Mini-Activity II The world is flat Cubism

Mary E. Twomey 1
Mini-Activity II
Title: The world is flat Cubism Grade Level: 6
Theme Concepts:
Deconstruction. What would things look like if we could see all around it at the same time? By
taking apart objects, we will look at the objects in an altered manner. Shifting 3-D into 2-D:
flattening objects, simplifying its basic shapes, and observing things from multiple angles, to
show many views at the same time. How would objects look if we put the objects back together
in a different way?

Aesthetics, Art Criticism, Art History
Introduce Czannes use of color and way of analyzing and depicting objects inspired the
Fauvists, such as Henri Matisse. Czanne and his deconstruction of objects to their basic forms
square, triangle, and circle inspired cubism.
Artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso (who described Czanne as the father of us all)
worked together in developing this new art form. Cubists wanted to show all the sides of an
object at the same time in their works. Whether the cubists were painting people or landscapes,
they used combinations of basic geometric shapes to represent them.
In the beginning of Cubism, the artists would study the subject and break it up into different
blocks. They would look at the blocks from different angles. Then they would reconstruct the
subject, painting the blocks from various viewpoints.
At first, cubists used very little color in their paintings. They used mostly browns, greys, and
blues. Look at the face in Juan Gris' Portrait of Picasso. Gris shows you every detail of Picasso's
face even though you would never be able to see all sides of his face at the same time. Some
cubist paintings were extremely abstract. In Picassos The Guitar Player, it is difficult to see the
person in the painting.
Picasso and Braque did not think Cubism should be abstract (not have objects), but other artists
began to create works that are more abstract and helped to inspire a new art movement. Breaking
accepted norms often gives rise to new forms of artistic expression.

Art Production Concept(s):
Analysis of our surroundings to identify the basic shapes, circle, square, and triangle found
within forms as their foundation. Concentration is on finding the basic shapes and the appearance
of the square and flattening three-dimensional shapes to view multiple sides at once.
Students will analyze, as a group, what things they see in the classroom that can be
simplified to the basic shapes of the square, circle and triangle, prior to art making.
Students brainstorm as a group, using their memory for the basic shapes of additional
things. Draw it to show where you see the shapes in these objects.
Students will use their experience and previous knowledge to guide the results.


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Teaching Strategies
Introduction Demonstration Questioning Brainstorming

Creative and Critical Behaviors Students will Enhance
Organization and analytic skills are enhanced by the act sketching; Sketches are a way to help us
recognize things, and plan for the organization of information
Student will develop observation skills while analyzing what can be reduced to their basic
shapes. Underlying structures will be found via analysis and inference.

NJCCCS Standards and Indicators
Visual Arts
Visual statements in art are derived from the basic elements of art regardless of the format and
medium used to create the art. There are also a wide variety of art media, each having its own
materials, processes, and technical application methods for exploring solutions to creative
problems.
1.3.P.D.4: Demonstrate a growing ability to represent experiences, thoughts, and ideas through a
variety of age-appropriate materials and visual art media using memory, observation, and
imagination.
Geometry and Measurement
All students will develop spatial sense and the ability to use geometric properties, relationships,
and measurement to model, describe and analyze phenomena.
4.2.2 B. Transforming Shapes 1. Use simple shapes to make designs, patterns, and pictures.
2. Combine and subdivide simple shapes to make other shapes.

Materials and Supplies
Paint Brushes
Tempera paint
Color Pencils
Tracing paper
Pencils
Oranges and/or
clementines
Chinese takeout container
Box (small)
Envelopes
Wrappers
Color reproductions of
landscapes and still life
setups
Color reproductions of
cubist work
Optional:
Computer/Printer

Art Making Steps
Part A: Students will select and study one of the color reproductions of everyday objects or
scenes provided. What shapes do you see? Squares, triangles, circles? Place a sheet of tracing
paper over a color reproduction and trace the shapes.
Mini-Activity II The world is flat Cubism
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Part B: Students will deconstruct 3-dimensional items reducing them to a 2-dimensional surface
analyzing the shapes created as they work to consider representing multiple sides in the same
view as preparation of creating their own cubist works.
Students will unfold envelopes and boxes, Chinese take-out cartons, shopping bags and draw
shapes from the objects of their choice on tracing paper to experiment with placement and
composition. Students will work to develop preliminary sketches while reconstructing objects in
a new way.
Once a satisfactory sketch is developed, the student will complete a constructed color painting or
drawing as the culminating experience.
Students who finish quickly, or have additional interest in cubism, may choose to create a cubist
portrait online. http://www.picassohead.com/create.html

Aesthetics Steps/Questions
What do you see?
Are paintings in the cubism style beautiful?
Is Cubism an important art movement?
Why do you think artists continuously change and experiment with their art?
What message do these art works convey?

Sources
http://artsmarts4kids.blogspot.com/2008/09/cubism.html
http://www.ducksters.com/history/art/cubism.php
http://www.metmuseum.org/metmedia/kids-zone/start-with-art/cezannes-astonishing-apples
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Portrait of Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, 1910 The Portuguese, 1911

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Violin and Candlestick
Georges Braque, 1910
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The Guitar Player
Pablo Picasso
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Portrait of Picasso
Juan Gris, 1885

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Still Life With Flower Holder
Paul Cezanne, c.1879
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Still life with apples and peaches
Paul Cezanne, c.1905
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Mont Sainte-Victoire Seen from the Bibmus Quarries,
Paul Cezanne, c.1879
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Mont Sainte-Victoire
Paul Cezanne, 1885



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