Non-Objective Cut Up Painting

Submitted by: Ken Schwab, formerly of Leigh High School, San Jose CA
Unit: Painting/Collage/Low Relief - Non-objective Art
Grade Level: High school 9 through 12 (adaptable to middle school)
Ken's Web Site: http://www.artteacherplans.com/

Objectives:

• Color planning and painting skills.

• Awareness of non-objective art

• Reinforce Principles of design

• Alter a work of art - create a low relief assemblage.

Materials:

Illustration Board (or Poster Board), Acrylic Paint (or Tempera Paint), flat and round Sable Brushes, scraps of Mat board, color Mat board or Poster Board, paper cutter (or X-acto Knives and Rulers), White Glue.

Resources:

• Gunther Gerzso - Mexican Abstract Painter, Born 1915 - 2000. When I saw Gunther's work, I immediately thought of a couple projects Ken has done with his students.

• Information on Gunther Gerzso (some work shown):
  http://www.artnet.com/

• Some great abstract works.
  

• Ken's students will like these
  

• See additional Gunther Gerzso works

Books

The Art Of Gunther Gerzso- Originally conceived in collaboration with the artist, and finished with the help of his widow and sons, this volume provide a better understanding of the artist's essential role in shaping an alternative approach to modernism in Mexico, one that bears an important relationship to abstract expressionism in the United States and in Europe.

Procedures:

1. Use Illustration Board (or poster board) and acrylic (or tempera) to make a nonobjective painting. Use analogous, compliment, or split-complement color schemes (monochromatic could also be an option)

2. Choose the colors to be used and with quick brush strokes start a series of vertical and horizontal shapes that create a center of interest in the aesthetic center of the board (not in actual center point - think rule of thirds). Use lightest colors first going the darker values last. Vary the size of the brush strokes and overlap colors to produce more complicated areas. Eventually the painting is complete with a little acrylic over the entire surface.



3. Let the painting dry and spray with Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear to give it a shine and protect it. Put it under some weight, after moistening the back, to let it dry flat. (Acrylic Gloss Medium can carefully be rushed over surface, too - even tempera paint)

4. Using a paper cutter (or X-acto knives and rulers) cut the painting into uneven row widths with the center of interest being smaller than some of the others. Next take each row and cut it again into the same number of squares and rectangles for each row. For example each row has 7 pieces. You can vary this cutting procedure once you study some of the examples of non-objective art - you can see how Gunther Gerzso's works have a cut up look to them and sizes of shapes are varied)

5. Use colored mat board (or poster board) that goes with the paintings scheme and /or contrasts in value (black would be a safe color choice in doubt. One could also mount to corrugated card board that has been painted black to save on expense). Start at the upper right or left side and begin to use white glue to stick the shapes to the mat board. Overlap each shape and use tabs of scrap mat board to even out the pieces (note from Judy - I had a bag full of small scrap mat board shapes that I used for projects). The tabs are out of sight and rise up the end of the overlapped piece so that it is even and flat. Never go more that three layers high (From Judy: Hmmm... "Never say never"... I think this is something that you will have to experiment with on your own. You might want to go for a higher relief effect. Results could be quite interesting).

6. The results are fun, the original painting much more complexity than the original but still keeping the original compositional structure. Another way is to cut squares and reassemble them with a space between each shape (See example above).