Fourth Grade Has a View!

We started this unit by examining a variety of artworks identifying that although very different from each other, they were all a view from a window.  Student's viewed Magritte's surreal canvas blending into the window view, photographer Lee Freidlander's views from car windows, and contemporary artist Jules de Balincourt vibrant abstract landscapes.  The challenge for each artist was to think of their favorite view from a window such as their house, the bus ride to school or an imaginary view they wish they could see.

 They Cast Long Shadows, Jules de Balincourt, 2018

Those Who Wonder and Wander with the Water and Wind, Jules de Balincourt, 2019

Apartment View, Wayne Thiebaud, 1993

The Open Window, Henri Matisse, 1905


Lee Freidlander, 2018


Florence Henri,1929


The Human Condition, Rene Magritte, 1935


Wind from the Sea, Andrew Wyeth 1947

We had the choice between a variety of drawing materials such as chalk pastel, oil pastel, pencil, pen and ink, and colored pencils.  After learning some techniques students chose which was the best for their art and many decided to use more than one.

Student Examples

Fourth Grade 2018 Masks

 

It seems that every year fourth grade gets more and more creative with their masks. See 2017 Masks too for more detail one what we discussed during the lesson.  Students started with a plastic animal form but are limited to the Roylco forms from Blick Art Materials.  Then then after applying a later of plaster they are able to transform the masks into their own animals or characters by adding newspaper and tape or model magic to build up for ears, horns, snouts, etc and then add another layer of plaster.  After we are done painting, we were able to add embellishments like feathers and gems with some of the extra money we raised on Artsonia.

Student Masks

After we finished our masks I showed this video to students as another way they can make masks at home with more easily accessible supplies.  

We also watch the video below to see how how a Venetian artists creates his masks. 

Cubist Cardboard Expressive Portraits

Students began this unit by identifying the facial cues that help express emotion. We viewed a variety if portraits showing different emotions and then played emotional pictionary with the help from some expressive face worksheets. Next, we learned about cubism through the work of Pablo Picasso. After students became familiar with the different cubist attributes, we had to  choose one of 6 emotions (anger, disgust, fear, surprise, joy, and sadness) and create a portrait to express that emotion. While applying color, students learned how different colors could help better express their moods. See if you can guess their expression.

Pablo Picasso

Student Artwork