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Little Artist Lesson: Seurat winter artwork
Kids can benefit from learning about famous artists. The best way for them to learn about those artists and their styles is for them to get their hands creating! This is an easy lesson for them to learn about Georges Seurat and Pointillism.
Georges Seurat
Georges Seurat was born on December 2, 1859 in Paris France. He was the youngest of three children. Seurat studied art early on. When he finished his artistic training, he went to serve a year in the military. Upon his return, he resumed his art and began painting.
Seurat's Style
Georges Seurat’s most well-known painting is called “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” It is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago. It measures about ten feet wide and took two years to paint! The painting has been featured in many books, movies, and tv shows. Your kids may have even seen it on a recent episode of the Muppet Babies on Disney Junior.
Seurat believed in the science of painting with color. He felt that there was a specific way that each color worked together to create certain feelings. Georges Seurat believed that by laying down several different colors close together, the eye would combine them to create a new color.
Pointillism
Georges Seurat was the founder of a movement called Pointillism. It is a neo-impressionist painting style that uses tiny strokes of different colors. When viewed from a distance, they become blended. Seurat developed it to try to produce a more brilliant color. When these paintings are viewed up close, the viewer can see tiny strokes or “points” of color. Upon stepping further back, the viewer’s eye will blend the points of color together and the picture is revealed.
You will need...
- Blue construction paper
- White construction paper
- Paint (I used acrylic, but you could also use tempera)
- Pencil with an unused eraser
- Glue
- Scissors
Step One
I had the kids cut out the white paper to make a snowy ground. This was mostly to be a time saver. If you would like to extend the time of the project, they can easily use the paint to create a snowy ground of dots.
Step Two
Then I had the kids paint their scene. Because it is a winter scene, we stuck to snowmen and evergreens. This part works best if you place paint on a paper plate or some other surface so the kids can dip their pencil erasers into it. To get a full color, it is best to dip each time or every other time they make a dot.
Finally
To finish off, we added the snow dots. This is optional, but we felt it completed the winter scene. I like how you can see the snow dots on the white paper snow ground. It really makes it look like the snow is falling.