Lesson video

Hi, everybody.

How are you? Hope you're doing really well.

My name is Ms. Afzal.

I'll be your art teacher for today.

And today's lesson is called "Abstract art: painting using different stimuli." It comes from the unit of work Abstract painting: sustainable materials.

Let's get started with our lesson.

The outcome for today's lesson is: I can understand how artists interact with stimuli and create abstract paintings.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them one at a time.

Abstract art.

This conveys ideas or emotions without directly representing objects or scenes.

We have stimulus or stimuli, a source of inspiration or reference that sparks ideas for artwork, such as a real-life object, scene, or image.

And expressive.

This means conveying thought or feeling.

Let's be on the lookout for these keywords.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Abstract art: painting using different stimuli." It has three parts to it.

First of all, what is abstract art? Next, we'll learn about different types of stimuli, and then we will create an abstract painting from a chosen stimuli.

Let's begin with exploring what is abstract art.

Take a look at these two paintings on the screen.

Which of these paintings is showing expressive mark-making? Pause the video and share with someone nearby.

Well done if you selected this image.

This is an example of abstract art.

Abstract art does not try to show things as they look in real life.

Instead, it focuses on expressing emotions, ideas, or movement.

This is often done through expressive mark-making.

It's a really wonderful example of abstract art there.

So much to take in.

Abstract art can be inspired by stimuli like music, feelings, or nature, but the artist changes them into something new.

The focus is on how the artwork makes you feel, not what it represents.

So it's quite different to a lot of traditional art, which is more about representation.

Here's another fantastic example of abstract art.

Abstract art is expressive.

Expressive artworks use dynamic brush strokes and bold colours to communicate feelings rather than depicting reality.

I will list three keywords connected to this example of abstract art: movement, nature, and expressive.

And now it's your turn.

I'd like you to list three keywords connected to this example of abstract art.

Pause the video while you do this.

Share your keywords with someone nearby.

And remember, there's no right or wrong when looking at abstract art.

Everyone might see something different, and that's the fun part.

Aisha and Lucas are deep in conversation talking about abstract art.

Aisha has the question, "What is abstract art?" And Lucas has this answer.

"Imagine you're looking at a painting, but instead of seeing a clear picture of a person, an animal, or a landscape, you see shapes, colours, and lines that don't look like anything specific.

That's abstract art." Great answer, Lucas.

Aisha and Lucas continue talking about abstract art.

"So if the objects aren't recognisable, isn't it easy to create abstract art?" suggests Aisha.

Here's Lucas.

"Abstract art doesn't try to show things as they look in real life, but tries to express emotions or ideas or movement, and that isn't easy." Yeah, great point there, Lucas.

Sometimes people can think that, think, oh, this is really easy, but actually there's something else going on, something else that's being expressed in abstract art.

Check for understanding.

Which of these paintings is abstract art? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected A and B.

Abstract art doesn't try to show things as they look in real life, but focuses on expressing emotions, ideas, or movement.

It's time for your first task.

I'd like you to look at the artwork and discuss which emotion or feeling that you think the artwork evokes, and why.

So here are some emotions that you may be considering.

Contentment, happiness, fear, excitement, anger, sadness.

Quite a range of emotions there.

Wonder which if any of these you think this artwork is evoking? And you might want to discuss the colour, shape, contrast, movement, and space.

So pause the video here and take some time to have a good look at this artwork and then discuss which emotion or feeling you think the artwork evokes, and why.

Pause the video while you do this.

All right, it's good to be back with you.

You might have said something like this.

The shapes are dynamic and curving, which makes it feel exciting.

Overlapping lines create movement, which seems exciting.

Strong, contrasting colours create excitement.

So perhaps this is the emotion you felt was being evoked, excitement.

And remember, there's no right or wrong when looking at abstract art as there will be many different interpretations.

That's partly what's so great about abstract art.

And now we are into the next part of our lesson, learn about different types of stimuli.

Here's a question for you.

What do you think a stimulus is? Pause the video, share it with someone nearby.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder what you came up with.

Could a bunch of figs, as we can see in this image, be a kind of stimulus? Let's find out a little more.

A stimulus, or stimuli, plural, is a source of inspiration or reference that sparks ideas for artwork such as a real-life object, scene, or image.

