1st graders were introduced to the artwork and the life of the artist Keith Haring through a powerpoint presentation. Keith Haring was heavily influenced by graffiti and street art as well as the cartoons he watched when he was a young boy. He put these elements and came up with his famous figures that always told a story and implied movement. Before going any further, the topic of graffiti and street art was introduced. We discussed as a class what it means to be commissioned for outdoor murals and how that is a legal form of street art. We also discussed the illegal form of graffiti or in other words vandalism where the artist does not have permission to use the surface in which they've painted. Once this was understood, we all stood up from our chairs and ran in place, jumped up and down, danced and skipped. When I yelled "freeze!" the students would stop in the position they are in and notice where their arms and legs are in relation to their bodies. We then drew together a running man figure in our sketchbooks, colored him in and added Keith Haring's famous movement lines in black and outlined our figures in black as well. In the next class the students were given a paper that was folded into 3 columns. In those columns the students drew in their own figures, showing movement. They colored them in using craypas and outlined them in black. In the folioing class, Complementary colors were introduced. Complementary colors are colors that are opposite from each other on the color wheel and when using them together or side by side, it compliments the other or makes the other color stand out. Depending on the color they used for their figure, the students picked its compliment to paint into the background of each column. The result was a beautiful artwork, influenced by the great Keith Haring!
Learning Objectives: drawing, painting, mixed media, art history, movement
ART WORDS:
Figure: Keith Haring's "figures" had no face, expression, hair or anything to specify gender. Instead of calling them people, they are referred to as figures. A figure in art is a drawing of the human form.
Implied movement: The way an artist shows movement through technique without the picture actually moving.
Complimentary colors: colors that sit across from each other on the color wheel.
Click this link to see the powerpoint on Keith Haring:
Learning Objectives: drawing, painting, mixed media, art history, movement
ART WORDS:
Figure: Keith Haring's "figures" had no face, expression, hair or anything to specify gender. Instead of calling them people, they are referred to as figures. A figure in art is a drawing of the human form.
Implied movement: The way an artist shows movement through technique without the picture actually moving.
Complimentary colors: colors that sit across from each other on the color wheel.
Click this link to see the powerpoint on Keith Haring:

keith_haring.pptx |