Grade 7 Art

W. Jackson

Unit 6: Abstract Art

Abstract art is characterized by indistinct and unusual lines, forms and shapes

Many objects are under or oversized. Others have been rearranged, placed upside down or broken into smaller parts. There are 3 major types of Abstract art; Expressionism, Impressionism and Surrealism. Expressionism

Expressionism is simply art that is radically altered or distorted for emotional effect in order to evoke certain moods or ideas

Impressionism is simply painting in a sketchy airy style that exhibits unusual angles and poses, has few details and has a filmy indistinct quality given the bright foregrounds and dark or strongly coloured backgrounds.

Surrealim is an art form centred around dreams. They are designed to evoke the unconscious. In their painting you will find strange creatures that emanate from everyday objects. Surrealistic paintings often show unnerving or illogical scenes or objects that though improbable are drawn with photographic precision.

Part 1. Line Drawing

This form of abstract art uses only lines. There are no distinct forms. Lines are either straight or they can be circular, wavy, disjointed, swirling ….

You will do a series of line drawings

The first will involve using 2 different types of lines, each of a different colour. The second will include using lines and at least one shape i.e. a circle, oval, square or triangle. The third will involve using 2 different lines and 2 different shapes. You can use any of the following mediums depending on what you can find – string, paper strips, clay rolled out into strips …., paint, coloured pencils, crayons …

RUBRIC 1 2 3 4

Effort Very little effort made work is messy, rushed –page is almost empty -not colored

Most of the page is used – More than 50 percent is coloured

Entire page is used all of the Lines and shapes are coloured

Entire page is used – all of the lines and shapes are coloured

Creativity

None of the lines or shapes are coloured

There is at least one creative pattern Most of the lines and shapes are present

All of the lines and shapes are coloured

Student has come up with a unique idea or has expanded on an idea provided in class

Quality Lots of messy colours or paints outside the

Some messy colouring or shapes. There are

Most of the colouring, painting .. is neat and inside the

All of the colouring or painting is inside the lines. There

borders, lots of smudges or rips – lettering is plain not coloured

Few if any lines or shapes are evident

very few smudges and no rips

Some lines are clear At least 1 different shape or line is present

lines. There are no smudges or rips – most lines are clear at least 2 different lines or shapes are used

are no smudges rips – all lines are clear – more than 2 different lines or shapes are present

Overall Appearance

Neither the lettering or images are visually appealing or eye catching

There is at least one thing that is appealing and catches the eye

There are several things on the page that are visually appealing and eye catching

Everything on the page is pleasant, visually appealing and eye catching

Part 2: Expressionist Art

A: Cubism

Cubism which was made famous by the Expressionist Pablo Picasso – considered one of the world’s greatest painters uses bold, vivid colours, rearranged, exaggerated or broken forms or features, unrealistic figures. In his painting Guernica shown below you’ll see disassembled and misshapen bodies i.e. a man’s head with no corpse an arm or leg with no other body parts, contorted (twisted), anguished (suffering) people and animals and parts of different animals a bull, a horse …

The reason Picasso used distorted, exaggerated and incomplete shapes and forms –body parts, contorted faces, twisted and misshapen people and animals was to show the pain, and horror of war – Franco’s Nazis bombing of Guernica – a quiet peaceful and very scenic village located in the mountains of Northern Spain

On April 27th, 1937, unprecedented atrocities are perpetrated on behalf of Franco against the civilian population of a little Basque village in northern Spain. Chosen for bombing practice by Hitler's burgeoning war machine, the hamlet is pounded with high-explosive and incendiary bombs for over three hours. Townspeople are cut down as they run from the crumbling buildings. Guernica burns for three days. Almost the entire village sixteen hundred civilians are killed or wounded.

B: Paintings that have no distinct shapes or colours

The most famous of painters who used only lines and paint splashes is the American Expressionist Jackson Pollock – Pollock paintings had no distinct forms, shapes or even lines but what they did is to create an overall feeling or impression*

Jackson Pollock 1

C: Paintings with some distinct lines and shapes

The French Expressionist Piet Mondrian restricted his works to straight lines and basic shapes whereas the Russian Expressionist Kandinsky’s paintings used different sized shapes or forms some which overlapped and others where various shapes were placed in or surrounded by other forms, lines and /or shapes

Mondrian 1

Mondrian 2

Kandinsky 1

One of more interesting expressionists was Edvard Munch who was continues to be one of Norway’s greatest artists. His The Scream is one of the world’s most famous and expensive paintings. This painting shows the tremendous anguish and pain a person is feeling while others ignore him and blissfully carry on with their lives. His face has a light green, sickly hue, his robe is black the background is dark scary and somewhat sinister and the sky with its strong orange colours looks like it is

on fire. Munch is not after realism or detail he is trying to show very strong feelings and emotions

Part 3: Impressionist Art

Claude Monet is my favourite impressionist. In his paintings certain forms and shapes are clear while other figures or objects have an indistinct or foggy look. He painted uses very thin brush strokes done with glazes.

Monet 1

Monet 2

Your job is to produce 2 impressionistic drawings – one done in coloured pencil or crayon and one done using only paint

Part 4: Surrealist Art

My favourite surrealist painter is Salvador Dali. Dali painted dreamscapes where butterflies make up a ship’s sails flies, cameras have human legs, musical instruments have animal bodies, have animal legs, objects, are floating or are upside down, and the size of peoples and animals is greatly exaggerated. He likes to put objects that don’t fit together into his paintings

His objects, forms and images are not in proportion have unusual shapes, parts and display arbitrary and discordant colours.

Dali 1: Butterfly Ship

Dali 2

Dali 3

You are to make 2 Surrealistic pictures one using paint or coloured pencil and one using different media; paper paint, string, anything you want as long as it fits, pictures from magazines, computer images ( you will likely have to do this at home)

RUBRIC 1 2 3 4

Effort Very little effort made work is messy, rushed –page is almost empty -not colored

Most of the page is used – More than 50 percent is coloured

Entire page is used all of the Lines and shapes are coloured

Entire page is used – all of the lines and shapes are coloured

Creativity

None of the images or shapes are coloured. Some shapes and colours are present

There is at least one creative pattern Most of the images and shapes are present and are coloured

All of the images and shapes are present and coloured

Student has come up with a unique idea or has expanded on an idea provided in class

Quality Lots of messy

Some messy

Most of the colouring,

All of the colouring or

colours or paints outside the borders, lots of smudges or rips – lettering is plain not coloured

Few if any lines or shapes are evident

colouring or shapes. There are very few smudges and no rips

Some lines are clear At least 1 different shape or line is present

painting .. is neat and inside the lines. There are no smudges or rips – most lines are clear at least 2 different lines or shapes are used

painting is inside the lines. There are no smudges rips – all lines are clear – more than 2 different lines or shapes are present

Overall Appearance

Neither the lettering or images are visually appealing or eye catching

There is at least one thing that is appealing and catches the eye

There are several things on the page that are appealing and eye catching

Everything on the page is pleasant, visually appealing and eye catching