Neo-Rationalist Art Project Adaptations

Here are some wonderful alternative art projects that could be integrated into the neo-rationalist art unit:

• Allison Swenson

Vincent Van Gogh, Sunflowers

How to incorporate an artist’s style in your own work:
Explain to students that if they feel compelled or inspired by another artist’s work, they should try to use some of the same features or ideas in their own work. The first step in creating a neo-rationalist art piece is being able to identify features in the original artwork.

For example, the teacher may use the picture above (Vincent Van Gogh, Sunflowers), for an example. Maybe you are drawn to the content, style, media, color scheme, emotions, or message that can be drawn from this particular piece, and want to create something similar. It’s important for students to recognize these different areas, and varying characteristics they contain in order to incorporate them in their own work.

With the picture above, students must pay attention to details before starting their own work. Point out to the students things like: the sunflowers are facing different directions, some are bigger than others, some are in the shadows, some are different colors, the painting was made using oil paints etc. Students can identify certain shapes, patterns, colors, or schemes in art and can use it as inspiration to apply it in their own work.

Art Project: Using Van Gogh's Oil Painting style create your own floral painting (or any other outdoor inspiration.
Materials:
flowers, trees, bushes, grass etc. for inspiration
tables or another hard surface outside (such as a sidewalk or a black top) This is done outside because oil paints can have dangerous fumes.
Paper
Oil paints
Pencils
paint brushes
Paper towels for smearing and cleaning up

Step 1: Make a light sctech of what you want to paint using pencil.

Step 2: Use oil paints to recreate the look of Vincent Van Gogh. Help students deliberate choices about color scheme, textures, lightness or darkness of their pictures to stress process over product.


Step 3: Wait for the painting to dry. Hang all the artwork in front of a window where it can be seen.


Assessment: The students will complete a worksheet about the process choices they made that were inspired by Van Gogh's art.

How is my art like Sunflowers?

Directions: Circle the choice YOU made.

• I have a warm or cool color scheme.
• I used sunflowers or another plant as my inspiration.  If you chose something else, write it here________________________
• The light in my pictures is coming from the top of my page, the right of my page, or the left of my page and I colored shadows to show it.
• I made textures like Van Gogh by: _______________________________________________________
• I made brushstrokes like Van Gogh by: ______________________________________________________
• My flowers are all the same/are all different.
• I chose to paint ______________________because ______________ _______________________________________________________
• I am an artist like Vincent Van Gogh when I __________________ ______________________________________________________

• Danielle Thompson

Kandinsky, Upwards (geometric shapes, mix of bright/dull colors


How to incorporate an artist’s style in your own work:
Explain to students that if they feel compelled or inspired by another artist’s work, they should try to use some of the same features or ideas in their own work. The first step in creating a neo-rationalist art piece is being able to identify features in the original artwork.

For example, the teacher may use the picture above (Georges Seurat, A sunday on La Grande Jatte), for an example. Maybe you are drawn to the content, style, media, color scheme, emotions, or message that can be drawn from this particular piece, and want to create something similar. It’s important for students to recognize these different areas, and varying characteristics they contain in order to incorporate them in their own work.

With the picture above, students must pay attention to details before starting their own work. Point out to the students things like: the subject’s faces aren’t clearly defined, it can be viewed as a snapshot as everyday life, the clothes show that it’s not from a modern time period, lines used art rounded and very soft, this piece is painted using a bunch of smaller dots (pointillistic),etc. Students can identify certain shapes, patterns, colors, or schemes in art and can use it as inspiration to apply it in their own work.

Geometry Connection:
HERE are some fun activities for all age levels to learn geometry.
Here is a worksheet for kids to match geometric shapes: Geometry Worksheet
Objective: Using Kandinsky’s geometric, colorful style, create your own artwork.
Materials:
Pencils
Paper
Watercolor
Paint Brushes



Step 1: Make a light sctech of what you want to paint using pencil.

Step 2: Allow the paint to dry and then use a pencil to lightly draw geometric shapes of your choice.





Step 3: Wait for the painting to dry and display!

Discussion:

1. Talk about the importance of not plagiarizing (can be included in earlier discussion)
2. Talk about being original
3. Talk about other things that need to be careful of plagiarizing.