Miro Miro on the Wall.

This lesson was just completed by my 5th graders. Its based on the work of Joan Miro. To begin with I demonstrated how to draw a simple 1 point perspective room. Following that we looked at a bunch of paintings from Miro's 'Constellation' series and discussed symbolism. The students were instructed to chose their own theme, which could be from memories, based on a books, or center around a theme (for example, the 'music' themed artwork below). The students then sketched out their ideas followed by re-drawing them and cutting them out from construction paper. Lastly we discussed why Miro used bold black lines throughout his constellation series and brainstormed a variety of line types they could use in their work.

Overall some students really got into the project, enjoying the freedom of being able to chose and develop their own ideas. Others, however seemed to have a hard time forming ideas for their theme and seemed almost suffocated by the freedom of it. It was interesting to watch the process unfold for each student. I liked the lesson and I love the artist, but I'm not sure my 5th graders were ready for something as open ended. Maybe next time...