Students in the Write

Impressionism is alive and well at Morse School this spring. The entire school is working on projects inspired by the work of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. Impressionism was a French art movement of the late 19th century characterized by the representation of a scene, objects, or figure through the application of paint in dabs of color in order to give an impression of the view rather than an accurate, photographic-like depiction.

Third graders have finished their own canvases after studying the Poppy Field Landscapes of Claude Monet (see gallery). Students were introduced to the concept of space and landscape perspective by learning how to define and create: foreground, middle ground and background. Their paintings were executed on canvas as were Monet’s, applying paint in thick dabs of paint. We were all amazed at how all the individual dabs worked together to produce beautiful landscapes. In addition, the third graders are also creating large murals for the auditorium in an Impressionistic style.

Meanwhile, the second grade is working with Monet’s Water Lilies. Students are creating their own water lily in oil pastels to be included in a large mural. We are concentrating on how to create form with color and value.

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Second grade artists combined African textile designs with a traditional African folktale, “The Hatseller and the Monkeys.” The border around the illustration was created by combining Kente textile designs from West Africa with our own carefully designed patterns. The paintings on the inside of the project were created after we read the African folktale, “The Hatseller and the Monkeys.” When we created these illustrations, we experimented with a new technique using the idea of batik (a method of dyeing textiles). Drawings were traced on top of a special wax paper leaving a secret wax version of our drawings on the bottom sheet of paper. Then we painted with watercolors. The wax kept the paper white where we traced. We used mixed media—pastels and markers—to finish decorating the details on our pictures.

Examples of this art work will be on display at the Warner Library from March 2nd until the end of April. Students and faculty are looking forward to our visit from the Ishangi Family Dancers and their presentation, “A Journey to Africa,” on March 15th. This performance will be a wonderful culmination to our study of African Art. The art and culture of West Africa will come alive for students as they enjoy the Ishangi family’s program that is rich in stories, dance and music.

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Every January, after studying masks from around the world, third grade students each cast, design and decorate three-dimensional masks. In our American culture, we use masks at Halloween. Special protective masks are worn by athletes, doctors and soldiers. In other parts of the world, masks are used for many different reasons. In anticipation of an upcoming visit from the Ishangi Family Dancers from West Africa, students paid particular attention to the mask-making tradition of Africa.

Click here to visit our gallery.

Every September third graders begin their year in the art studio by designing and executing Cubist paintings.

Cubism was an early-20th century school of painting and sculpture in which the subject matter is portrayed by geometric forms without realistic detail, stressing abstract form at the expense of other pictorial elements. The Cubist style emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the picture plane and rejected traditional techniques of perspective. Cubist painters used geometric shapes to create abstract paintings. Unlike other styles, abstract art does not concern itself with creating realistic representations of the world.

Cubists used geometric forms in different ways. Robert Delaunay and his spouse Sonia believed that color and shape alone could create beautiful art. They worked together for many years making paintings that looked like fragmented rainbows. In the spirit of the Delaunays, the third grade used templates to create designs filled with overlapping shapes and then colored their work with cake tempera paint and fine nylon brushes.

Along with our discussions of art history and shapes, students were able to develop their understanding of color theory. While painting, each child was challenged to mix his or her own colors discovering firsthand how to make particular shades and hues. Students eagerly shared their discoveries with their classmates and answered each other’s “color questions.”

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Click here to visit the Online Morse Gallery
posted 3/31/05

Vincent van Gogh (born 1853- died 1890) was not well known during his lifetime, but today he is one of the most famous painters of all time. He was born in Holland but after deciding to become an artist at 27, he spent most of his life in France. Van Gogh discovered painting after he had tried and failed at other professions from art dealer to preacher. All of van Gogh’s 800 or so paintings were created in the last ten years of his life.

He tried to express his thoughts and emotions in his artwork, often working day and night without stopping, spending all of his money on paint, and even forgetting to eat. Van Gogh’s paintings are filled with color, swirling images, and intense feelings.

Van Gogh is known for his contrasting colors and his impasto style filled with hatch strokes and rolling, pulsing motions of his paintbrush. Van Gogh would stroke his paint onto the canvas with either a brush or a knife.

The third grade looked at van Gogh’s wheat field paintings that he did in the last years of his life. Then they sketched their own wheat fields onto canvas board and used brushes and palette knives to apply the paint. Just like Vincent!

Click here to visit the Online Morse Gallery
posted 3/31/05

The Online Morse Gallery is a new feature to “Students in the Write,” featuring the incredible artistic talents of our amazing second and third grade students. As student work is finished, it will be placed and organized in the Gallery. Click below to see the beautiful second grade tributes to Joan Miró.

Click here to visit the Online Morse Gallery
posted 3/31/05