Lesson 15 - Pointillism - Seurat - Van Gogh

Today we learned about an art technique known as pointillism. Pointillism is a technique whereby small, distinct dots of two or more color are applied (in one area, and throughout the paper) in patterns to form an image. This technique was pioneered by Georges-Pierre-Seurat, and Paul Signac, French post impressionists. Seurat’s famous work, “Sunday on La Grande Jatte” (1884-86) is painted entirely using the pointillism technique. Van Gogh was also known to use this technique in his work, as evidenced by his famous self-portrait, (1887

After learning about Seurat, we looked at some of his work on the web. We also talked about Van Gogh’s use of pointillism and looked at his pictures in a book. In keeping with our “fish” theme from last week, we used pictures of fish, turtles, octopi, and other sea creatures to practice our pointillism technique. The children were each given one picture and were able to use different acrylic colors to “dot” their underwater scene. By using a q-tip, they dipped it in one color and used only dots to paint their fish. They were also encouraged to use some water to dilute the paint and give it a more transparent effect.  The artists took their time and worked carefully, placing one dot of color on the paper at a time. I also encouraged the artists to go over their work with a different color when the paint dried, to make it look almost three dimensional.

I found all the children were very engaged in this exercise, some using multiple colors immediately, while others using only one color per section. In every case, the artists needed to concentrate and think about the technique as they were applying paint. Some children used their ‘dots’ sparingly on the paper, while others painted closer, creating an almost solid effect. Either way, thoughtful concentration was the key to this exercise.

When they had finished with the pointillism, they had the opportunity, if they wished, to draw a background on their paper, filling in the seascape using crayons. The children enjoyed being able to add effects to their creation using the all-familiar crayon.

 
Overall, it was a very successful lesson in pointillism. Georges-Pierre Seurat would be proud.