Picture This: April Fools! Yellow Cows, Green People, Red Trees, and Blue Horses: The surprising art of Wassily Kandisky, Paul Klee, and their friends.

Picture This: April Fools!   Yellow Cows, Green People, Red Trees, and Blue Horses: The surprising art of Wassily Kandisky, Paul Klee, and their friends. (Grades K-5)

“Come hear the story of these expressionist painters and create your own brilliantly-colored paintings.”

·         Read aloud:  The Blue Rider: The Yellow Cow Sees the World in Blue (Adventures in Art Series)  (J759.0642 KUT)  (Kandinsky, Klee, Alexej Jawlensky, August Macke, Franz Marc and Gabrielle Munter) and/or The Noisy Paint Box*  by Barb Rosenstock (JB Kandinsky) (Mentions Kandinsky's synesthesia)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Showed:  Wassily Kandinsky (J759.7 FLU)  and  Paul Klee (J759.91 VEN)  (both Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists)  Paul Klee (J759.91 RAB), Paul Klee (J759.91 CON)

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Made tempera paintings – expressionistic designs with vibrant colors, -- Usborne Art Treasury J750.11 DIC p/52-55 Kandinsky – Squares with Colored Circles – Color Contrasts,

·         Other ideas: Start with Art: People (J704.942 LAC) p. 12 pattern and color, p22 abstract portraits, Magical Fish Klee – The Golden Fish  Usborne Art Treasury J750.11 DIC p/28-31, The Art Book for Children v.2 (J709 REN) “Music to My Eyes” – Kandinsky p.46-47  http://thechocolatemuffintree.blogspot.com/2014/03/how-to-make-abstract-kandinsky-painting.html

 

4.08
*more ideas  from: http://www.slj.com/2014/03/collection-development/jlg-booktalks/stellar-nonfiction-for-young-readers/:

4.15:
Open with this showing:  Kandinsky moody music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5wqlj2nmcs

Then read:

ROSENSTOCK, Barb. The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art. illus. by Mary Grandpré.Knopf. 2014. ISBN 9780307978493. JLG Level:  E+ : Easy Reading (Grades 1–3).

Vasya Kandinsky’s proper life would never be the same after his aunt gave him his first paint supplies. The colors seemed to whisper to him―what a noisy paint box! He worked until the colors went quiet. But no one understood what his paintings said, so he began to paint like everyone else. It would take a trip to the opera for the artist to unleash the power of his work. And he would never paint “properly” again.

Resources abound for this beautifully written and illustrated work. A Pinterest board features Kandinsky lessons. The Classroom Bookshelf published a post of the new title with resources for teaching. Watch a book trailer on Rosenstock’s website. You can invite the author to your school, visit via Skype, or follow her on Twitter or Pinterest. Harry Potter fans will recognize Mary Grandpré’s artwork and may want to visit her website. Perhaps you can’t take a field trip to the New York City art museum, but your students can view the Kandinsky Guggenheim exhibit online. http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/1198808

Briefly discussed synesthesia and showed pictures of some of his abstract paintings.  Then put on album "Jazz Playground" (Putamayo international music) and had kids use tempera paints to "paint what the music sounded like." (multicultural album provides lots of variety)  (Supplies: large paper, paint, brushes, water cups)