Primary Colors & Piet Mondrian

Materials you will need:

• images of Piet Mondrian’s artwork
• construction paper
• precut black strips
• glue stick
• red, yellow and blue crayons (or markers)
• scissors

Goals:

• identify, describe and analyze the artwork of Piet Mondrian
• use balance and space to create an interesting composition
• develop fine motor skills by using glue sticks and coloring solidly
• identify the primary colors

Steps:

1.  Show and discuss the artworks of Piet Mondrian.  Ask the students to describe the artworks and tell about his style of art.  What colors does he use?  What shapes do they notice?

2.  Show the students the artwork Broadway Boogie Woogie.  Does the artwork remind them of anything?  Mondrian was inspired by life in New York City.  Does this picture look at all like a city?  How?  Mondrian was also inspired by jazz music.  Does this picture remind them of jazz music?

3.  Ask students to identify the colors they see in some of his artworks.  Red, yellow and blue are primary colors.  Black and white are neutrals.

4.  Arrange and glue the black paper strips to create an interesting composition.  Trim strips that hang over the edges.  Use red, yellow and blue markers or crayons to color in the spaces.  Add patterns or designs if you’d like.