who needs mondrian?

When you have Joaquin. That's overdoing it a bit, but if you are looking for an alternative to good ol' Piet to introduce your students to primary colors, Joaquin Torres Garcia is an artist you should know.

His work evolved until he came to an abstract style that combined geometric shapes, a pretty minimal color palette, and symbols that represented various aspects of the human experience.

I think this incorporation of the symbol allows the younger students to identify more with Joaquin's work and the project that they make. It makes the abstraction more acceptable and/or understandable.

While introducing the classes to Joaquin's work with a powerpoint, we identify the different primary colors and geometric shapes that are present in his paintings.

1. draw out composition with pencil- horizontal, vertical lines, followed by diagonals and curved to make geometric shapes and a couple human symbols

2. trace lines with black crayon

3. add primary colors to shapes with watercolor paint

I have used this project with my kinders at the beginning of the year numerous times. It starts the year with a bright, colorful shape and line study.