Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling great.

My name's Miss Afsal and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling excited about that 'cause I love teaching art and also because today we are looking at something called rhythm.

Very important in art.

In fact, our lesson is called "The Principles of Art: Rhythm." And it comes from the unit of work, "The Principles of Art." So, rhythm really is something that is so essential to art.

We'll be exploring some of the theory behind this, and also, of course, we will be getting practical and getting right into creating some rhythm in our own artwork.

I hope you're feeling excited by that.

I know I am.

If you're ready with some enthusiasm and focus, let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can manipulate wire and paper to produce rhythm in a sculpture.

I think that sounds very interesting.

I hope you're feeling excited about having a go at this.

We have some keywords in our lesson today.

Let's go through them.

Rhythm and gestural.

Rhythm means the way elements like lines, shapes, or colours are arranged to create a visual beat.

And gestural is a style of art-making that captures the movement of the artist.

These are our keywords, rhythm and gestural.

Let's be on a lookout for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They'll be coming up in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called "Principles of Art: Rhythm." And this lesson has three learning cycles.

Understand rhythm in art.

Manipulate wire to produce a sculpture.

And refine your sculpture adding paper elements.

Are you ready to begin with understanding rhythm in art? Take a look at what you see on the screen here.

How might this composition be creating rhythm? Pause the video and share with someone.

I wonder what you came up with.

Let's hear from Andeep.

"Rhythm is created by repeating elements to create a visual beat." Laura and Jun are discussing rhythm in an artwork.

"Rhythm can be created through line, colour, shape, pattern, and composition." Lots of great ideas there from Laura and Jun.

"It's like a tempo or beat that I can follow with my eyes." What a great way of explaining what rhythm is.

Check for understanding.

Which elements are creating rhythm in this composition? Pause the video while you decide.

Shape and colour are repeated to create rhythm in a simple composition.

It has formed a pattern.

I wonder if you had an answer like this.

Rhythm can repeat in a regular or irregular way.

Which pattern has an irregular rhythm? Pause the video and share with someone.

We can see that this pattern has a regular rhythm with some visual beats being repeated in irregular pattern.

And this one here has an irregular rhythm.

We don't have those same repetitive beats.

Let's consider some artists that create rhythm.

Beatriz Milhazes combines shapes in playful arrangements.

The shapes in her compositions interact to create an energetic rhythm.

Pearl Alcock repeats patterns and colours.

The bright colours enhance the sense of movement and energy, making the artwork feel like a rhythmic celebration.

Brice Marden guides the viewer's eye across the canvas using soft colours and flowing lines.

The subtle variations in colours enhance the rhythm, making the paintings feel alive.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Rhythm is a visual beat created by repeating elements.

Pause the video and decide is this true or false? Well done if you selected true.

Indeed, when we repeat elements such as colours, shapes, and lines, we create a rhythm or visual beat.

Aisha and Alex are discussing how Pacita Abad has created rhythm in her work "Dancing in the Dark" in 2002.

"Abad creates rhythm through her energetic use of colourful shapes and layered patterns." "It's not just a jumble of lines and marks, each element is thoughtfully placed.

It creates a flow we can follow like a beat in music." Rhythm can create structure in an artwork and direct the viewer's gaze as they explore the piece.

Alberta Whittle combines repeated shapes and patterns that create a sense of movement in her artwork "Entanglement is More than Blood".

She incorporates different marks and lines to create energy and rhythm to guide the viewer's eyes across the composition.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Rhythm does not.

A, create a visual beat, B, guide the viewer's eyes around the composition, or C, imply texture through the use of marks and lines.

Pause the video and select which of these things rhythm does not do.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Rhythm does not imply texture through the use of marks and lines.

Instead, it creates a visual beat and guide your eyes around the artwork.

Artists sometimes create rhythm through mark-making.

Rhythmic marks help make the artwork dynamic and engaging.

Pause the video and share with someone.

Where can you see rhythmic marks in this piece of artwork? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Perhaps you talked about some of the lines that are going across the top or perhaps some of these circular shapes around the bottom left hand side, creating a sense of rhythm and beat.

Gestural marks capture the movement of the artist.

Gestural techniques like expressive brushstrokes add energy and create rhythm.

Spacing between shapes creates flow.

Some artists that use gestural marks are Jackson Pollock who's famous for his action paintings that capture dripping and pouring.

The movement of his brush and the flow of paint create a sense of rhythm.

Sam Smith frequently showcases bold, expressive brushstrokes and paint that has been splashed onto the canvas with great speed.

By varying these marks, he establishes a rhythm.

Check for understanding.

Which example shows rhythmic gestural marks? A, B, or C.

Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected C.

This is an example of sweeping gestural marks in paint.

And now, it's time for your first task.

I would like you to identify and describe the use of rhythm in an artwork.

First of all, find an artwork that displays rhythm and trace your finger to follow the movement.

Describe the rhythm the artist has created.

You could use words like gestural, fast, energetic, flowing, measured, regular, irregular.

So, pause here while you have a go at this task, identifying and describing the use of rhythm in an artwork.

All right.

It's good to be back with you.

How did you get on with identifying and describing the use of rhythm in an artwork? You might have said something like this.

"I found an artwork and followed the rhythm with my finger.

It bounced and moved around the composition.

It was energetic and felt full of movement." And now, we're onto our next learning cycle.

Manipulate wire to produce a sculpture.

