Inspired by Jean Dubuffet

First and second grade artists looked at the artwork of French artist Jean Dubuffet.  We discussed how his artwork went against the norms of what was considered beautiful and how he was inspired by artwork by children and other naive artists.  He called this type of artwork art brut,  or "raw art," and this term came to refer to his own style of art as well.

We looked at many examples of Dubuffet's work, focusing specifically on works that feature thick black outlines, primary colors and hidden shapes and faces.  Students used these guidelines to create original works that reflect Dubuffet's influence.  Since we rarely work in markers for final product pieces, I have challenged students to use the markers as if they were paintbrushes and work slowly and carefully to create high quality work.


Here are some examples of Jean Dubuffet's work:

Here are some work by first and second graders inspired by Jean Dubuffet: