Thursday, April 30, 2015

Hundertwasser Architecture



Fifth grade students learned about the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser.  He was a highly creative painter, architect and philosopher from Austria. After analyzing his artwork, students helped create a list of common characteristics in Hundertwasser's artwork:  





Common Characteristics:
Subjects:
- Faces
- Buildings
- Plants
Art Elements/ Principles:
- Line: curving, especially spirals
- Pattern: shapes and colors
- Colorful
- Variety

Most classes came up with a basic list like the one above.  We used this list to create requirements for our Hundertwasser artwork.  Students completed 2 thumbnail sketches of their architectural plans and consulted with me about layout and details before moving on with their favorite on the final paper. During work time, I read the book Hundertwasser for Kids: Harvesting Dreams.  



This is a fantastic book that really gives a window into the philosophies of Hundertwasser and shows how his thinking impacted his artwork and architecture.  He was an artist who strongly believed in uniqueness, imperfection and the importance of nature.  All of the classes enjoyed listening to this book while coloring and painting their own unique masterpieces!  The kids loved the freedom and creativity that this project involved... and lets face it that is how Hundertwasser would have wanted it!




















Learning goals: I can...
- Tell about Hundertwasser
- Explain what an architect does
- Create my own unique architecture inspired by Hundertwasser



4 comments:

  1. Are Mr. Sketch markers better than Crayola? I've never tried them.

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    1. The kids like the scented ones better. (I tell them to smell the cap or their paper instead of the marker so that they don't catch a case of polkadot nose!) I like the chisel tip because they can color in better with it!

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  2. Did they paint and color certain areas of the picture or just whatever they wanted? It looked like the background was painted.
    Did they draw the picture or your printed out something for them?

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    Replies
    1. I did tell the kids that I would at least like them to paint the biggest areas with liquid watercolor paint both to save ink and for contrast. The smaller details and patterns were done with marker for accuracy. I did print out a handout with pictures of Hundertwassar's artwork. The kids used it for inspiration for their own artistic interpretations.

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