Wonder if you came up with something like this answer.

An artist may use a range of stimuli when creating artwork.

Aisha and Lucas are deep in discussion again.

This time, they're considering what they think a stimulus is.

Here is Aisha.

"A stimulus is something that inspires an artist to create.

It can be anything that triggers ideas or emotions in their work, like music, emotions, nature, movement, colours, or shapes." Interesting.

Here's Lucas.

"Abstract artists don't always paint things as they look in real life.

Their work is often inspired by different stimuli.

I think a stimulus can be anything that sparks ideas and emotions." Great stuff.

Thanks for sharing, you two.

Artists use a variety of stimuli when creating their artwork, including visual, auditory, or tactile elements that evoke reactions.

So what we can see, hear, or touch.

Fahrelnissa Zeid used many different types of stimuli from the world around them as inspiration to start their artwork.

Rachel Jones and Mark Rothko wanted people to feel their paintings, not just look at them.

They used colour as a visual stimuli to evoke emotion in their work.

Wassily Kandinsky believed music and art were connected.

He had a condition called synesthesia, which made him see colours when he heard sounds.

He used auditory stimuli, listening to classical music and painting what it felt like.

That's a really fun activity to do, to listen to music and perhaps close your eyes and see what wants to be created.

These artworks have all been inspired by different stimuli.

One is inspired by music, one by nature, and one by emotions.

Pause the video and tell someone nearby, which one do you think has been inspired by music, by nature, by emotions? Let's take a look.

This first artwork has nature as stimuli.

The second one had emotions as stimuli.

And thirdly, music as stimuli.

Check for understanding.

Which of the following is a type of auditory stimuli? Fish, music, or flowers.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer B, music.

Music is a type of auditory stimuli as it relates to hearing and sound.

Different stimuli such as nature, emotions, and music help artists create unique and diverse artworks, rather than repeating the same themes.

By responding to multiple sources of inspiration, artists can experiment with different techniques, develop their own style, and connect with audiences in new ways.

It also keeps their creative process fresh and exciting, pushing them to think beyond what they already know.

Without varied stimuli, art could become repetitive and less expressive.

These are all examples of tactile and visual stimuli.

Diverse stimuli allows artists to explore a variety of ideas, emotions, and perspectives in their work.

What wonderfully rich examples of stimuli.

This time, Aisha's having a discussion with Izzy, and they are discussing Wassily Kandinsky's auditory stimuli.

Aisha says, "Kandinsky had synesthesia, which was a condition that made him see colours when listening to music." And Izzy, "So his stimuli was music, and he painted music in an abstract way." "His stimuli was also emotion because he painted how the music made him feel." Oh, fantastic.

So we've got a real combination there of the music and emotion.

So both of those things were stimuli for how Kandinsky painted.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to discuss the benefits of artists using different types of stimuli to inspire their work.

Answer the following questions as part of your conversation.

One, do all artists respond to the same stimuli in the same way? Two, how might an artist's personal experiences affect how they make? And three, what would happen if artists only worked from one type of stimulus? And four, what stimuli might I choose for my artwork? Oh, wow.

That one's particularly interesting.

So pause the video here and discuss your answers to these questions with someone nearby.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, it's good to be back with you.

So how did you get on with these questions? So first of all, we had, do all artists respond to the same stimuli in the same way? You may have said something like this.

Here's Aisha's answer, "Not responding to the same stimuli all the time helps artists create unique and diverse artworks rather than repeating the same themes." Great point.

Two, how might an artist's personal experiences affect how they respond? You might have said something like this.

"Kandinsky's personal experience of synesthesia encouraged him to paint how the music made him feel." Thanks for that, Lucas.

And here's question three.

What would happen if artists only worked from one type of stimulus? You may have said something like Izzy.

"Art could be less expressive and repetitive if all artists had to respond to just one type of stimuli.

I think I'm going to use stones and pebbles as my stimuli.

I collected them on holiday and they are special to me." Love that.

So stones and pebbles are what Izzy will be choosing as her stimuli.

I wonder what you shared as the stimuli that you'll work with for your next artwork.

And now onto the final part of our lesson, create an abstract painting from a chosen stimuli.

Wow.

Take a look at this abstract painting.

Pretty wonderful.

