Modern Art: Magritte and O'Keefe

With time for one final project before summer break, students had the choice of painting in the style of Wisconsin born artist Georgia O'Keefe or the dreamlike, surrealist style of Rene Magritte.  Students were introduced to each artist and learned what made their art unique.  Can you guess which works were inspired O'Keefe's love of nature and which were inspired by the mysterious Magritte?

Jungle Scenes of Henri Rousseau

We had so much fun creating imaginary jungle scenes, inspired by the great Henri Rousseau.  Students assumed that Rousseau must have visited the rainforest several times, and were surprised to learn that he had never traveled to a rainforest in his life!  Rousseau visited botanical gardens and used what he saw there to help him with his lush jungle scenes.  Students focused on creating emphasis to draw the viewer's eye to the most important parts of their compositions, just as Rousseau had done himself. 

Frank Lloyd Wright Cooperative Architecture

4th and 5th grade students worked in cooperative groups after learning about Wisconsin born and world famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  We discussed Wright's unique approach to architecture.  Using the natural environment as his biggest inspiration, Frank let the sites of his future architecture dictate the style and materials used to create his homes, museums, and other buildings. 
Students formed groups and chose the environment their homes would be built in.  They needed to ensure that the style of home reflected the land surrounding it, thinking carefully about which natural resources would be nearby and available as building materials.  Because Frank Lloyd Wright also designed the interiors, furniture, and even stained glass windows, each group also designed an interior room of their home as well as a window design.  Once complete, groups presented their complete architectural designs to their classmates.  Homes were designed on volcanoes, underwater, in rainforests, and even up in the sky!

 

 

Artwork inspired by Vincent vanGogh

EI students studied the art and style of a favorite artist, Vincent van Gogh.  Students love his use of brushstrokes, which create texture and movement in his paintings.   Each artist set out to recreate this style in his or her own way, using paint and oil pastels.  Many students tried their own version of van Gogh's famous paintings, while others applied his technique to their own original compositions.  Enjoy!