Henri Matisse October lesson Plan for Kindergarten Drawing with Scissors

Biographical information

Henri Matisse was born in France in 1869. His father sold seeds and grain and his mother was a dressmaker. At the age of 20 Henri was studying to be a lawyer when he became very ill. Matisse had surgery and was bedridden. Henri was very bored just lying around so his mother gave him a box of paints and brushes so he would have something to do. When he recovered he discovered that he had a new passion for art and would pursue art school.

Matisse only attended art school for a short time because he did not feel that he was being challenged. As a result, Matisse decided to open his own school and show other artists his painting techniques. Art critics thought Henri and his friends painted like "Fauves" (a French word for wild beasts) because they used bold bright and unusual colors. Critics thought the "Fauvists" would never be successful artists, but they were wrong. Henri Matisse worked on his art for over 60 years and became one of the greatest artists of all time! Throughout his lifetime, he suffered from poor health, but that never stopped him from creating art! Many pictures were painted from his sick bed so they show the inside of his room and a view of the outdoors through an open window, the rooms had patterned wallpaper, curtains, tablecloths and many everyday objects, there was so much to look at in Matisse's pictures! Matisse used rich colors and shapes and loved to paint people too. Henri was also known for trying a new style by painting paper and then cutting it out and pasting it into the painting.

Matisse was married and had three children. He loved to travel and explore other countries and often was influenced by those cultures and their folk art. He died in 1954 when he was 85!

Henri Matisse is considered the most important French artist of the 20th century, and along with Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential modernist painters of the last century. While much of Matisse’s career was focused on drawing and painting, he also worked with lithographs, sculpture and collage.

Today we are going to be focusing on his collage (paper cut outs) period. Late in Matisse’s career he became ill and was confined to a wheelchair. At this point in his life he found it difficult to continue painting and drawing like he had in the past. However, Matisse's extraordinary creativity was not dampened for long, as he began his collage period, which he later referred to as, “a second life.” Collage is the process of assembling or layering images to create a new piece of art. The images are adhered to the desired surface using a paste like material. Once the art piece is complete, a thin coat of the paste is painted over the entire surface. The paste dries clear and the artwork is preserved for years to come. Throughout this phase of Matisse’s career he continued to be inspired by nature and used vibrant colored paper cut outs to create vast gardens and other nature inspired scenes. Now that we know a little about Henri Matisse, let’s get started on a collage of our own.

Vocabulary Words Shape: In art, a shape is formed when a line meets itself and can be geometric or organic. Color: the most expressive element of art and is seen by the way light reflects off a surface. Cool Colors: reminds you of cold such as blue, purples, greens, grays. Warm Colors: reminds you of heat such as red, oranges and yellows. Collage: an artistic composition made of various materials (e.g. paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface. Design: a preplanned arrangement of shapes

Discussion Questions Here are a few questions to ask the students while showing examples of Henri Matisse’s works of art.

What is a collage? How would you describe the colors of a Matisse cutout paper artwork? What shapes has Matisse used and what ideas do you see in his shapes? How has Matisse used color? Are the colors contrasting or the same?

Here are some questions to ask the students after they have completed their project. If time allows, they can even use their own works of art to answer the following.

How did this project make them feel? How is this painting like the one we just saw? How is it different? What title would you give to this painting? Did they like creating art this way?

Basically a brief reflection on what they had created. This is designed to be a fun activity that introduces children to a new style of art.

Drawing with Scissors (Decoupage) Materials: bright colored pre-cut paper shapes, poster board, decoupage paste, sponge brushes, bowls for decoupage paste and newspapers to cover drying area.

Read – When Pigasso met Mootise by Nina Laden Play – “From Matisse to You” Songs in the Key of Art by Greg Percy Trifold board with artist examples Before getting started please ask the teacher where the artworks should dry and cover the area with newspaper. Demonstrate the lesson by following these step by step instructions, please remember to have the students put their name on the back of their paper before they get started and to roll up their sleeves.

1. Have students apply a small amount of paste to back of a colored shape and place on poster board. Once shape is placed into position, cover shape with a small amount of paste. Continue with additional shapes making a pattern or abstract picture. Shapes can be layered on top of each other to create new shapes. 2. Once all shapes have been placed, make sure that entire poster board is coated with a thin coat of paste. Volunteers may need to help with this step. 3. Let papers dry. Once dry, the artworks will have a glossy finish and can be taken home. 4. This process is called decoupage.