Unit Rationale:

There have been many ways in which artists use art to talk about identity and describe their experience with the world. Hilma af Klint, out focus artist, was an abstract artist who used painting and drawing to create a network of symbols to describe her personal world and identity. Students will discover their own symbols through the exploration of Klint’s techniques such as automatic drawing, color theory, and free drawing. Students will also learn about the principles of design used by Klint to create a harmonious and powerful composition with their abstract elements. While abstraction can be challenging for some students, my goal with this curriculum unit is to open students up to the possibilities of utilizing a few simple shapes and colors to communicate the message of their experience in the world. Each student will create a watercolor piece which we will combine into a quilt to be displayed.

Grade Level:

High School - Beginning

High School - Advanced

Lessons and Time Frame:

Lesson 1: Historial and Cultural Context 1 - 70 minute class period

Lesson 2: Artistic Perception 1 - 70 minute class period

Lesson 3: Creative Expression - Skillbuilding 3 - 70 minute class periods

Lesson 4: Creative Expression - Artmaking 3 - 70 minute class periods

Lesson 5: Aesthetic Valuing 2 - 70 minute class periods

Focus Artwork:

Objectives and Student Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to…

Describe the major motivation for Hilma af Klint’s creative expression and give examples in her artwork.
Describe the work of Hilma af Klint in detail, including style, subject matter, color, and the elements of balance, focal point, and variety in their description.
Connect the work of Hilma at Klint to their own ideas about abstract style art and how they might utilize her work as inspiration in the art assignment.
Identify and exemplify the elements of balance, focal point, and variety in the work of Hilma af Klint and in their own group artwork.
Create a triadic color scheme using the color wheel.
Use various watercolor techniques e.g., charging and flat wash, in their sketchbook practice explorations.
Create an abstract composition incorporating the style of Hilma af Klint, using watercolor.
Utilize the principles of design balance and focal point to create a harmonious composition.
Demonstrate their understanding of color theory and using a triadic color scheme.
Critique artwork using the Feldman Model.

Literacy Focus:

Listening
- Students will listen to a lecture and presentation.
- Students will listen to one another as they take turns describing Hilma af Klint’s artwork including details about style, subject matter, color, and the elements of balance, focal point, and variety.
- Students will listen to each other’s ideas about how to execute a balanced composition. Students will practice listening to and performing a task based on a set of instructions.
- Students will practice listening as they receive instructions for the components of the lesson. They will also practice listening in their partner groups as they discuss their thumbnail sketches.
- Students will practice listening throughout the aesthetic valuing lesson. Students will receive instructions for the critique. Students will also practice good listening etiquette while they listen to their group’s art presentations.
Speaking
- Students will share observations with an elbow partner about their automatic drawings.
- Students will take turns sharing their observations of the artwork verbally with small groups and with the class.
- Students will practice speaking in their small groups using vocabulary from the lesson.
- Students will practice speaking as they discuss their thumbnail sketches with a partner, focusing on relevant art vocabulary.
- Students will practice speaking as they talk about their art pieces. Students will use relevant art vocabulary and discuss formal and conceptual qualities of their art.
Reading
- Students will read the presentation and read over their notes as homework.
- Students will read new vocabulary words during this lesson and the notes of their peers.
- Students will practice reading as they read through vocabulary terms and instructions for the day’s activities.
- Students will practice reading as they read through the assignment checklist and rubric.
- Students will read through the instructions for the Feldman Model of critique.
Writing
- Students will take notes on the lecture and write an exit ticket on the way out of class.
- Students will write their observations into a graphic organizer in their sketchbooks. Students will reflect on the mood and meaning of Hilma af Klint’s work.
- Students will practice writing as they write notes for their activity presentations.
- Students will practice writing by writing notes about their thumbnail sketches to share with their partner.
- Students will write artists statements to describe their artwork, process, and inspiration. Students will write in notes in their graphic organizers, which they will turn in as evidence of their discussions.

Materials and Resources:

Art Materials and Tools:

Sketchbook
Colored pencils
Pencil
Ruler
Masking tape
Watercolor paper
Watercolor paints
White crayons

Instructional Resources:

Chromebook
LCD Projector
HP Sprout or Docucam

Vocabulary:

Abstract art - art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, forms, colors, and textures.
Automatic drawing - pioneered by the English artist Austin Osman Spare, the hand is allowed to move "randomly" across the paper. In applying chance and accident to mark-making, drawing is to a large extent freed of rational control. Hence the drawing produced may be attributed in part to the subconscious and may reveal something of the psyche, which would otherwise be repressed.
Balance - the use of artistic elements such as line, texture, color, and form in the creation of artworks in a way that renders visual stability.
Charging - a technique that involves mixing two or more colors directly on the paper instead of premixing on a palette
Color scheme - the choice of colors used in various artistic and design contexts
- Triadic color scheme - A color scheme that involves three colors that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel e.g., red-yellow-blue
Composition - composition is the placement or arrangement of the visual elements, such as figures, trees, and so on in a work of art, as distinct from the subject or the style with which it is depicted.
Duality - an instance of opposition or contrast between two concepts or two aspects of something; a dualism.
Flat Wash - brushing successive strokes of color on a wet or dry surface, with each stroke placed next to the other, to create an even layer of color
Focal Point - the area in the composition to which the viewer's eye is naturally drawn. It is essential to classic art, although abstract artists may deliberately create compositions without focal points. Focal points may be of any shape, size, or color.
Intensity - a color’s saturation, brightness, or strength
Subconscious - of or concerning the part of the mind of which one is not fully aware but which influences one's actions and feelings.

National Core Art Standards:

HS Proficient VA:Cr1.1.Ia - Use multiple approaches to begin creative endeavors.
HS Proficient VA:Re.7.1.Ia - Hypothesize ways in which art influences perception and understanding of human experiences.
HS Proficient VA:Re.7.2.Ia - Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.
HS Proficient VA:Cn10.1.Ia - Document the process of developing ideas from early stages to fully elaborated ideas.
HS Proficient VA:Re8.1.Ia - Interpret an artwork or collection of works, supported by relevant and sufficient evidence found in the work and its various contexts.
HS Proficient VA:Re9.1.Ia - Establish relevant criteria in order to evaluate a work of art or collection of works.
HS Proficient VA:Cn10.1.Ia - Document the process of developing ideas from early stages to fully elaborated ideas.

To download a PDF of the Curriculum Unit Overview, click here.