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Through his art, Piet Mondrian wanted to simplify life into lines and primary colors.
Mondrian’s work has bright spaces of color and quiet places of white which develop a rhythm, similar to life in which have busy times and quiet times.
What are primary colors?
How do lines create shapes?
Color Wheel: a chart with primary and secondary colors set up in a circle, with secondary colors between the primary colors.
Primary Colors: the three colors, red, yellow and blue, from which all other colors can be created by mixing.
Line: any mark made on a surface between two points.
Shape: a flat form made within joined lines.
Parallel: two lines that run next to each other without ever touching, always staying the same distance apart.
Perpendicular: two lines that meet at right angles to form the corner of a square.
Piet Mondrian: In the 1920s, Piet Mondrian began creating the definitive abstract paintings for which he is best known. He limited his palette to white, black, gray, and the three primary colors, with the composition made from thick, black horizontal and vertical lines that outlined the various rectangles of color or reserve. This simplification of the pictorial elements was essential for Mondrian's creation of a new type of abstract art, different from Cubism or Futurism. The assorted blocks of color and lines in differing widths create rhythms that ebb and flow across the surface of the canvas, echoing the varied rhythm of modern life. Mondrian’s compositions are asymmetrical, with one large dominant block of color surrounded by a balanced distribution of smaller blocks of yellow, blue, gray, and white. This style has been quoted by many artists and designers in all aspects of culture since the 1920s. Mondrian advocated pure abstraction and a pared down palette in order to express a utopian ideal of universal harmony in all of the arts. Mondrian believed that his vision of modern art would transcend divisions in culture and become a new common language based in the pure primary colors, flatness of forms, and dynamic tension in his canvases.
More information can be found on the Color Wheel Reference page.
Pre-cut black construction paper into 1 inch strips the long way (the longest size you will need for the white paper).
Using the three primary colors (red, yellow & blue) students have created geometric shapes with black strips of paper in the style of Piet Mondrian’s Composition with Red, Yellow and Blue.
If you are using crayons:
5. Have students find the primary colors in their crayon container and only pull these out.
6. Have them glue or place their black lines, creating forms like those in Mondrian’s paintings (parallel and perpendicular lines only).
7. Students can color in half of the white space with primary colors leaving white to balance out their use of color (like Mondrian).
Walk around room and talk to students about busy space and quiet space in their work. Observe if students are using the three primary colors and have created squares and rectangles with their black lines. (That is your assessment.)
If you are using colored paper:
5. Students can cut out squares and rectangles from their primary colors of paper.
6. Students glue down their squares and rectangles filling ½ of their paper with color to allow for white space for balance (like Mondrian).
7. Help them put their squares and rectangles down in a grid like fashion so that their lines will be parallel and perpendicular.
References and Attributions: "Mondrian Painting Lesson." Art Lesson: Mondrian Painting. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2017.
21st Century Thinking Skills
observing, making connections, visualizing, sequencing, comparing, contrasting, determining main idea, decision making, evaluating.
Habits of Mind
Thinking flexibly, persisting, questioning, creating, innovating, taking responsible risks, reflecting.
WA State 2017 Learning Standards
(VA:Cr1.1.K) a. Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials.
(VA:Cr2.1.K) a. Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to art-making.
(VA:Re7.2.K) a. Describe what an image represents.
(VA:Re8.1.K) a. Interpret art by identifying subject matter and describing relevant details.
Arts Integration Opportunities
Math: have students hold rulers and on command, turn rulers either horizontally, diagonally or vertically. Start slow and speed up.
Life Science: look for primary colors in nature.
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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