2013 Mar Vista Art Museum - Van Gogh's Sunflowers in 3D and Kandinsky and Calder: Moving Mobiles

Brushstrokes...

Visual Arts Notes from Mr. Miceli

Van Gogh's Sunflowers in 3D

Kindergarten

Medium: Paper, Oil Pastel

Skills and Technique: Art History, Exploration of new media

When studying some of our most famous and important painters, it is important to show students that you can adapt a painting into something that is three -dimensional. In this lesson, I chose to focus on a specific object from one of Van Gogh's paintings that could be molded into something three dimensional. The artist's “sunflowers” paintings nearly jumped out into the students hands using different techniques of twisting paper to make the stem, utilizing oil pastel techniques and learning necessary scissor techniques, these are so colorful, they should be in a vase!

  

California Standards for Art

2.2 Demonstrate beginning skill in the use of tools and processes, such as the use of scissors,

glue, and paper in creating a three-dimensional construction.

4.1 Discuss their own works of art, using appropriate art vocabulary (e.g., color, shape/form, texture).

4.2 Describe what is seen (including both literal and expressive content) in selected works of art.

1. Discuss how and why they made a specific work of art.

Brushstrokes...

Visual Arts Notes from Mr. Miceli

Kandinsky and Calder: Moving Mobiles

Kindergarten

Medium: Paper, Tempera Paint

Skills and Technique: Scissor use, Patterns, Painting Shapes

Wassily Kandinsky is a painter who was an active artist in the 1930's through 1960's as part of  the abstract expressionist movement. On the flip side of this movement was car factory worker turned sculptor, Alexander Calder, who was also an abstract artist who created large metal sculptures of kinetic mobile's. Both of these artists were fascinated with rhythm and movement in a work of art and how art could physically movc with the help of wind or water. In this lesson I wanted to teach the students three techniques: control with the paint brush, how to paint simple forms and shapes neatly with a paint brush and how to correctly mix paint on a palette. The finishing touches to this project came when students punched holes into each piece, making a diamond or a square, then stringing the various squares to create a hanging mobile. Look carefully, you may just see these sculptures move with the help of the wind, just like Alexander Calder.

California Standards for Art

2.1 Use lines, shapes/forms, and colors to make patterns.

2.2 Demonstrate beginning skill in the use of tools and processes, such as the use of scissors,

glue, and paper in creating a three-dimensional construction.

2.3 Make a collage with cut or torn paper shapes/forms.