This is the art blog for Fayston Elementary School, located in the Mad River Valley in Central Vermont. This blog is updated frequently to showcase the artwork of Fayston's students and celebrate all things creative!
We worked collaboratively to create these two large murals in the style of Kandinsky's abstract expressionist work. We used shapes and themes from his paintings and worked with warm colors first, then added cool colors.
Wassily Kandinsky was born in Russia in 1866. In his early years as an artist, he explored a variety of media but stayed with a traditional, realistic style. Upon traveling through Europe and viewing art by artists such as Matisse and Gauguin, Kandinsky was influenced to bring vibrant colors into his art. When he became a professor a the Bauhaus School in Germany, his art became less objective and contained lines, circles and other geometric shapes.
Kandinsky has been called a "pioneer of modern art." He believed that art should reach the audience though sight, sound and emotion or spiritual connection. He wanted to create art that let the audience decide on the meaning, much like music brings images into the listener's head.
One of Kandinsky's most well known paintings is "Squares with Concentric Circle" (1913).
Kandinsky loved including circles in his work. Here are some other pieces comprised of circles.
What do you notice about Kandinsky's work?
What guesses can you make about the artist?
What do you like?
What don't you like?
Is there anything that you can take from Kandinsky's artwork to inspire your own work?
How is looking at artwork like listening to music? How is it different?
First and second grade artists competed two piece inspired by the work of Wassily Kandinsky.
For the first project, each student created on square with concentric circles, inspired by Kandinsky's famous painting. We used oil pastels, then observed the watercolor resist technique by painting over our circles with liquid watercolors. We will put these squares together to form a collaborative display.
For the second project, students worked collaboratively to paint a mural inspired by Kandinsky's use of shape, line and color. We started with black paint, then added warm colors, then cool colors.
Kindergarten artists looked at the painting "Squares with concentric circles" by Wassily Kadinsky, then created their own circle drawings with oil pastels and liquid watercolor paint.
In an earlier art class, Kindergarten artists explored different types of lines and created line paintings, also using oil pastel and liquid watercolor. We tried to paint these paintings using the color wheel as our guide.
Since Spring is taking its own sweet time to arrive here, I thought our front hallway could use some bright, colorful artwork to bring in some light and cheer.
Fifth and sixth grade artists looked at Kandinsky's famous painting, Concentric Circles Inside Squares.
We used scraps of painted paper cut into tiny square "tiles." Each student made one concentric circle mosaic, then we put them all together into a class project. I put a coat of acrylic gel medium on the finished work. This piece will be auctioned off at our Children's Art Auction at the Bridge Street Art Fair on Saturday, May 18.
Thanks to all of the fifth and sixth grade artists who came in during your lunch or recess to finish this project! They are beautiful!
