Abstract Art PDF

Abstract Art is the seventh unit in the Modern Arts course. Abstract Art is about abstract, pop, and op art movements of the 20th century when artists were going for emotion and graphics over fine art techniques and realism. It includes artists such as Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol, M.C. Escher, and more.

This unit contains sections on:

• Abstract Art
• Pop Art
• Op Art

Hands-on Learning

Layers of Learning is an activity-based program. The mentor chooses from among the activities in the unit to create mental hooks for learning. Some of the activities in this unit include:

• Use marbles and paint to make your own abstract piece
• Go outside and throw paint-filled egg shells at a poster for an action effect
• Copy Mondrian’s color block paintings on a piece of tile
• Make one or a dozen symmetrical smash paintings
• Color your own version of Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup cans
• Make your own comic book style art with the Ben-Day dot technique
• Read some Eric Carle books and then make your own collage art in his style
• Trace your hand and then make it pop out of the page using an op art technique
• Plus much more!

Each Layers of Learning Arts unit includes library lists of books, a family read-aloud suggestion, hands-on activities, printables and paper crafts, sidebars for extra learning, and tools to help you assess student’s progress and mastery. You can learn more about how Layers of Learning works in the Curriculum Guide or learn to teach art with the Arts Guidebook for mentors.

See Inside

Here is the inside view of a double page spread from Abstract Art. The curriculum is pick-and-choose, so you select which books and Explorations you would like to read and do out of the many choices.

Flexibility

This unit was written to be used for a month but contains plenty of content for many more weeks of learning if you choose. This is a pick-and-choose curriculum, meant to be cycled back to in the future when your child is older. As such, it intentionally includes far more material than you can possibly cover in a month.

Abstract Art is also part of the overall Modern Arts course, the fourth Year of the four year Layers of Learning Arts cycle. If you use the program in order, it will take you though the art in chronological order, tracking with the Layers of Learning History units. However, each unit stands alone and can be used independently of any other unit.

Printable Pack

This unit comes with a downloadable Printable Pack that includes all the student worksheets. The printables can be copied as many times as needed for your family or class. You can download the Printable Pack from your receipt or from your account at Layers of Learning.

Extra Resources

This unit comes with extra weblinks and a YouTube video playlist on the Modern Arts Resources page.