Matisse Inspired Painting
Learn about Henri Matisse and model a painting after one of his styles, using both geometric and organic shapes.
Grant Grant Street Elementary School
Teaching artist: Jesse Joshua Watson
GRADE: K-3
Download a PDF Guide of this lesson HERE.
Target Learning: Creates art modeled after Matisse.
Criteria: Explores characteristics of Matisse’s art through making a painting composed of stylized layered shapes within a limited palette.
Target Learning: Uses geometric and organic shapes in paintings.
Criteria: Represents math and curvy free-form shapes from nature in the final composition.
Target Learning: Controls media.
Criteria: Carefully paints to edges within geometric and organic shapes.
Vocabulary (click here for the glossary)
composition
Expressionism
geometric shape
Henri Matisse
limited palette
media
organic shape
simplify
stylize
Resources
A Bird Or 2: A Story About Henri Matisse
Materials
scissors
pencil
construction paper
oil pastel (black or white)
water cup
brushes, one wide flat and one smaller round
student acrylics (in cups with lids)
watercolor paper or canvas boards
smocks and lots of paper towels or rags
Creative process and resources introduced
Teaching artist:
Discuss the amazing legacy of Henri Matisse and share how, when he became too old and ill to continue his large scale Expressionist paintings, he switched to creating shapes from cut paper: This became his most powerful work yet. Share images of Matisse’s later work in paper and guide students in discussing the tendency of Matisse to use combinations of organic and geometric shapes.
Lesson Steps:
Show student examples and demonstrate the steps of the process. Students first use pencils to draw lines to divide their canvas or paper, making sure that they end up with at least 4 or 5 separate divisions.
Students then paint in the geometric shapes that divide their canvas using a limited palette with a maximum of three colors: since their canvas is divided into 4 or 5 sections, this requires them to carefully choose placement of their 3 colors. Careful acrylic painting is expected with students showing ability to control the media and paint within their geometric shapes.
Students follow Henri’s lead and take shapes and set them free (allowing them to be very simple). While painting dries, students stylize elements from nature by drawing simple organic shapes based on leaves, seaweed, stars, fish, etc., then cut out those shapes from construction paper.
Using these shapes, students create a composition on top of their now dry painting. Possibilities are explored by arranging shapes in different ways. Students then choose their best composition and use the white or black oil pastel to trace their shapes onto the canvas.
Students then paint their organic shapes, being careful to choose wisely which color will go over the geometric shapes and which composition lets them tell their story the most clearly. Careful acrylic painting is expected with students showing ability to control the media and paint within their organic shapes.
Assessment
Assessment: Students exhibit their final work on the desks and there is a gallery walk through the classroom where students and teachers notice parallels with Matisse’s work, and different artistic choices in composition.
Check for:
Organic and geometric shapes
Limited color palette of 3 colors
Control of paint to create clear shapes
Essential Learnings
Arts 1.2 skills and techniques: Cutting paper, drawing stylized shapes, painting
Arts 1.3 applies styles from various artists and cultures: Matisse
Arts 3.3 aesthetic choices: Limited palette: choosing which colors to use and which to omit. Also, students choose how to compose with the placement of the shapes
Arts 4.5 work habits in the world of work: In this two class period lesson, students must persevere through the steps before the painting really begins to look great