ART STYLES

Op Art by Victor Vasarely

The 20th century exploded with lots of different styles in art, primarily due to the invention of the camera late in the 19th century. Artists realized they didn't need to spend so much time painting realistically when they could just take a photograph! We talked about 2 styles of art in 6th and 7th grade classes today; "Op Art" and "Cubism." 8th graders also discussed "Surrealism." Then, students chose a specific style they wanted to use to finish their still life drawings. Whichever style they chose, they continued to practice value gradations throughout the drawing.

Cubist art by George Braque; this style is characterized by a lot of lines dividing up the picture plane. It sometimes looks like broken glass, and sometimes it looks like a puzzle! The Cubist artists wanted to create a flat, abstract appearance to their paintings but they still used a lot of beautiful value gradations.

8th grade student Cubist drawing in progress

8th grade student Surrealism drawing in progress

Surrealism painting by Rene Magritte; the Surrealists painted in a highly realistic manner, but the result was designed to be illogical, confusing, and sometimes like a dream. 





Click here for a few of the finished drawings by our amazing middle school artists. (Facebook Album)