Jackson Pollock

In my podcast below, I said non-objective art is where the composition contains no recognizable figures or objects. I want you to look at this painting by Jackson Pollock. He was an American action painter. This is Pollock's One: Number 31, painted in 1950. It occupies an entire wall by itself at the MOMA in New York City.
He put his canvas on the floor and threw his paint onto it.

To learn more about his non objective compositions:

Follow this link to see some of his other paintings.
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/pollock_jackson.htm

Let’s look at Number 1, 1950 (Lavender Mist) at the National Gallery in Washington, DC.
http://www.nga.gov/feature/pollock/painting1.shtm

Here you can see Jackson Pollock doing one of his action paintings.
http://www.nga.gov/feature/pollock/actionpainting.shtm

Once you visit the URL below, click on the red arrow to see more photos of the artist working in his studio.
http://www.nga.gov/feature/pollock/process1.shtm

Now it is your turn to create a Jackson Pollock type action painting site. Once you click on this site, you will see a white space. As soon as you move the mouse across the space, color will appear. Every time you click, the color will change. If you want to delete and start again, just touch the space bar on your keyboard. I am using a PC, so when I right click my mouse, I can print my picture. You MAC users will have to let me know if you can print your non-objective composition or not.

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

If you can find some other non-objective compositions by artists, please share them with us - either the URL, name of the artist, a picture of the artwork, etc.

Vincent Van Gogh - March Artist

Vincent Van Gogh is our March "Artist of the Month."
He was born in the Netherlands on March 30, 1853.
He used color boldly with a type of painting technique called impasto.
This is a way of applying thick paint onto the canvas.
When you look at his paintings you will see a sense of urgency about his paint strokes. His use of color helped to created the mood of the painting.
He often painted a painting a day.
I want you to look at some of my favorites by Vincent Van Gogh.
Listen to the podcast below about composition before you look.

The first is at the MOMA in NYC. It is called "Starry Night"

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=79802

The next is called Sunflowers and is located at the Philadephia Museum of Art.

http://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/59202.html?mulR=26076

This short video shows you some of his self portraits in an interesting way.



Would you like to try a puzzle? I made it easy for you and it is one of my most favorite Van Gogh landscapes. Just click on the puzzle and have fun!



I hope you learned a little more about Vincent Van Gogh's compositions and will let me know by adding a post or comment.

Introduction to Mrs. Wagner's Blog

Welcome to Mrs. Wagner's blog. I am an elementary art teacher and an artist. In my blog I will introduce, share, and discuss different art ideas with and for my students and friends. I will talk about all kinds of art related topics - art techniques, styles, procedures, history, my favorites, and whatever else moves me. I will share my favorite websites, places to visit, hints for my students (both past and present), and advice for my friends. I have taught the visual arts to all grade levels and have many former students who are now art teachers themselves. I hope we can share art ideas as well.
But presently my students are 4th and 5th graders so most of my entries will be directed about projects we create in class. I also hope to post interesting projects and ideas for my students to try at home. Other postings will include information about my monthly art contests and requirements, details about the art show, and any other tidbits I want to share. I hope you will check in often and see what is new.