1st Grade Henri Matisse Inspired Collage

For the past few weeks, first graders at Byam Elementary have been studying Henri Matisse. We focused on his Cut-Outs, which was on exhibit at the MOMA in New York. I visited the MOMA last winter and was inspired by the bright colors, organic shapes, and the techniques Mattise used when creating these cut-outs. I couldn't help but imagine how my first graders would enjoy "painting with scissors" and creating a collage with brightly colored paper. Here are some pictures below from the exhibit.

In class, we watched a video clip about the exhibit and talked about the different shapes and colors in his artwork. We also focused on composition, line and form. Next, we started our project with a black piece of construction paper for our background and then cut out different geometric and organic shapes. Students laid out the pieces onto their background before gluing just as Henri Matisse pinned his colorful shapes onto the wall before deciding where to place them. Some classes had a great time exploring how to make their projects become three-dimensional. Awesome work first graders!

Visual Arts Standards from this lesson:

1. 1.1  Use a variety of materials and media, for example, crayons, chalk, paint, clay, 
   various kinds of papers, textiles, and yarns, and understand how to use them 
   to produce different visual effects 
   
   
2. 1.2  Create artwork in a variety of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional 
   (3D) media, for example: 2D – drawing, painting, collage, printmaking, weaving; 3D – plastic (malleable) materials such as clay and paper, wood, or found objects for assemblage and construction 
   
   
3. 1.3  Learn and use appropriate vocabulary related to methods, materials, and techniques 
   
   
4. 1.4  Learn to take care of materials and tools and to use them safely
   
   2.1  For color, explore and experiment with the use of color in dry and wet media 
   Explore how color can convey mood and emotion
   
   2.2  For line, explore the use of line in 2D and 3D works
   Identify a wide variety of types of lines in the environment and in artwork 
   
   2.3  For texture, explore the use of textures in 2D and 3D works
   Identify a wide variety of types of textures, for example, smooth, rough, and bumpy, in the environment and in artwork
   
   2.4  For shape and form, explore the use of shapes and forms in 2D and 3D works
   Identify simple shapes of different sizes, for example, circles, squares, triangles, and forms, for example, spheres, cones, cubes, in the environment and in artwork
   
   2.6  For space and composition, explore composition by creating artwork with a center of interest, repetition, and/or balance
   Demonstrate an understanding of foreground, middle ground, and background
5. 
   
6. 3.2  Create 2D and 3D expressive artwork that explores abstraction
7. 
   
8. 5.1  In the course of making and viewing art, learn ways of discussing it, such as by making a list of all of the images seen in an artwork (visual inventory); and identifying kinds of color, line, texture, shapes, and forms in the work 
9. 
   5.3  Describe similarities and differences in works, and present personal responses to the subject matter, materials, techniques, and use of design elements in artworks