Subscribe to My Newsletter
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter. I don’t send any spam email ever!
Easy Kids Artist Lesson: Matisse Christmas Trees
This is a fun and easy artist lesson for kids to learn about Henri Matisse. When finished, they will end up with a colorful Christmas Tree!
About the Artist
Henri Matisse was born on December 31, 1869 in France. While he was studying to be a lawyer, he took drawing classes. He then became ill and had to remain inside for an extended period of time. He spent that time painting and learned to enjoy it.
When he recovered, he decided to go to Paris to study art and learn the traditional styles. Eventually, he developed his own style by using bold colors and distorted images.
Throughout his career, Matisse created sculptures, drawings, and paintings.
Fauvism
Matisse started a movement called Fauvism. Fauve is a French word meaning “wild beasts.” The Fauvism movement was characterized by big expressions, bold colors, and erratic brushstrokes.
Matisse's Signature Style
Once again, Matisse became ill and was eventually bedridden. He could no longer paint or sculpt the way he used to. At one point, he created drawings by attaching a pencil to a long pole so he could reach the blank canvas. He began creating colored paper cut outs and he would glue them to the canvas to create his art. He drew with his scissors rather than with his pencil. This is the style Matisse is most recognized for.
The lesson
Inspired by Matisse’s cut outs, this lesson uses pieces of construction paper to create a Christmas tree scene.
The best part of this lesson is that it requires very little supplies and no prep work. All you will need is a pair of scissors, some glue, and some colored paper. The rest is up to the little artist.
The instructions are very simple. I told the kids to cut out a tree shape and paste it on their paper. Then cut out the trunk of the tree and paste that on. Next, they will use the different colored papers to create ornaments, tree toppers, and any other details they want to add to the scene. The only rule is that there should be no markings visible on the art - just the colored pieces of paper.
NOTE:
I let the kids know that in order to make the star on the tree, I did draw out a star on the yellow paper, then I cut it out. But before I glued it on the tree, I flipped the star over so that the side with the markings on it was faced down. The same technique can be done with any of the cut outs.