What do you think the stimulus was for this artwork? Pause the video, share with someone nearby.

I wonder what you came up with.

Possibly this.

The stimulus was the sea, and here is the abstract response to the sea.

Can you see now when it's placed beside that image of the sea, the connection between these two images? I can really see how the sea was a stimulus for this artwork.

Some artists may not paint the sea at all, but instead express how it makes them feel.

They may use abstract marks, textures, or patterns to express their response.

Yayoi Kusama looks at the world around her and notices patterns in everyday things.

Instead of drawing exactly what she sees, she changes it by adding lots of different shapes, colours, and repetition to transform it into something new.

Frank Bowling uses personal memories as a stimuli to inspire his paintings.

Jade Fadojutimi uses objects in her studio to use as her stimulus.

Izzy and Lucas are discussing how abstract artists today don't just copy directly from their stimuli.

Here's Izzy.

"Kusama might see a simple dot or a wave in nature, but she expands on it, repeating and layering it until it becomes an abstract piece of art." And Lucas.

"This shows that artists don't just copy what they see.

They use their imagination to turn reality into something unique and expressive." Check for understanding.

True or false? Artists like Kusama look at stimuli and make their artwork exactly the same as the stimuli.

Pause the video while you decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to justify your answer.

Why is that the case? Why did you choose this answer? Pause the video and give a little more explanation.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Artists don't just copy what they see.

They use their imagination to turn reality into something unique and expressive.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to create an abstract painting inspired by your chosen stimuli.

So first of all, choose your stimuli to inspire your abstract composition.

Here we can see an example.

There's the stimuli and the abstract composition.

So first of all, draw out your composition.

Use your stimulus image to select a key shape to draw using pencil, and then repeat your shape to build up the composition.

Use your imagination to change the shapes, experimenting with scale.

And experiment with pattern and mark-making inspired by your stimulus.

Plan your colour palette based on what you aim to express.

You could outline shapes using waterproof fine liner pens.

So first of all, you're going to select your key shape to draw.

Repeat the shape, and you can experiment with scale, some larger, some smaller.

Experiment with adding expressive mark-making.

And then add in your detail and pattern in response to your stimulus.

Next, prepare your watercolour palette and your paintbrush.

Add a liquid wash to your shapes using a colour palette inspired by your stimulus.

And then use your paintbrush to add colour and textures.

Look back at your stimulus.

Apply patterns or texture, reflecting what can be seen in the original stimulus.

And you can use the tip of your brush for small marks.

So just to recap, here is your task.

You're going to create an abstract painting inspired by your chosen stimuli.

You could use a fine liner to make a line drawing of your stimuli, use a medium paintbrush to make more lines and dots, add your own choice of colours with water colours, and then use mark-making techniques with your paintbrush to add detailed patterns with the bristles and tip of your brush.

And then once you're finished, reflect upon how you made your abstract art and how you responded to your stimuli.

So pause the video here while you have a go at creating your own abstract painting inspired by your chosen stimuli.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay, great to be back with you.

How did you get on with creating your abstract painting inspired by your chosen stimuli? This looks fantastic.

You may have chosen your stimuli and responded to it thoughtfully.

Used a fine liner to draw out the composition using thin lines.

Used the paintbrush to add a wash.

Added your own choice of colours.

Created expressive marks through mark-making.

And how did you get on with reflecting upon how you responded to your stimuli to create your abstract piece? Let's hear some reflections from Lucas and Izzy.

Here's Lucas.

"My abstract piece is successful because I didn't make it look exactly like my stimuli.

I used expressive marks and my imagination to express the way it made me feel." And Izzy, "I feel my abstract piece was expressive and unique because I chose a stimuli that was really interesting to me." Perhaps it was those stones that Izzy mentioned before.

In our lesson today, "Abstract art: painting using different stimuli," we've covered the following.

Abstract painting uses shapes, colours, and forms to convey emotions or ideas without aiming to represent reality.

In art, stimuli can be visual, auditory, or tactile elements that evoke reaction.

Expressive artworks use dynamic brush strokes and bold colours to communicate feelings rather than depict reality.

Well done, everyone, for having a go at exploring abstract art and then creating your own expressive artworks using your chosen stimuli.

It was great to be with you.

I'll see you at another art lesson soon.