Spanish painterย Joan (pronounced Juan) Mirรณ (1893-1983) was a painter who third graders could relate to; unlike some artists, whose works were picture perfect and realistic,ย Mirรณ thrived on imperfection, actually preferring to start each artistic endeavor with a mistake. When a blob of paint would accidentally make its way on to a blank canvas,ย Mirรณ, a surrealist, would turn that singular blob into a fantasy masterpiece.
As the first half of the art lesson, led by two parent volunteers, began, an adventurous student graciously agreed to be blindfolded in front of the class. The parent volunteers shed some light on Mirรณโs rather unorthodox art education, in which his mentor would cover youngย Mirรณโs eyes, encouraging his protรฉgรฉ to use other senses as he painted, especially touch. The blindfolded student was given an unknown object, and when asked to identify that object through sense of touch, he, much to the hushed classโs amazement, was eventually able to correctly determine he was holding a rhinoceros. Students learned that when Mirรณ was blindfolded, he, just like their blindfolded classmate, would feel the contours and shapes of objects his instructor placed in his hands, and without ever seeing those objects, Mirรณ was expected to draw them.
As an abstract artist, Mirรณโs artwork depicted dreamlike visions in which there was often much room for interpretation. As the parent volunteers encouraged students to studyย Mirรณโs 1949 piece Figures and Dog in Front of the Sun, they were asked to consider which way was the โrightโ way to showcase the artwork. As they rotated the poster of his famous work, students quickly discovered that the painting could easily be hung a number of ways.
Learning about abstract art, students were exposed to the idea that when it comes to abstract art, rules donโt apply! Nothing needs to look realistic, objects donโt need to be drawn to scale, and any color goes! While a realistic painting might not necessarily evoke a mixed reaction from most third graders, as they studiedย Mirรณโs paintings, they discussed the mood of each piece, recognizing that while one student felt one particular emotion as he looked at a piece, another classmate felt something else entirely. Abstract art, they learned, is particularly interesting because there is so much room for interpretation on a number of levels. While one student looks at an abstract painting and sees a dog, another student may look at the same painting and see an inanimate object instead.
During the second part of theย Mirรณ lesson, students reviewed important art vocabulary words they focused on during the first lesson, such as contours, surrealism, overlap, mood, and abstract. As they prepared to create their own abstract artwork inspired byย Mirรณ, the most important detail about him that they recalled was that he loved mistakes. As a third grader, what could be better than creating artwork where thereโs no chance of messing it up? How often in their lives are mistakes actually encouraged?
Students were given a blank canvas of their own (white construction paper) and asked to use pencils to draw dreamy lines that swirled on their pages. With black markers, they then traced over their lines. Next theย students used cotton balls dipped in red powdered tempera paint to create contours likeย Mirรณ did. Using blue, yellow, and red construction paper, students drew and then cut out irregular shaped figures of various sizes.
Students were encouraged to place the shapes on their โcanvasesโ before applying glue, and as they decided where each piece would be thoughtfully placed, they were persuaded to think about balance. After shapes were securely glued to the white construction paper, students added more black lines, overlapping some of the shapes. Utilizing their practice sheets from the first lesson, students applied abstract elements to their artwork, including playful eyes and feet. They also used their black markers again to shade in specific areas of their choosing.
As students completed their lesson on Joanย Mirรณ, they couldnโt help but compare their masterpieces with one another. Even though they all followed the same set of instructions, they marveled how none of their pieces looked alike. One student proclaimed, โMirรณ would like that! He wouldnโt have wanted our work to be the same!โ That one simple yet profound statement, summarized the lesson perfectly. In a world where children are taught to strive for perfection, the lesson onย Mirรณ was not only important in terms of art history and appreciation, it was a powerful reminder to students that theyโre allowed to be creative sometimes without needing to follow the rules. Life isnโt perfect, and their artwork doesnโt have to be either!
