Unit 1: Identity
Automatic Drawing
Inspired by Artist: Henri Matisse
Inspired by Artist: Chuck Close
Inspired by Artist: William Wegman
Unit One Reflection
All of the studio lessons we did relate directly with Identity in many ways. Each artist that we studied has shown us different representations of themselves through their artwork. Henri Matisse used collage to show his identity, personality, likes and dislikes, and much more. In the studio lesson we did, I got to express my love for dance and how I feel it is a part of my identity, through collage. I loved getting to do this and getting to focus on small elements in the artwork like ripped paper and how that represents my feelings on the subject. Chuck Close obviously used his art to show his identity--literally. He was known for his self-portraiture. In the studio lesson we completed for this, I got to explore how my identity is similar to that of a Disney Princess and reflected and then carried out how I could portray that through art using crayons, construction paper, and watercolors. I chose Snow White in this piece because she is sweet and cares about others, but can be oblivious to certain ways of the world and can often get taken advantage of because she is so trusting. I made my piece very simplistic for this reason. The artist William Wegman's studio was probably my favorite, by far. William Wegman is known for personification of his dogs in his artwork. This reflected his identity. First, I loved using mixed media in my art. I liked getting to explore with different textures and elements within my piece. I also loved getting to explore a fairy tale in depth and portray that in a way that reflected my identity.
I would definitely like to utilize some of these studio lessons in my own classroom in the future. I think that the collage idea from artist Henri Matisse would best benefit elementary school students for expressing themselves. I would be most inspired to use this in my classroom because I feel that the students could benefit from learning about themselves in this way. They would learn about using different types of things to make one big project and use their imagination. Also, artistically, this would be the easiest for students to complete. I also think that it would be beneficial and fun for the kids to do the exact same studio lesson as we did with Chuck Close and the Disney Princesses. I think it is important for kids to look into their personalities and find traits about themselves and compare them with others. I like the studio lesson we did for William Wegman the best, but I am not sure how we could do personification and relate that to identity for children in an understandable way for them.
I would definitely like to utilize some of these studio lessons in my own classroom in the future. I think that the collage idea from artist Henri Matisse would best benefit elementary school students for expressing themselves. I would be most inspired to use this in my classroom because I feel that the students could benefit from learning about themselves in this way. They would learn about using different types of things to make one big project and use their imagination. Also, artistically, this would be the easiest for students to complete. I also think that it would be beneficial and fun for the kids to do the exact same studio lesson as we did with Chuck Close and the Disney Princesses. I think it is important for kids to look into their personalities and find traits about themselves and compare them with others. I like the studio lesson we did for William Wegman the best, but I am not sure how we could do personification and relate that to identity for children in an understandable way for them.