Wassily Kandinsky’s nonobjective style of paintings were inspired by music’s emotional power. Examples of his works may be viewed at: http://www.sai.msu.su/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/

Goal (Terminal Objective):

Students will create a nonobjective piece of art that will be inspired by music.

Objective:

Students will create a nonobjective piece of art inspired by music in the style of Wassily Kandinsky (pronounced Vassi­lee) using watercolors.

National Standards:

Visual Arts Grades 5-­8 Content Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes

Visual Arts Grades 5-­8 Content Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions

Visual Arts Grades 5-­8 Content Standard 3: Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter,
symbols, and ideas

Visual Arts Grades 5-­8 Content Standard 5: Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others

Visual Arts Grades 5­-8 Content Standard 6: Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines

Purpose: Students will learn about Wassily Kandinsky and how he was fascinated by music’s emotional power. They will create their own “composition” to music using art.

New Vocabulary:

nonobjective, geometric shapes, organic shapes, composition, Expressionism

Materials:

Containers for Water, watercolor paper Soothing Music like smooth Jazz or Classical

Time:

One art period

Introduction and Motivation (Set):

IAsk students what type of music is their favorite. Ask them if they have ever had music make them feel like dancing or make them feel happy, quiet, or sad.

Explain to the students that nonobjective art has no objects in it, only shapes, colors, and lines. It is a harder type of art to verbally describe to others since it often does not use recognizable shapes and does not contain objects.

Show examples of Wassily Kandinsky and point out the use of shapes, colors, and lines. Students may tend to see objects in the examples, but that is only their own imagination at work since none exist.

Give a brief biography of Kandinsky’s life (Born December 16, 1866 in Moscow, Russia. Moved to Munich, Germany in 1896 at the age of 30 and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. His type of art work is classified with the German Expressionists. He moved to France after 1933 when the Nazis closed the Bauhaus School of Art and Architecture that he had taught at since 1922. He became a French citizen in 1939 and died there in 1944.)

Instruction:

Students will begin with one piece of 12″ X 18″ watercolor paper. Use watercolor paint to paint at least three shapes. Do not allow pencils as this will slow down the finishing time and may lead to students drawing things to small to easily be painted. There can be more than three shapes and the shapes may be geometric, organic shapes, or both. Fill those shapes in with watercolor paint.

Shapes painted

Add colors onto and around the shapes with the watercolor paints. Fill the entire area with colors and do not leave any white areas of paper unpainted. Avoid making objects (sun, cars, houses, people, etc.)

Colors added around the shapes

Last, add a few lines with watercolors that will go through and around some of the colors and shapes. Be careful to not add too many lines as this can make the composition look scribbled.

The teacher will play music while the students begin to work. Try to pick music that is soothing to listen to (Yanni, Ottmar Liebert, or classical music) so that the students can experience a time of relaxation during the working on this “composition”.

Activities:

(1) Guided Practice:

1. Students may choose to simply listen to the music for a while before they actually begin. Others may decide to start right in.
2. Students will begin painting the desired number of shapes in any color using Sargent Art watercolor paints. Shapes should not be drawn with a pencil. Shapes may be geometric, organic, or both.
3. Sargent Art watercolors will now be used to add colors on and around the shapes. Avoid painting over areas previously painted so as not make the colors look “muddy”.
4. Add a few lines over the shapes and colors.

(2) Independent Practice and Check for Understanding:
The teacher will circulate among the students as they work to make sure that they are staying with the nonobjective theme of this composition. Ask direct questions when understanding is not being observed. The teacher will help when necessary and add positive reinforcement as the students work.

(3) Closure:
Students display their work. The teacher will guide a critique to help younger students to learn the process. Point out the strong qualities of successful compositions.

Evaluation:

Level One- ­­ The finished composition is nonobjective. The student has at least three shapes painted directly with the Sargent Art watercolors. Watercolors have been used to cover the entire surface of the 12″ X 18″ watercolor paper. There have been a few lines added to complete the project. The colors from the watercolors are clean and fresh and have not been painted over each other to appear dark. The finished composition shows excellent skill and mastery of the watercolor media.

Level Two- ­­ The finished composition is nonobjective. The student has at least three shapes painted directly with the Sargent Art watercolors. Watercolors have been used to cover most of surface of the 12″ X 18″ watercolor paper. There have been a few lines added to complete the project. The colors from the watercolors are somewhat clean and fresh and have not been painted over each other to appear dark. The finished composition shows good skill and mastery of the watercolor media.

Level Three- ­­ The finished composition is not nonobjective. The student has at least three shapes painted directly with the Sargent Art watercolors. Watercolors do not cover the entire surface of the 12″ X 18″ watercolor paper. There have been no lines added to complete the project. The colors from the watercolors have been painted over each other to appear dark. The finished composition shows poor skill and mastery of the watercolor media.

Level Four- ­­ The finished composition has objects. The work exhibits that the student did not understand the concept of nonobjective work. The student has only a couple of shapes made with the watercolor paints. There have been many lines added to the completed project so as to look scribbled. The finished composition shows poor skill and mastery of the watercolor media.

Extension:

If time permits, the students may wish to use a different media such as Sargent Art metallic tempera paints, Sargent Art metallic markers, or Sargent Art glitter tempera paint on black construction paper to create another nonobjective composition.

Resources:

www.sai.msu.su/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassily_Kandinsky
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kandinsky.html