Pretend you are in a submarine diving deeper and deeper into the ocean. Bubbles rush up as the water gets deeper and darker. Shapes and colors emerge as you peer out your porthole. Fish, eels and seaweed become visible in the murky water.
Meet the Masters students are introduced to Henri Matisse as they view his Beasts of the Sea collage. They learn that Matisse painted designs rather than the realistic ocean life the children imagined in their submarine ride. He created abstract pictures, which is art that does not look exactly like real-life. He often used the sea as his motif, or theme, of his artwork.
Students learn that Matisse used an unusual medium for some of his most famous artwork – paper and scissors. He “drew” with his scissors instead of a paintbrush. He meticulously cut silhouettes, and used both the positive and negative shapes in his art. Matisse believed that color could enhance health and happiness, so he selected just the right shades to capture the feelings he was trying to convey.
In the classroom, students enjoy worksheets that reinforce what they learned in the introduction, and prepare them for success with the art project. They practice drawing simple soft and wavy sea shapes, just as Matisse would. They experiment with positive and negative shapes, trying different background colors to see how it effects the foreground color. They evaluate which color combinations seem brighter, scarier or more mysterious, so they will be able to create the mood they prefer for their art project.
The students have been inspired by Matisse’s bold colors and abstract shapes, and they are ready to explore their own shape and color relationships. Students are given construction paper for the background and cut-outs in an array of colors, and encouraged to share and trade for variety. Students create the background by cutting wavy strips of blue and green paper, making each one different.
After selecting their favorite sea shapes form the Learning Packet worksheets, they use scissors to “draw” abstract shapes, cutting in one continuous motion. After cutting, they recognize one positive shape and one negative shape for each sea creature. Students arrange the positive and negative shapes on the background waves, arranging and rearranging until the design is pleasing and balanced. As they glue the shapes, they determine if they want to use the paper scraps to create additional positive and negative shapes to fill their composition.
When everyone is finished, the classroom becomes an aquarium featuring a variety of beautiful underwater creations. Matisse’s use of vibrant colors and abstract shapes in his sea art inspired our young artists to experiment with colorful positive and negative shapes in their own creations. Matisse believed in the magic of color, and that artwork could create happiness. He would be very pleased with the joyful faces of the children in this classroom!
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