Rene Magritte Felted Apples

Elements of Art

Form: a three-dimensional object that has height, length, width, and depth.
Shape: a two-dimensional (flat) area enclosed by a line.

Principles of Design

Balance: a sense that the sculpture feels stable, ‘feels right’. In this case, does the figure sit upright?
Proportion: the relationship of parts to a whole or parts to one another in regard to size and placement. In this lesson, are all the body parts proportional to the figure?

Additional Vocabulary

Felting: becoming permanently matted or entangled.
Sculpture: a three-dimensional work of art.
Surrealism: the use of fantastic imagery to combine the dreamlike with the realistic levitation.
Textile:  a type of cloth or woven fabric.

Materials & Supplies

Context (History and/or Artists)

René Magritte (1898-1967) was a Belgian surrealist painter.  He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images, often depicting ordinary objects in an unusual context.  His work is known for challenging observers' preconditioned perceptions of reality. He has influenced pop, minimalist and conceptual art.

Advanced Preparation

• Weigh 1oz roving and separate into quart zip lock bags
• Fill 1 – 2 buckets with cold water and 1- 2 with hot (it will cool by the time you use it) water for rinsing the felted apples.

Discussion Points

Who was Rene Magritte?
What is surrealism?
What is wool felting?

Reflection Point (Assessment of Learning Objectives)

Students will be able to answer questions about art history learned about Magritte from the children’s books.
Students will create an apple sculpture with wool.

Instructions for Lesson

Read children’s books about Magritte to students. Observe and discuss several of Magritte’s paintings (see above). Ask open ended questions to have a group discussion about his artwork.

1. Have students dress up in a black coat and bowler hat to be photographed like the image of the man in Magritte’s painting, The Son of Man.
2. Demonstrate the wet felting process 
   a) How to roll the wool into a ball and push the ball of wool down into the toe of a stocking. 
   b) Tie off the stocking. 
   c) Pat dish soap on your hands.
   d) Then pat and rub soap all over the outside of the stocking.
   e) Pour warm water over the stocking.
   f) Start to cup and gently squeeze the stocking shaping it keeping a ball shape. 
   g) After about 3-5 minutes the wool ball can gently be taken out of the stocking. 
3. Hand out a leaf and a bag of roving to each student. 
4. Have each student write their name on the leaf for their apple and their plastic bag with the roving.
5. Have students roll their roving into a ball and start felting.
6. More soap (small dot) can be smoothed over the outside of the ball creating a soapy “skin”.
   a) Continue to rub and cup shaping into a ball or apple shape.
7. Students can rinse with warm then cold water to remove all soap in the buckets provided.
8. Squeeze dry inside a towel. 
9. Place their felted apples back into the bags with their names on them.
10. Store them open to dry overnight.
11. Glue brown pipe cleaner to be the stem of the apple and glue a green paper leaf with the student’s name on it. 
12. Display apple sculpture on top of the picture of the student in the black bowler hat and coat.    

References and Attributions

Children’s Books: Magrite’s Marvelous Hat:  D. B Johnson; René Magritte (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists): Mike Venezia. Lesson written by Elizabeth Jackson; see more about Magritte at ReneMagritte.org.

Notes for Educators

21st Century Thinking Skills
Thinking flexibly, persisting, questioning, creating, innovating, listening with empathy, taking responsible risks, observing, making connections, visualizing, sequencing, predicting, comparing/contrasting, determining main idea, finding evidence, problem solving, cause and effect, determining point of view, decision making.

WA State Learning Standards: 
(VA:Cr1.1.K) a. Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
(VA:Cr2.2.K) a. Identify safe and non-toxic art materials, tools, and equipment.
(VA:Cr2.3.K) a. Create art that represents natural and constructed environments.
(VA:Cr3.1.K) a. Explain the process of making art while creating.
(VA:Re8.1.K) a. Interpret art by identifying subject matter and describing relevant details.
(VA:Cr1.2.1) a. Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art. 
(VA:Cr2.2.1) a. Demonstrate safe and proper procedures for using materials, tools, and equipment while making art.
(VA:Cn11.1.1) a. Understand that people from different places and times have made art for a variety of reasons.
(VA:Re7.1.2) a. Perceive and describe aesthetic characteristics of one’s natural world and constructed environments.
(VA:Re8.1.2) a. Interpret art by identifying the mood suggested by a work of art and describing relevant subject matter and characteristics of form. 
(VA:Re7.2.3) a. Determine messages communicated by an image.
(VA:Re8.1.4) a. Interpret art by referring to contextual information and analyzing relevant subject matter, characteristics of form, and use of media.
(VA:Re7.2.5) a. Identify and analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery.
(VA:Cn10.1.5) a. Apply formal and conceptual vocabularies of art and design to view surroundings in new ways through art-making.
(VA:Cn11.1.5) a. Identify how art is used to inform or change beliefs, values, or behaviors of an individual or society. This happens at the 5th grade level if you discuss the purpose of surreal imagery.

Arts Integration Opportunities:
Procedural writing about the process of felting.
Spelling: Use vocabulary words at appropriate grade levels.
Community/social studies: talk about, write about how society sends messages using pictures.
Writing: what does ‘surreal’ mean?

Please note:  These lesson plans are intended for non-profit use only. Use of these plans for commercial purposes should give attribution to the Issaquah Schools Foundation and be accompanied by a nominal donation at www.isfdn.org/donate. Thank you.

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