3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

We learned about primary colors today in our 3rd grade art lesson.  We used the artist Piet Mondrian as our inspiration for our masterpieces.

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

I first reminded the kids about our seven elements of art we'll be covering for the year.

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

Then I told the kids that today were were going to cover color, but starting with the most basics: the primary colors.

Red Yellow Blue

I gave each child a color wheel and showed them where the primary colors were in comparison to the secondary colors. Secondary colors, orange, green, and violet, are made by mixing the primary colors together.

We then talked about Piet Mondrian and his love of unmixed colors.

Piet Mondrian

He was a Dutch artist who grew up with an art teacher father and soon followed in his footsteps.

Piet Mondrian

Like many artists who come from the Netherlands, he loved to paint windmills and trees.

Piet Mondrian, Sunlight Windmill, 1908

Lots and lots of trees.

Piet Mondrian, Red Tree 1908

In 1919, he moved to Paris. He lived there for a few years before having to move back home. He felt as if he went on “a walk from the country to the city” and his artwork became this. (Insert failed video here)*

Piet Mondrian "Composition No. 10"

He had to move again in the 1940s due to another world war and this time settled in New York City where his artwork became this.

Piet Mondrian "Victory Boogie Woogie" (1942–44)

Mondrian really changed the art world. He was known as having been the father of Abstract Art. His style was copied by many in the fashion and entertainment world. Some famous and some not so famous.

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

We got started on our art project. I gave each child a 12x18 white construction piece of paper, along with red, yellow, and blue construction paper that was 8x11. I precut 1x18 strips of black paper to save on time.  Each child also received their journal for notes, a 2B black pencil, a glue stick and scissors.

This lesson had four steps.
1. Write your name (on back)
2. Place your black lines on your white paper
-Horizontal
-Vertical
3. Use only a little glue
4. Leave it white or fill in entire space with one primary color
-Square
-Rectangle

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

Here are the masterpieces all hung up on our school art room wall.

3rd Grade Art Lesson: Color with Mondrian

(Failed video): We tried, but couldn't due to the school's firewall, to watch this video. I hope that the kids can still see it someday. So they can see how he went from Red Tree to the Composition #10.

                   

Join us in two weeks for more art, but until then, have an artful day!