Exhibition Matisse at the Museum of Modern Art in New York – 1992

Volunteering to Teach an Fine art Lesson/Project on Matisse

I thought I'd share my proposed Matisse Art Lesson/Project lesson for my son's class. My son is in public unproblematic school, and this year, his schoolhouse lost its art instructor due to budget cuts. The instructor asked for whatever parent volunteers to teach an art grade. I love modern art (run across https://kathystrobos.com/about-me/ ). So I volunteered to teach an art course on Henri Matisse, ending with the kids doing a cut-outs fine art projection, following the Cartoon with Scissors art lesson plan. Several other moms likewise offered to help, and then thankfully I won't be lonely.

It's only a 50 infinitesimal course, so ultimately that's not that much fourth dimension. (Or that could exist a Really REALLY long time if it all goes bottoms upward.) I want to do a trivial bit on Matisse and then let the kids "describe with pair of scissors" to make art imitating Matisse's Cut-Outs. I am however working on my lesson programme simply I thought I'd share it hither in case other parents are looking for an art lesson for their kids or for a class. Or in instance anyone has whatsoever advice.

It was difficult to pick which paintings to bear witness the children as part of the art lesson. As expected, Matisse painted a lot of naked people, so I wanted to find some non-naked drawings. Since Matisse is 1 of my favorite artists, I bought the Museum of Modern Art Matisse Exhibition book from the retrospective in 1992. I too borrowed Art Book Matisse by Gabrielle Crepaldi from the New York Public Library.

So here's the first draft of the lesson programme. I recall we tin can spend xv -20 minutes on the art history and then accept 30 minutes for the art project.

Art Lesson on Matisse the Artist

Matisse was born in northern France in 1869. He trained to exist a lawyer but took upwards painting while recovering from appendicitis.

He went to Paris to study art at the Academie Julian and he apprenticed to some other painter Gustave Moreau.

This moving picture from Cartoon with Pair of scissors shows ane of his first paintings (a stack of books). It besides shows one of his final pictures, so you tin can encounter the evolution in style.

Shows the evolution of his art from one of his first paintings to one of his last works of art
From Drawing with Pair of scissors by Keesia Johnson and Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Jessie Hartland

Fauvism

In 1905, at that place was a radical change in his work. While in the S of France, he began to paint with brilliant, clashing colors. "Award every color without sacrificing a single ane," wrote Matisse.

This way was eventually called Fauvism, after a critic chosen Matisse and other artists painting in this fashion "fauves", which in French means "wild beasts."

Here's one painting showing this new painting style.

The Roofs of Collioure past H. Matisse (summer-autumn 1905)

Matisse said that Fauvism was construction past means of color. He said that the fine art should convey the creative person's response to his subject area. What do you think Matisse was feeling when he painted the above? Why? (If no one answers, I would say happy because he used bright colors.)

Matisse's painting style continued to change, simply he always remained true to assuming color.

The Influences of Travel and Geometry in Matisse'due south Work

Matisse traveled a lot and he was influenced by his travels to those different areas/countries (Russia, Morocco, and Asia).

Another element to look for in his paintings is Geometry (he has lots of shapes) and Nature. Let'south wait at some of his paintings and encounter whether nosotros tin identify any geometric or nature elements.

Harmony in Red by H. Matisse in 1908

What practise yous notice virtually this painting? There's part of a rectangle (a geometric chemical element). And there are a lot of decorative elements; it looks similar there are vines crawling all around the room. The red is also very intense. It looks like at that place is a table but it almost flat. An interesting fact is that the large canvas was initially painted in green and the painting was called Harmony in Greenish. Then Matisse painted over it in blue and called it Harmony in Blue. An art collector bought it. Then Matisse inverse his mind over again, before delivering it, and re-painted information technology red. (Meet Art Book Matisse by Gabriele Crepaldi (Dorling Kindersley) at p. sixty).

Goldfish by Matisse 1911

What do you notice about this painting? I run into a lot of round shapes. Also plants (nature) and again vivid colors. What do you lot feel when you see this painting? It's i of my favorites.

The Piano Lesson past H. Matisse 1916

What do you lot encounter in this painting? I see a lot of triangles. The metronome is echoed in the boy's face and the window. Likewise compare this to Harmony in Red – what is similar over again? The swirls in the ironwork of the window remind me of the vines in Harmony in Red.

As an bated for adults, according to the Matisse Art Book, "critics have read symbolic significance into the scene, identifying the opposing elements of the creative procedure with emotional, irrational intuition on 1 side, and on the other side, deliberate rationality." (Art Volume Matisse past Gabriele Crepaldi, at p. 79). I can see that in the fine art sculpture in the lower left hand corner versus the woman sitting stiffly in the upper right background. It's the tick of the metronome versus the expressive music emerging from the pianoforte in the black swirls.

Matisse'due south Cut-Outs

Exhibition Matisse (Henri Matisse: A Retrospective, The Museum of Mod Art, New York, at p. 412

In 1946, Matisse was nearly 80 years old, and painting and etching sculptures had become increasingly difficult for him. He found a new opportunity for expression in making cutouts. Let's read Matisse's Garden. (It depends on fourth dimension if I tin read this to them, but I read information technology to my children as do and they were inspired to make the cut-out art after listening, then it seemed constructive.)

Matisse'due south Garden by Samantha Friedman, Illustrations by Cristina Amodea

Cartoon with Scissors Art Lesson

I found this astonishing volume, Drawing with Pair of scissors, with a free fine art project lesson plan (http://creativityconnection.fabercastell.com/henri-matisse-fine art-lesson/ ) (available at Amazon: https://world wide web.amazon.com/gp/product/044842519X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=one). And so we volition then follow the art project lesson plan (although it recommends 2 45-minute classes). My children wanted to use pencils and I told them they had to utilise pair of scissors to draw.

The Museum of Mod Art also includes a section on Matisse in its Family unit Guide. I am going to include their advice for arranging the shapes in my Matisse art lesson for my son's class. See https://world wide web.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/learn/Education_FamilyGuide_Singles.pdf On page 18, they advise finding Matisse's The Swimming Puddle. Then they ask kids to rip out shapes and suit them on the next page. "Experiment with placing your shapes close together, far apart, overlapping, and in dissimilar directions." (at p. nineteen). There's also this cool video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rke7RmxwfY by the MoMA.

So anyway, we will see if this works or if it all looks similar the contents of the recycling bin, as i mom said. Lol.

Any communication on creating a Matisse fine art lesson for my son's uncomplicated school class? Are there whatsoever artists that you lot like that are good for unproblematic school classes? Who are your favorite artists?

Update: The kids loved it. And the fine art looked amazing! The instructor allowed them to do it again during their free time on Friday. As well I highly recommend using the craft pattern scissors bachelor at arts and crafts stores or on Amazon as well every bit regular scissors.