Abstract Ceramic Sculpture

Submitted by: Vivian Komando, Pope John II High School
Unit: Ceramic Sculpture - Advanced 3-D Design
Lesson: Three-Dimensional Ceramic Sculptural Forms Inspired by the Paintings of Wassily Kandinsky
See Vivian Komando's "Art Room"
Digital Surrealism Lesson.

CERAMIC SCULPTURE LESSON - Wassily Kandinsky

TITLE: Three-Dimensional Ceramic Sculptural Forms Inspired by the Paintings of Wassily Kandinsky

"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul." ~ Kandinsky

OBJECTIVE:

The student will analyze / deconstruct elements of design used in Wassily Kandinsky's paintings in order to synthesize the elements into a three-dimensional form. Works may be functional or non-functional.

Click images for larger views

MATERIALS:

Moist Clay, Canvas Rolls, Rolling Pins, guide sticks, Wire End Clay Tool Set, Glazes, Underglazes, Brushes

ACTIVITY:

Beginning -

The student will examine selected paintings of Wassily Kandinsky. Students will use critical analysis to identity the elements and components that Kandinsky uses to create his compositions. Students will be able to identify representational designs versus non-representational designs.

The students will be asked to draw small groups of designs based on the analysis of the shapes used by Kandinsky. Student will create a paper sculpture from Construction Paper and poster board that incorporates the elements of non-representational designs as drawn by the student.

Exploring -
The student will compare the artistic elements of Kandinsky's work in relation to musical elements. Vocabulary for both music and art will be discussed and compared. The student will sketch ten variations of compositions into mini musical sketches, which utilize non-objective forms. The student will transpose one of the mini musicals into a three-dimensional form using clay as the medium.

Accomplished -
The student will design a vessel utilizing the concept of non-objective art incorporating design elements as investigated in the work of Wassily Kandinsky. Using clay, students will construct a slab vessel as a three dimensional manifestation of a musical composition using non-representational symbols. The work may be geometric, organic, or a combination of both. The work is to be freestanding, balanced, and in harmony with the elements used.

RESOURCES:

See Untitled by Tom Huck - 1998 Arkansas Art Center

Visuals of the following Wassily Kandinsky Paintings:

• Succession (1935)

• Fixed

• Bleu De Ciel (1940)

• Seven, 1943

• Geflecht von Oben N*231 (1927)

• Komposition X

• Mit Und Gegen, (1929)

• Structure Joyeuse (1926)

• Yellow, Red, Blue

• Horizontale (1924)

• Aquarelle mit Drei Punkten (1914)

Books

Kandinsky - Wassily Kandinsky was undoubtedly one of the most exciting artists of the twentieth century. He brought an equal desire and commitment to his work as a painter, a theoretician and a teacher of art. After conventional beginnings in Munich, he devoted his intellectual and artistic energies to pioneering new dimensions of expression in art.

Wassily Kandinsky: 1866-1944 a Revolution in Painting - Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian-born painter, became one of the founders of 20th-century abstract art, ultimately moving toward the geometric forms for which he is best known. Some of the more beautiful works included in this title are Several Circles (1926), Hard But Soft (1927), and Graceful Ascent (1934). Readers looking for a good introduction to the works of Kandinsky will be delighted with this volume.