Minds On
Let’s get started!
Notice and wonder
Explore the following two artworks.
- What do you notice about the shapes and forms created in the different examples?
- What is this type of art called?
L’Escargot (The Snail) by Henri Matisse, 1953
A paper collage on canvas. There is a jagged orange border around the edge. Different coloured and sized pieces of paper are glued on a light background. The pieces resemble geometric shapes with slight changes in the angles and corners of the shapes. The collage is an example of abstract art.
La Gerbe by Henri Matisse, 1953
A collage on canvas. Organic shaped cut-outs in different bold colours are glued to move up and outward from the bottom of the canvas. The size of the cut-outs are varied, some are bigger than others.
Action
Get ready, get set…
What is a collage?
The artwork that you explored in the Minds On section was by artist Henri Matisse. Later in his career, Matisse created a collection of collages. A collage can include other media, such as painting and drawing, and contain three-dimensional parts.
Collage
A form of art in which a variety of unrelated materials (e.g., photographs, fabric, found objects, digital images) are arranged on a flat background.
Did you know?
Origin of the word 'collage'
Collage comes from the French word coller, or “to glue”. The movement began with Cubist artists Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso, who worked with different mediums to create art pieces or assemblages around the year 1910.
Check out the following video entitled “Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs” to learn more about the artist’s late-period abstract collages.
Now let us access the following video entitled “Footage of Henri Matisse Making a Paper Cut Out” to explore the artist’s process of creating paper cut outs.
Matisse called his technique “painting with scissors.”
Pause and Reflect
Time to reflect
Let’s take a moment and reflect on the following questions.
- What do you think Matisse meant by “painting with scissors”? What do you notice about Matisse’s technique?
Press ‘Answer’ to learn about what Matisse meant by “painting with scissors”, and what we can notice about his technique.
Matisse was very comfortable using scissors to create shapes and designs. Instead of cutting out bits of paper and then assembling them to make shapes, he would cut out whole shapes from paper. These would be assembled, tacked on using pins, and then later glued onto a background paper.
Creating emphasis
Artists create emphasis in their work using different methods. They might contrast colour, use different types of shapes, or change the thickness of line to create a focal point, or part of the artwork that the audience notices most.
Emphasis
Special importance given to one part or element in an artwork. Emphasis directs the audience’s attention to the chosen element first. Emphasis can be created using design elements, such as contrast, colour, and size. For example, a shape can be emphasized by making it the largest.
Let’s revisit Matisse’s piece, La Gerbe, and answer the following question.
La Gerbe by Henri Matisse, 1953
A collage on canvas. Organic shaped cut-outs in different bold colours are glued to move up and outward from the bottom of the canvas. The size of the cut-outs are varied, some are bigger than others.
Pause and Reflect
Time to reflect
Let’s take a moment and reflect on the following question.
- How does Matisse create emphasis in La Gerbe?
Press ‘Answer’ to learn about how Matisse creates emphasis in La Gerbe.
Matisse creates emphasis in his work La Gerbe by using contrasting colours and using small, medium, and large cut-outs. It makes it seem that the shapes are moving out from the centre.
Explore the following image to examine how movement is created in Matisse’s work.
Go!
What is mixed media?
We have explored Matisse’s work in collage from the 1950s. Now let’s learn about Brianne Burnell! Burnell is a mixed media artist from Thunder Bay, who now lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Mixed media
An artwork in which more than one medium is used. For example, a mixed media artwork could have both paint and collage.
Brianne Burnell
Explore the following artwork by Burnell.
- What do you notice?
- Is it similar to or different from the work of Matisse?
Shift by Brianne Burnell
A multi-media abstract artwork using paint, torn and cut paper, and pencil crayon. The work uses cool colours for the majority of the piece with small pops of yellow. Thick and thin black lines are integrated in the left side of the piece, and geometric and organic shapes are integrated in the piece.
Pause and Reflect
Time to reflect
Let’s take a moment and reflect on the following questions.
- What kinds of materials does Burnell use in her work?
Press ‘Answer’ to learn about the materials Burnell uses in her work.
Burnell uses torn hand-painted paper with acrylic paint and other media to create collages. She combines different colours and shapes.
- How would you describe Burnell’s art?
Press ‘Answer’ to learn about how you could describe Burnell’s art.
Burnell’s work is abstract. She creates natural elements, like mountains, clouds, and water. That is the theme of her work.
Abstract
A modern kind of art that does not try to represent images of the real world. Abstract art is often inspired by ideas and emotions instead of real objects or living things. Abstract art can use lines, shapes, colours, and textures to share an idea or emotion.
Theme
The main idea or message of an artwork.
Explore the following artwork by Burnell. How does she create emphasis in the piece?
