National Art Education Association

Teaching the Structure of ArtAuthor(s): Ethel ChristensenSource: Art Education, Vol. 35, No. 3 (May, 1982), pp. 10-12Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3192586 .

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Teaching the Structure of Art

Debbie Rou, grade 12 student, tilts her picture to find out what happens when "Working in pairs colors mix together.par ~colors mix together. _with felt pens, the ~:~

~ students then ~ ~ attempted to react to

the other's choice of line with the opposite

, A 1:or a different line."

Ethel Christensen

mong the numerous explanations given for making art is the

one that most people like to structure things. Order and structure are rewarding, and this is probably one

_ , reason why so many people continue to be involved in art, either through appreciation or its production. Unfortunately, in art there are no

_ '~~~~~~~ ~ t~~~~~~~explicit principles that can be verbal- ized. In a way, however, art can be compared to the use of language. Most people make use of grammatical rules which come closer to explaining language. We do know that many people, like the art student, simply

t ,,'like to structure things. To put forms and objects together so that they fit seems to be a rewarding experience.

'~ ~~~~~~~~~~~There are infinite ways that the

?~~~ :~..z~ ~~ ~ ._~~ _~~ X rart teacher may help the student to

practice structuring. It has often been noted that children have a strong

*_ ^ zssense of order. But through the misguided comments of adults, the child often loses faith in his sensitivity and his ability to assemble, construct, and put things together so that they

.X~~z Q ;. vs > 1 ^ ~~fit. Particularly as he grows older, the student requires experiences in

_ f4~..~.~ ffi~~~~~~~ ~ ~structuring to help regain an innate i^ .Xt 1 g M sense of ordering.

Directing Attention to Structuring

~"'~^ B! .........r~~ "'' t ? :!117 '~i Any departures in designing suggested by the teacher which do not fit

4, X'~'; ,B y':: '. the student's previous experiences may

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help to disrupt deliberate planning. For example, in most instances the student works on the usual size paper, such as 12 x 18 or 24 x 36. The majority of experiences in structuring have been limited to these rectangular shapes. If, however, the student is encouraged to cut away one or more areas of the rectangular shape by cutting into the sides or into the middle of the paper, or to add on additional areas at the outside edge, a new experience in designing will result. One of the leading contempo- rary artists, Frank Stella, arrived at his idea of the shaped canvas through a similar experience of removing the area he did not like. As he con- tinues to design, the student discovers that he has to make certain adjust- ments in both the design and his mental image in order to arrive at a solution.

One student made several cuts into a sheet of 24 x 36 black construction paper and added on the removed areas to a new location at the edge with masking tape. Limiting himself to straight lines, he divided the space to fit the new shape. These areas he later painted, sometimes con- trasting smooth areas with an impasto of detergent and paint. Even though the student has reached the stage of having finished a painting, there is still an opportunity for another experience in structuring. First, however, the student should be encouraged to look at his finished work and attempt to sense the quality which he has achieved. Sometimes, the teacher will have to direct his attention by asking questions like, "Do you feel you have a cool design?" or "Have you achieved an open design?" or "Do the lines and colours combine to make a bold impact?" The beginning student will need this help in articu- lating the direction of his work.

If the student is now satisfied with his work, he will have a strong mental set regarding his use of colours and shapes. If, however, he is now

challenged, "Change at least two or more colours or shapes" in order to experience a new structuring rela- tionship, he is apt to feel considerably uncomfortable until the new solution is achieved, i.e., when he has changed his mental image to fit his design. Rather than introducing new experiences at structuring for the student, many art lessons serve merely as an exercise wherein the student repeats old and familiar ways. Unfortunately, he finds himself repeating mistakes as well as the more effective solutions.

Breaking out of any familiar routine can be difficult. If the teacher introduces an "unknown" into the student's work, there is a possibility that this may be the necessary jolt which will encourage him to form a new structure. Such an unknown can be the response of another student adding one or two elements to his work. When this happens, the first student usually puts forth extra effort to incorporate the foreign elements into his work. In one class where the student was repeatedly muddying his colours in his effort to get rich effect, he experienced quite a jolt when a second student dripped lines of bright red all over his picture. Once the new element had been intro- duced, however, the first student was able to fit it into his work and achieve the effects he desired.

Directing Attention to Colour It has been commonly agreed among art education practitioners that teaching colour by duplicating colour wheel combinations is ineffective as well as tedious. Yet, what does the teacher in the classroom do to help students take in new information and develop their colour awareness? Many educators have recognized the difficulties in handling colour for the student of art. They often propose that the student use a limited palette, achieve unity through mixing a little of one basic colour with every other colour utilized, and repeat

colours. Another way of learning to use colour is that of studying the colour combinations utilized by such artists as Seurat and Van Gogh.

