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Mind Tweezer
4th Grade
Acrylic Painting. Clear Acetate Poem Overlay
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"Rather than setting out to paint something, I begin painting,
and, as I paint, the picture begins to
assert itself. . . . The first stage is free, unconscious.
The second stage is carefully calculated."
What is Automatism?
Automatism, or “Automatic Painting, is an two-stage artistic technique developed by a group of artists, the Surrealists, as a way to visually communicate the subconscious mind (the thoughts, ideas, dreams, & fears we are not always aware of or consciously, mindfully, thinking about).
The first stage of Automatism is similar to “doodling” with paint; the artist “empties” their mind and freely paints a variety of lines, shapes, colors, and forms. As the abstract (not-real) imagery develops, the “paint doodles” start to become something, and may resemble strange versions of things from the real world: the artist may interpret a swirl of grey & white to be a tornado; a brown half-moon shape angled downward in a mass of blue may be a sinking canoe.
In the second stage, the artist makes mindful/purposeful decisions to develop his/her interpretation of the imagery: adding value (lights & darks) to the brown half-moon shape to simulate the texture of a wooden canoe; extending the grey-white swirling tornado to encompass other objects in the painting.
What the artist “sees” in the freely painted “doodles” and how they develop these forms determines the underlying, symbolic meaning; the sinking canoe can represent friends who are “lost” and unavailable because we moved far away; the swirling tornado pulling everything into its grip can represent a force that is out of our control (war) that takes things we love away. Automatism is a “safe” way for the student-artist-military child to abstractly communicate very personal issues which affect them deeply; issues which they often are unable to or have difficulty expressing verbally.
The accompanying poem, transcribed on clear acetate, and, designed to communicate the meaning of the words, as well as, interact with the painted imagery below, guides the viewer in understanding the underlying, symbolic meaning of the abstract imagery; it also allows the student-artist to the safely communicate feelings in a way where the meaning is sometimes veiled, hidden between the lines.
(Write in Sketchbook)
STUDENT PAINTING OBJECTIVE
Create a painting using AUTOMATISM, (“Automatic Painting”), a technique developed by the Surrealists, where I empty my mind and “doodle” paint a variety of Shapes, Colors, Lines, and Forms; as my “paint doodles” start to become something—start to remind me of things from the real world, I will make conscious (thoughtful, mindful, intentional) decisions to develop these strange forms.
STUDENT POEM OBJECTIVE:
Analyze the ABSTRACT (not-real) imagery-pictures in my painting to understand what the abstract imagery is, and what it represents/stands for (i.e. the Duck represents my father because he likes to hunt ducks).
Write a poem based on this ANALYSIS which helps the viewer understand what they are looking at, and, how it represents my SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, my underlying thoughts, ideas, feelings, concerns, that are very important but that I do not always consciously think about—that I am not always aware of.
CROSS-CURRICULAR CONNECTION:
This project develops:
LANGUAGE ARTS WRITING SKILLS
& HIGHER
ORDER THINKING SKILLS
through our application of:
ANALYSIS, EVALUATION & INTERPRETATION
of imagery in order to
ADAPT &
TRANSLATE
Visual Meaning into Word/Poem Form.
(Write in Sketchbook)
ABSTRACT: Art with little or no recognizable or realistic forms from the physical world; focus on formal elements (colors, lines, or shapes); nonrepresentational: not aiming to depict (show) an object but composed with the focus on internal structure and form. (Artists often "abstract" objects by changing, simplifying, or exaggerating what they see).
AUTOMATISM:
Surrealist/artistic
technique where the artist empties the mind and allows the unconscious to
direct the work by allowing the hand to wander across the
canvas/paper/surface and drawing/painting lines, shapes and colors as they
automatically come to mind without any interference from the conscious mind.
CONSCIOUSNESS:
Awareness of surroundings: the state of being awake and aware of
what is going on around you; somebody's mind and thoughts.
JUXTAPOSE:
To place two or more things together, especially in order to suggest
a link between them or emphasize the contrast between them.
RANDOM:
Without pattern: done, chosen, or occurring without an identifiable
pattern, plan, system, or connection.
SUBCONSCIOUS:
Unconscious part of mind: mental activity not directly perceived by
the consciousness, from which memories, feelings, or thoughts can
influence behavior without realization of it.
SURREALISM:
Cultural movement/artistic style; founded in 1924 by André Breton;
represented the subconscious mind by creating fantastic imagery and
juxtaposing ideas that seem to contradict each other.
VALUE:
Lightness or darkness of a color.
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761587547/William_Baziotes.html#461547769
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William Baziotes (American 1912-1963)
Primeval Landscape
Oil on Canvas. 1953
SHORT CONSTRUCTIVE RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS:
All SCR’s
must include the following: A MINIMUM of 9-10 Sentences:
1. Topic/Introductory Sentence:
(BEGINNING); the beginning, or the topic sentence, forecasts what the paragraph
is going to be about. *
2. 7-8 Supporting Sentences: (MIDDLE);
the middle develops the idea in detail by giving specific support for it.
*
3. Concluding
Sentence: (END); the conclusion emphasizes the insight you have arrived at.
*
*
http://www.paragraphorganizer.com/
SCR: Exploration of Internal Aspects and Developing their Visual Communication
• FIGURE-GROUND RELATIONSHIP: Alternate between painting figure & ground (background).
• FORM: Develop shape into form (3D) using line and value.
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IMPASTO:
Thick application of paint in which brush strokes can be seen.
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DRYBRUSH:
A broken, scratchy effect/brush stroke produced by applying a small amount
of paint with a dry brush
to a dry support/surface.
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SCUMBLING:
A thin or broken layer of color brushed over another so that patches of the
color beneath show
through; created with a dry brush, or by removing bits of
paint with a cloth.
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SFUMATO:
"Smoky effect:" where colors blend softly into each other rather than
objects or shapes having sharp
outlines or hard edges; Italian sfumato
= shaded off; fumo = smoke; examples: Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
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SCRAFFITO:
Top layer of color is scratched to reveal a color beneath; Italian word
Sgraffire = "to scratch".
STUDENT POEM OBJECTIVE:
Analyze the ABSTRACT (not-real) imagery-pictures in my painting to understand what the abstract imagery is, and what it represents/stands for (i.e. the Duck represents my father because he likes to hunt ducks).
Write a poem based on this ANALYSIS which helps the viewer understand what they are looking at, and, how it represents my SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, my underlying thoughts, ideas, feelings, concerns, that are very important but that I do not always consciously think about—that I am not always aware of.
ACRYLIC
PAINT:
Primary Colors (Red, Yellow, Blue),
White, Black, Gold, Silver, Iridescent
Tinting Medium, Clear Acrylic Medium;
Secondary/Tertiary Colors must
be mixed.
PAPER:
24 x 36