Where Do Artists Get Their Ideas? Part 3: Surrealism

I found this in a Google image search for "exquisite corpse". Please comment if you can provide source info!

Exquisite Corpse: if you've done some reading about Salvador Dalí and his Surrealist pals you have probably come across references to this game they used to play. "Corpse" doesn't conjure up the most delightful visuals but most Surreal art isn't really granny-approved, which is exactly why kids love it. Like many examples in art history, there are images from Dali that aren't suitable for school - so curate carefully - but Surreal art is too fun not to share and sparks such great conversations about imagination, dreams, and artists' inspiration.

Salvador Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, FL. Source: phaidon.com.

If you ever find yourself in Florida, specifically in the St. Petersburg area, you MUST visit the Salvador Dali Museum. The whole experience is exquisite from the art to the architecture and the gift shop has great materials for teachers. When I visited, a few years ago, they were even distributing free (!) packets to teachers with a picture book, DVD, and other resources.

Image source: mentalfloss.com

Dalí's work is filled with color and imagination. They are so stimulating to look at that I structure discussions around absorbing the details and composition to reveal surprising narratives that students might miss without close observation. For younger students, I start with Persistence of Memory and  ask students to identify objects and areas that remind them of real life and then find objects that came from Dalí's imagination.

Source: artanthologyinc.com.

Other examples of Dalí's work make excellent provocations for the "See, Think, Wonder" exercise. I have students to sit quietly and just observe the painting for about 30 seconds to absorb all of the interesting details. Then ask students the following questions:

• What do you see?
• What do you think is going on?
• What does it make you wonder?

These higher order questions require students to identify objects, analyze their significance based on background knowledge, and form judgments about what they are seeing - or at least identify gaps in their understanding for which they need more information. If you'd like to extend this looking exercise into a formal writing assignment it would be fascinating for students to write the story behind the painting. How did all of these creatures and objects come to be in this place?

What questions or thinking exercises do you do with your students to encourage close looking at artworks?

Artfully,
Catherine

Where Do Artists Get Their Ideas? Part 2: Imagination

I LOVE Antoinette Portis' Not A Box story and this animated version is the perfect provocation to warm up students' creativity muscles. In my last post, Where Do Artists Get Their Ideas? Part 1: Observation, I started talking about how my third graders are in a new unit exploring where artists find inspiration. My students had a million great ideas but this unit will focus on two major ones: observation and imagination. 

Observation lends itself to close looking, realism, and developing drawing techniques. It is good for little scientists and provides a wealth of subject material. It can also be frustrating for students whose drawing skills are developing or who still have beautifully active what-if brains. Third graders are thrilled by fantasy and I want to encourage creative thinking in their artworks. So we watch the "Not A Box" video (above) and draw our own not-a-box in our sketchbooks. There is an equally adorable book, and probably a YouTube video, called Not A Stick but it features a pig so we tend to avoid that here in the Middle East.

The not-a-box concept is a great first step into discussing imagination and creativity as a "place" where artists get their ideas. Although the audience can only see a box the rabbit sees so much more. Not just one thing but the sky is merely the beginning. This models for students how to make that leap between the visible (observation) and invisible (imagination). It also sets us up for a more sophisticated conversation about artists who use their imagination to inspire their artworks, like Salvador Dali and his Surrealist friends. Spoiler alert: part 3!

Do you have any other books or videos that celebrate imagination?

Artfully,

Catherine

Where Do Artists Get Their Ideas? Part 1: Observation

Recording a class discussion about where artists get their ideas.

3rd grade artists are exploring where artists find inspiration for their artworks. The picture above is the result of just ONE class brainstorming ideas and the other classes were equally thoughtful. This discussion leads us into our unit called Observation and Imagination. Last year, students only worked on developing ideas from their imagination but I thought some of the more linear thinkers got lost so now we have observation as a starting point.

To get started, I ask students if they know what the words observation and imagination mean. I try to connect "observation" to careful looking and "imagination" to being creative. You can also ask students to think about other professions that require observation (scientist, detective) and imagination (author, inventor). Then we look at artists who used observation to inspire their artworks. We focus on examples of Realism (Millets The Gleaners, Ruysch's still lifes) and hyper-realism (Chuck Close portraits) so that students easily see how artists can be inspired by even the most everyday details of everyday life. Artist Danny Gregory came to visit my school last year and his work and philosophy is about celebrating the artistic quality of daily life and the world around us. Check out his work here and see if he can come to your school! His style is very accessible for students to encourage observation and drawing skills.

Artist Danny Gregory visiting our school!

We wrapped up our first lesson by heading outdoors with our sketchbooks to draw in the garden next to our classroom. Last year before Danny Gregory's visit, the 4th graders produced beautiful architectural drawings of our school and some of them were selected to hang in the administration offices. So don't shy away from the outdoors even if it's not bursting with nature - your principal will thank you for it!

How do you bring life to observational drawing? How do you jumpstart creativity?

Artfully,
Catherine