The ’s Studiowith Abstract Reality ART HIST RY KIDS

MARK ROTHKO: ART TEACHER A creativity-focused teaching style Mark Rothko appreciated the way children make art. He taught art to children (ages 5-13) for over 20 years! As he taught, he did everything he could to ensure that kids would have an opportunity to express their own individual creativity and he encouraged open-ended art. (This is the exact philosophy we embrace at Art History Kids!) Here are the key idea that made up Rothko’s teaching style... Idea #1: Share with your students that art is a universal language and a core means of expression– much like speaking or singing. Art is for everyone, and we are all artists! Rothko wrote: “These children have ideas, often fine ones, and Click they express them vividly and beautifully, so that they make us feel what they feel, hence their efforts are intrinsically works of art.” to read

Idea #2: Formal art lessons may hinder the child’s creativity. Invite kids to create open-ended art, and make a variety of art supplies accessible to kids. a full

Idea #3: Showing kids work in an art show promotes self-confidence. Kids can article learn a lot from presenting their work and considering the work of their peers! about Idea #4: Begin your art history explorations with modern art (rather than the Old Masters). Modern art – like Picasso, Matisse, (and even Rothko’s), is a better place to start with art education because it’s more approachable for kids com- Rothko’s pared with refined Renaissance masterpieces. teaching Idea #5: Encourage creative thinking over proficient technique. Most kids won’t end up with jobs in the arts, but that doesn’t mean the art education wasn’t style. extremely valuable. The things kids learn in art class will help them in the future – whatever their chosen profession may be! The world needs innovative problem solvers, and kids develop this skill by looking at and making art regularly.

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TEST YOUR MEMORY Let’s Play!

Print this page out twice and cut out each of the squares. Place them upside down and have fun playing Mark Rothko memory!

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THE A special place in , Texas Many of the artists we’ve studied in The Studio – including Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall – have designed spectacular churches. Rothko also created paintings for a very unique place of worship! Take a look at the Rothko Chapel in Houston Texas. Click the image to see a video tour hosted by Mark Rothko’s son.

Text taken directly from The Rothko Chapel’s website:

“The Rothko Chapel is a spiritual space, a forum for world leaders, a place for solitude and gathering. It’s an epicenter for civil rights activists, a quiet disruption, a stillness that moves. It’s a destination for the 100,000 people of all faiths who visit each year from all parts of the world. It is the home of the Óscar Romero Award.

The space contains 14 murals created by American artist Mark Rothko. , Howard Barnstone, and Eugene Aubry were the architects.

Outside, Barnett Newman’s Broken Obelisk rises above the reflecting pool on the Plaza. The sculpture is dedicated to The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose active outer life in service of social justice, informed by a deeply Click spiritual interior life, resonated with founders John and . The couple also to see the founded the nearby Menil Collection, which video offers a different sort of unique experience.”

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REVIEW

This month, we’ve learned that the most simple art can have a powerful and complex meaning. Let’s review what we know about Mark Rothko and his color field paintings.

Mark Rothko (originally Markus Yakovlev- ich Rothkowitz) was born on September 25, 1903 and he died on February 25, 1970.

His family moved from Russia to the United States when he was young.

He was friends with a group of influential artists in New York – the Abstract Expressionists.

Although his early paintings were represen- tational, he found his signature style in abstract art, first multiforms, and then later color field paintings.

His vast large-scale canvases were meant to be seen up close – Rothko recom- mended viewing them from a distance of 18 inches so that the edges of the canvas would be seen in the peripheral view and the viewer would feel engulfed by the art.

Mark Rothko explained that his art was a representation of the human experience. He Click here to see if a said, “I'm interested only in express- ing basic human emotions: tragedy, museum near you has ecstasy, doom, and so on.” Rothko’s art on display!

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NOW IT’S YOUR TURN... Now that you’ve seen The Rothko Chapel and learned how Mark Rothko thought so intentionally about his Consider this: art and how it would be seen in a space, Something to consider as you make your art... you might enjoy applying this knowledge as you create your own art. You could This is an excellent week to consider how the relation- approach this a couple of different ways: ships between things can change the way their 1. Create a set of paintings (a series) impact. You can think about the relationship of colors next that are designed to go together. to each other, or you could think about the power of scale, and how a room full of large paintings feels different 2. Sketch a place where your art from a room full of smaller works of art. would be shown in groupings. 1. Chose your concept Will you create a set of paintings? Design a space that would be dedicated to your abstract art? Or maybe you have another idea? 2. Choose your materials If you’ll be painting, think about how your art will look when it is hung together as a set. If you are designing a space, will you sketch it or build a simple scale model? 3. Create your art or design Make your paintings or design your space! 4. Share your masterpieces Post a photo in our facebook group or send them in to [email protected] so we can celebrate your creativity.

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THE ONE THING THEORY We’re going to practice doing something fun each time we finish a project. It’s called “The One Thing Theory.” It’s a good way to finish a project, because we get to think about the amazing things we learned during our activities, and choose the ONE THING that we thought was the most interesting. What one thing did you think was the most interesting this month? You can use this space to write about it...

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ARTIST QUOTE PRINT At the end of each month you’ll receive a printable quote. Print it, trim it out, and tape it up on the fridge, hang it on the wall in your creative space, or you could even frame it, and start a collection!

There is no such thing as a good painting about nothing.

MARK ROTHKO

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REFLECT AND PLAN Congratulations! Let’s celebrate all you’ve explored and discovered this month. This topic may be coming to a close, but you can re-visit and review it any time. Use this page to make a few notes for yourself about things that went well, insights your kids had, fun things they said, and other highlights of the month. Remind yourself of the things you’d like to circle back to sometime in the future.

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