Animals in Art

 Today we are going to talk about two different sculptures by: Alexander Calder and Pablo Picasso  Then we are going to compare and contrast them using a Venn Diagram  Lastly we are going to make our own sculpture for our head that we can wear!

What does this sculpture look like to you? Raise your hand if it looks like a human…Raise your hand if it looks like an animal What kind of animal does it look like? A lion or maybe an ape Is it standing or sitting? It looks like it’s sitting – maybe on it’s hind legs

We will never know if this sculpture is a type of animal or not as it is actually “Untitled” – meaning it does not have a name given to it by the artist, Pablo Picasso This sculpture was given to the city of Chicago by Picasso in 1967 but Picasso never explained what it was supposed to be! Raise your hand if you have seen this piece before. It is located in downtown Chicago in front of Daley Plaza

Now let’s look at another sculpture that is located just a few blocks away from Picasso’s sculpture What does this sculpture look like to you? Raise your hand if it looks like an animal. Raise your hand if you think that this sculpture looks more abstract (Remember that abstract means the sculpture does not look like a person, place, thing, or animal in the natural world)

This sculpture is actually called “Flamingo” by Alexander Calder Does this look like a Flamingo to you? Aren’t Flamingos supposed to be pink? Well this is Calder’s version of a Flamingo! This piece was installed in Chicago 7 years after Picasso’s sculpture (1974) Raise your hand if you have you seen this downtown.

What is one thing that is similar about these pieces? Both are sculptures (art that is 3-dimensional in that it has height, width, and depth - not flat) What are two things you see that are different? Different colors One has a face and the other does not Here’s what this looks like in a Venn Diagram! Picasso’s “Untitled” Calder’s “Flamingo”

Picasso’s “Untitled” Calder’s “Flamingo” Grey Red 3-D sculpture Has a face No face Venn Diagram

Now we are going to make our own sculpture hat that resembles an animal! First you are going to watch while I demonstrate how to: Cut your paper Do a few fun paper techniques like curling, accordion folding, fringe, and crumpling Glue your pieces to your “base” hat and silently counting to 15 in order to give the glue time to stick! Pablo Picasso Alexander Calder

Now it is your turn! On your piece of paper for your animal hat put your name in the middle of the paper first. (On the side that has the lines on it) Next you will cut along the lines to the “stop dot” on the paper. Cut along all four lines but DO NOT cut past the dot or you will not be able to make a hat as it will fall apart (We will set that aside and wait for our parent volunteers to come around and help us staple our “base” together) While you are waiting to get your “base” fitted and stapled around your head, please use the other scrap paper to create the forms that will be added to your “base” – practice curling papers, making fringe, accordion folding, and crumpling to attach to your “base” after it is fitted Pablo Picasso Alexander Calder

After your parent volunteer helps fit and staple your “base”, you can decide what you want to do with the other two flaps…staple together to connect them, curl them up, make them into piggy tails, twist them – be creative! Now that you have your “base” assembled and scrap papers to attach, it’s time to create your animal - While creating your animal, remember that it can be seen on all sides so add details on the front, back, and sides While attaching your papers with glue to your “base”, put the glue on and hold the piece in place as you silently count to 15 – this will help to make sure your pieces stay on – be patient! Once you are done, think of the title of your new sculpture and why you are choosing to name it that

Let’s review – today we learned how to take a 2-D shape and turn it into a 3-D sculpture inspired by an animal! Sculpture - art that is 3-dimensional in that it has height, width, and depth - not flat Base – the bottom part of a sculpture that anchors the sculpture together Compare and contrast – looking at two or more objects to identify what is similar and what is different between the objects Venn Diagram – a visual aid used to compare and contrast two or more objects – also used in math!

Discussion questions: What is the name of your sculpture? What does it mean to be 3-D? What does similar mean? What does it mean to compare objects? What shapes do we use to make a Venn Diagram? What was your favorite part of this project? What is the name of one of the artists we talked about today? Where can we find these sculptures? Have you ever seen any other animals in art?