What can art "do"?

What can art "do"?

Art has been around forever, but...why? Here are a few reasons why.

Art keeps us hopeful
A lot of art is PRETTY. Yes, pink flowers, beautiful sunsets...it makes your brain feel good! The top selling art postcard in the world is this picture by Claude Monet.

Have you ever had a bad day and then looked at a picture of a cuddly puppy or a beautiful sunset? You might feel better after you do. "Pretty" art helps us remember that life can be kind of amazing/beautiful/poetic when it doesn't seem so.

Art makes us feel less lonely
This kind of art is the opposite of "pretty" art. Sometimes we feel sad. It's easy to think that you are the only one in the world who feels sad, but of course this is not true. Some art is about BEING sad. It makes us feel less weird to know that others are feeling the same things.

Here is a famous piece of art by Picasso. He was very poor and hungry at the time. What does this picture make you feel? Why?



Art makes us pay attention to things we usually don't pay attention to
I went to London this summer and saw a beautiful painting of fruit. I stood and looked at it for 10 minutes at least. However, I do not stare at my bowl of fruit at home! I grab a piece and don't give it a second look!

Artists can take something "boring" and make us look at it again. Here is a bunch of oranges by Vincent van Gogh. Look at all the details and colors in his oranges. What do you think? Have you ever noticed your oranges' beauty??

Art tries to convince (tell) us something
Sometimes artists want to tell us something. It might be a feeling or idea. Here is a famous piece of graphic design art that is trying to convince people to join the army. It has our "national mascot", Uncle Sam. 


In 2008, a graphic artist created this poster for the presidential race. Many people liked this poster and it became famous. It was created to tell people to vote for Barack Obama for president. What does it make you feel when you look at it? What does it have in common with the one above?

Just Flange It!

Have a tube or something else that just won't connect? Flange it!

A flange is something that connects one thing to another. It is usually circular in shape. People use them on objects to strengthen the connection between two objects. Here's a metal flange.
'
I'm going to show you how to make a paper flange!

1. You should have a paper roll and flat piece of paper.


2. Get a pair of scissors and cut slits into your roll. Do this evenly...here I did it about every 2 inches. (You don't have to be exact--just estimate where your next cut should be!)


3. Next, fold back the sections.




4. Now it's time to glue! Get yourself some glue and glue the underside of the flange.


5. It's time to attach! Make sure you hold down your flange to make sure it sticks!

How to Start a Painting

You may think you just get out paint and paper and GO, but it's a little more complicated than that.

First, you need to:

• Think about your plan.
• Put down your idea on paper in the form of a simple sketch.
• If you can't think of an idea
• Get a book from the book shelf
• Close your eyes and think
• Make a list of things you like and dislike
• If you're not sure of the details of the image, get a laptop from the laptop cart!

There are many ways to start a painting, and this is one.

1. Get a piece of nice, thick paper. (If you're paper isn't thick, it might rip because of too much water!)

2. Write your name on your paper and class code with pencil. This will be the back of your painting. (Don't write it with Sharpie or it will probably go through to the other side!)

3. Turn your paper over and, using a pencil, sketch out your painting. Draw lightly so it's easy to erase.

4. Paint your background first, and then the area around it. Your goal is to paint first and add details later.

5. Finish painting in the rest of the area (don't add details yet!).

6. Finally, it's time to add details!

An Artist Who Painted Frontier Life

George Caleb Bingham was an artist who lived in Missouri. He was born in 1811, just five years after Lewis and Clark returned from their journey.


George Caleb Bingham made money by painting portraits, but what he is known for today are his paintings of the American West.

There were not a lot of artists who lived in the Midwest or farther. Thus, we don't have a lot of paintings of what life was like at that time.

Here are some paintings of life in Missouri during that time.


This is called Fur Traders Descending the Missouri. Do you see that black thing on the end of the boat? What do you think it is?



George Caleb Bingham was also involved in politics and held a political office. His interest in politics is reflected in his Election Series.

One Man's Journey From Paint to Paper

Henri Matisse was an artist who originally worked with paint. Here are some of his paintings.





When he was older, he got sick. Because he was sick, he had to use a wheelchair. He found that it was too hard on his body to paint anymore.


This is when he decided to pick up a pair of scissors and cut paper. At first he kept this new art a secret because he was afraid of how people would react to it. Eventually, he showed his paper cutting. People loved it. It became a new type of art form--cut paper.


Here's a video about Henri Matisse and his paper cutting.
Tate Museum video about Henri Matisse Paper Cutting

Why do artists use texture?

We've talked about and made texture. Now, why use it in our art?

Texture creates INTEREST. It makes us look at something more. Our eyes like to look at something that one of our other senses (touch) can relate to.

Let's look at some texture in art.

There's ACTUAL texture.





And IMPLIED texture.







Imagine this art without texture. Do you think it would be as interesting?

What is "Realistic" and what is "Abstract" in art?

We will concentrate on PORTRAITS and SELF-PORTRAITS, though real and abstract can be landscapes, still life, etc...

"Wow, that looks real!"

I've bet you've heard someone say that about art before. If it "looks real", then it's probably a style called Realism.

Realism tries to copy what we see without any filters or add-ons...Think about how important that was before people had cameras!

Here are some examples of portraits in a realistic style.

Self-Portrait by Chuck Close

The Girl With a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer

Self Portrait, Vincent van Gogh