products such as Coca-Cola, Heinz Ketchup, and Campbell’s Soup in big, bold art. He also copied pictures of famous people and cartoons such as Popeye onto large paintings. Warhol lived the American Dream, born into poverty, he became a famous artist and millionaire.
Pop Art Portraits
Children create portraits of famous people by using a printing technique. Portraits are sketched into Styrofoam, and brayers are used to smooth paint over the image. They are “stamped” in 2-4 different colors and placed next to each other.
