Re-Creating The Masters: Famous Works Interpreted By Little Hands

Hello again from Ayn at little illuminations!  

In our Pre-K classroom, most of our art is process focused. Occasionally, though, we do a product focused project like this one. During NAEYC's "Week of The Young Child" this year, our school had special activities that were planned (not by me) for each day. One of the suggested ideas was for our class to re-create famous works for an art show.  Each day, I introduced the kids to either a famous work or art style. We talked about how they thought the artist had gone about completing the work and what materials or mediums they might have used. Later each day, students were invited to join me in art center to "re-create" the piece we studied. 

Pointillism

We first observed Georges Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" and several other examples of pointillism. We talked about each painting was made of dots of color that formed the shapes in the paintings. The children then experimented with q-tips making pictures of their own.

Splatter Art (Jackson Pollock)

We examined a variety of Jackson Pollock's works. We talked about different ways he might have made the splatters. The group decided to use toothbrushes to make the splatters on their papers.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night"

We took a long look at Van Gogh's "Starry Night". We talked about the lines in the paintings and the dark colors he used. I asked the children what colors they would need to re-create it. There were other colors available, but most of the students used black, blue, yellow and white.

Picasso's "Hand With Bouquet"

One of my favorite works is Picasso's "Hand With Bouquet". I love the simple lines and bright colors. I've done this particular painting with students before and usually get some lovely paintings. I think the bright colors and the simplicity appeals to them in a special way. We talked about how we would go about re-creating it. The children decided to use Sharpies to draw the hands and paint to make the flowers. A few of the kids traced their hands, others drew hands free form and still others skipped the hands altogether. I think they all came out quite lovely.

Each grouping was on display for our parents to enjoy for the week.  We've gotten quite a few compliments. And although I am certainly not an art teacher, I think the children learned a few new techniques and learned a little about some famous works of art. 

I'd love to hear how you've explored art with young children---feel free to share in the comments!



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