However, some experts feel colour knowledge developed intuitively can be even more useful. Students do not need to be told things about colour if they are led through exercises in perceiving colour. What they do need is many hours of working with colour with attention directed to "finding out what happens," and taking in colour information. When students are hesitant about using colour, the teacher can usually over- come this by suggesting they paint "the ugliest" painting. This experience can be worked on either dry or wet paper, although the use of "wet" paper results in a mingling of the colour. Using tempera or powder paint, the student can be encouraged to put on areas of colour where they feel they should go in an attempt to make an "ugly" painting. As students work they inevitably find that it is difficult to make an ugly painting and what happens is that, in fact, their paintings become richer and more varied than anything they have done before. Even students who do, in fact, make ugly pictures, are encouraged since they have "the best."

Directing Attention to Line A sensitivity to the qualities of different lines seems to be one of the more difficult experiences for beginning students. Perhaps it is that we are used to seeing the whole shape rather than the edge. At any rate, experiences in structuring line itself are sometimes regarded as meaningless. Artists who have been able to handle line beautifully have been much admired throughout the history of art. Paul Klee was a master at capturing humor with a few well put lines. Matisse used line to express the sensuousness of the nude. The teacher can draw attention to various lines and encourage the student to make his own response.

Art Education May 1982 11

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Art experience with straight, narrow, wiggly, curvy, big, little, lines con- stantly assembled into new structure will increase facility with line. In one such experiment the students discussed lines and their associational value. Working in pairs with felt pens, the students then attempted to react to the other's choice of line with the opposite or a different line. This process was repeated until it appeared the students were completely involved in creating the design. Finally, the students worked together in an effort to structure the picture, sometimes filling in areas with solid colour in their effort to pull the composition together.

Directing Attention to Texture Texture is a way of showing the surface quality of things. A greater awareness and use of texture may be achieved by directing attention to contrasts and similarities between textures, such as rough and smooth, soft and harsh, open and closed, even and uneven. In working with students, questions such as, "What is your favorite texture?" "Which texture do you like to be next to?" and "Which texture can you remember the clearest?" may be used to encourage them to respond to the qualities suggested by various textures. Symbolic and associational values of various textures can also be developed through discussion. Many art classes draw attention to texture with the problem of creating a texture collage; that is, creating an arrangement of textured materials like bark, screen, and burlap. One designing problem to encourage the student to concentrate on texture, while avoiding deliberate planning, can be developed by breaking up the working spaces with vertical, horizontal, and curved lines varying in width. Monoprinted collage pieces contrasted with colour tissue may be added to the design either fitted on top or in the design. Further variation will be accom- plished by contrasting or blending the monoprinted textures. Other variations in textures can be achieved through drawing on top of the tissue paper with India ink, developing the texture which already exists on the mono- printing paper with a felt pen, and filling in areas with detergent tempera worked on to an impasto.

Directing Attention to the Structure of a Painting Painting is not only a matter of deciding what to do and then doing it. Even professional artists who work in a realistic manner make many of their final decisions intuitively. One must keep in mind that a successful work of art is felt, not planned, according to aesthetic principles. The teacher may help the art student use his intuition to develop a new structure in several ways. One method is to look at the picture area and then place a stroke of paint where one feels it should fit. Then add another stroke of paint placing it again where one feels it should be in relation to the first stroke of colour and to the rest of the painting. The student is encouraged not to be concerned or to worry about how things will turn out, if he is wasting paper or paint or doing a good job. Rather, he is encouraged to think only of adding one stroke of colour to the others and to keep watching the effect of one colour and shape on another. The teacher says, "Try to think of what is happening on your painting. If something happens that you didn't expect, keep looking at it and try to react as strongly as you can to it." If the student works with an open mind, he may decide that the unusual arrange- ment of the shapes that he didn't expect has qualities that are actually more interesting than the kind of painting he might have planned to do.

It will take many hours of practice at this kind of experiencing before the student can begin to trust himself. This approach can be done with crayons, charcoal, oil paint, tempera, or chalk. The medium used depends on its availability and the personal preference of the student. Throughout the process, however, the student should be encouraged to keep in mind that it is the doing something with his materials in the unique way dictated by feeling, sensing, and vision- ing that causes work to become art.

Ethel Christensen is head of the visual arts department at Gordon Craydon Memorial Secondary School in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

Art Education May 1982 12

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