Blackberries by Brianne Burnell
A multi-media abstract artwork created using paint, torn paper, pencil crayon, and pastel. There is a large section that uses neutral tones. Cool colours are used in the other sections with a spot of yellow at the top of the piece.
Burnell’s process
Explore the following videos and image, which explain Burnell’s process. What are the steps you notice?
First, check out the following video of a person sifting plant pulp fibres onto a wooden screen as part of the handmade paper-making process.
Now explore the following image of craft paper made out of recycled paper.
Craft paper made out of recycled paper.
Finally, let’s check out the following video of paper being torn over a differently coloured background.
Pause and Reflect
Time to reflect
Let’s take a moment and reflect on the following questions.
- How do you think Burnell starts out to create a collage? What are the steps that she might take?
Press ‘Answer’ to learn about how Burnell starts out to create a collage and the steps she might take.
Brianne starts with paper. Recycling is a large part her artwork.
There are many layers of mixed media. Brianne also creates her own paper with natural dyes. She describes using bits of magazines, old books, and handmade paper to capture her artistic expressions in the moment.
Consolidation
Putting it all together
Creating a collage
Materials Needed
Materials you might need
Possible materials you might need for this learning activity:
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Paper
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Drawing tools
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Background
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Paint
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Student Success
Exploring digital creation options
When you are considering digital creation options, explore the variety of digital applications available!
Note to teachers: See your teacher guide for collaboration tools, ideas and suggestions.
Safety
Before you begin:
Using what you have learned about collage from Matisse and Burnell, it’s your turn to create!
Thinking about Burnell’s process and Matisse’s technique, what might you do first? Let the experimentation begin!
Option 1: Description
Create an audio or written description. Describe what kinds of materials you would use. Burnell’s work is abstract and she creates natural elements, like mountains, clouds, and water. What would you like your work to focus on?
You can use the following format for your description.
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Theme: |
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Step 1: |
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Step 2: |
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Step 3: |
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Step 4: |
Option 2: Materials
You might experiment with paper, paint, watercolour, and pencil crayons to come up with your own mixed media collage.
- What colours could you use to create your mixed media collage?
- What kinds of other materials might you use?
Possible materials you might need for this learning activity:
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Paper
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Drawing tools
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Background
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Paint
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Press the following tabs to check out the steps to create your collage.
If you are planning to use paint, you will be painting multiple backgrounds.
You can paint different sections on the same paper or use a few different pages.
You might try painting a blend of two or more colours in one area. You might also start with one colour and add white to create tints and black to create shades of that colour. A tint is a light value of a colour. A tint can be made by adding white to a colour. For example, if red is mixed with white, it creates a tint of pink. Shade is a method to create a range of darker values. One way of creating shades is to add different amounts of black to a colour. Another way to create darker values is to use shading techniques, like hatching.
If you’re using acrylic paint, you can leave some paint thick and some thin or add a bit of water to check how the texture of the paint changes on the page. Texture is an element of design. The feel, appearance, thickness, or stickiness of a surface or substance. Texture examples could be smooth, rough, furry, or soft. Texture can be the illusion of texture or real texture.
Check out the following image to explore how you can paint multiple backgrounds on different pages.
Once the backgrounds are dry, you can begin to cut and tear them up to make your masterpiece! You can also add pieces of coloured pages from magazines.
Check out the following image to explore how you can cut or tear your backgrounds once they are dry.
Rearrange your pieces and create your own beautiful collage on the background paper you have chosen.
Once the pieces are glued or in place, you can begin to draw and paint on the surface.
Remember to add emphasis to your art using colour, intensity, size, or placement of pieces of paper to create a focal point. Emphasis means when special importance is given to one part or element in an artwork. Emphasis directs the audience’s attention to the chosen element first. Emphasis can be created using design elements, such as contrast, colour, and size. For example, a shape can be emphasized by making it the largest. Focal point is the area where an audience’s attention is focused. The artist directs the audience’s attention by using a wide variety of techniques. For example, directional lines can be used to create a path for the audience’s attention to move to the focal point.
Check out the following image to explore how you can rearrange and stick the torn pieces of painted paper on a background paper of your choice. You can then draw or paint on it and create your collage.
Option 3: Digital collage
Create a digital collage using a digital application of your choice. Check out the following sample digital collage for reference.
Portfolio
Track your progress
Consider adding the answers to the following reflection questions to your art portfolio.
- What did you notice were some of the differences between the work of Matisse and Burnell?
- What kinds of messages were the artists trying to share with their audience?
- What are some of the techniques you learned from the artists explored in this learning activity?
Consider adding your collage design to your art portfolio. If possible, share your beautiful art and/or description with a partner!
Reflection
As you read through these descriptions, which sentence best describes how you are feeling about your understanding of this learning activity? Press the button that is beside this sentence.
I feel…
Now, record your ideas using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.