When making an artwork in 3D, rhythm might apply in many directions and from all sides.

Can you follow the rhythm in this work from different angles? Pause the video while you do this.

And now, let's check for understanding.

True or false? Rhythm can be created in 3D forms. Pause the video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected true.

Rhythm can be created in 3D forms. You need to consider each and every side of the work.

In Brian Fell's sculptures, rhythm is created through the unique composition and arrangement of huge steel forms. Part of Brian Fell's art practise involves making smaller abstract 3D collages with wire.

He skillfully combines colourful cutouts and images in a playful way that leads the viewer's eye across the whole of the 3D work.

This creates a tumbling sense of movement across the work.

Let's have a check for understanding.

In Brian Fell's 3D collages, how is rhythm established? A, by using the same one shape repeatedly, B, by only using large solid materials, or C, through the playful arrangement of different shapes and materials.

Pause the video while you decide how rhythm is established in Brian Fell's 3D collages.

Well done if you selected option C.

Brian Fell arranges shapes, textures, and materials playfully to create rhythm.

In this lesson, you will need the following equipment.

Some card, wire, scissors, masking tape.

You might also use tissue paper, wool, and nylon tights.

So, pause here while you gather the equipment that you need.

Wire is a flexible material.

It can be manipulated to form a line.

We can use wire to produce a sculpture like this.

Push both ends through your cardboard base.

Tape the loose edges down.

Manipulate the wire.

Review from different angles, creating unity.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Wire is a strong and rigid material that is difficult to manipulate.

Pause the video and decide if this is true or false.

Well done if you selected false.

Wire is in fact a flexible material.

It can be manipulated to form a line.

And now, it's time for your next task.

I would like you to manipulate wire to form a rhythmic linear sculpture.

Use wire to create a linear sculpture and then review your sculpture from different angles, considering how effectively you have created rhythm.

Remember to take the sharp ends under the base.

Bend and shape the wire until you're happy with the composition of the line.

So, pause here while you have a go at this task, manipulating wire to form a rhythmic linear sculpture.

I'll see you when you're finished.

Okay.

It's great to be back with you.

How did you get on manipulating wire to form a rhythmic linear sculpture? There are many possible outcomes, but you might have created something wonderful like this by twisting and manipulating the wire to achieve the shapes you wanted.

And then, perhaps you refined the forms of the lines as you reviewed your work from different angles.

Well done for your creation.

And now, we're onto our final learning cycle.

Refine your sculpture, adding paper elements.

Rhythm can be created through repeated shapes and colours.

You can develop your linear sculpture by incorporating repetition to create rhythm.

Paper elements have been added to this sculpture to create repetition.

Pause the video and share with someone your impression of this paper sculpture with the newly added paper elements.

Thanks for sharing your responses.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Using repeated elements on your wire won't create rhythm.

Pause the video and decide is this true or false? Well done if you selected false.

You can develop your linear sculpture by incorporating repetition to create rhythm.

Paper is a versatile material that can be manipulated easily to produce a variety of shapes and forms. You can develop your linear sculpture by adding paper elements to create rhythm.

Draw simple shapes onto card and then cut the shapes through multiple layers of paper for identical copies.

Add glue to two identical shapes.

Sandwich the wire in between the glued shapes.

And for open shapes, use folded tabs to add glue.

And wrap to enclose the tab around the wire.

Why might the sculpture have used additional materials like tissue and wool? Pause the video and share with someone.

Here's Izzy.

"I wanted to create a contrast and to use more variety in the colours, lines and materials." Well done is you've really achieved that contrast.

Check for understanding.

Fill in the gap.

Paper is a versatile material that can be easily to produce a variety of shapes and forms. Pause the video while you decide which word is missing from this sentence.

Well done if you completed the sentence with the word "manipulated." You might also have said, "Paper is a versatile material that can be cut easily to produce a variety of shapes and forms." And now, it's time for your next task.

I would like you to refine your sculpture by adding repetition to create rhythm.

So first of all, add repeated paper elements to your sculpture to create rhythm.

Remember to repeat shapes and colours using paper to build rhythm.

Cut the shapes through multiple layers of paper for identical copies.

Add glue to two identical shapes and sandwich wire between them.

Use folded tabs for open shapes and add glue before wrapping around the wire.

Consider all of the angles by frequently turning your work.

And you could also experiment with wrapping other materials such as wool, tissue, or tape around your work to create variety.

So, pause here while you have a go at refining your sculpture by adding repetition to create rhythm.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So, how did you get on with refining your sculpture by adding repetition to create rhythm? As you added repeated paper elements to your sculpture to create rhythm, perhaps you created something that looks like this.

And next, I'd like you to review your work and describe how you created rhythm.

Consider: How did you choose the colour palette? What types of shapes did you select and why? How did you create repetition? How did the shape and line help you follow the rhythm? So, pause here while you now review your work and describe how you created rhythm and answer in particular, these four questions.

I'll see you when you're finished.

So, how did you get on with reviewing your work and describing how you created rhythm? You might have said something like this.

Here's Jacob.

"I chose a limited colour palette and repeated similar shapes to create a non-uniform rhythm that helped me explore the shapes visually as my eye moved from one to another." What a fantastic review there from Jacob.

And I hope you found it helpful to review your own work and describe how you created rhythm.

In our lesson "Principles of Art: Rhythm", we've covered the following.

Rhythm is created by repeating elements to create a visual tempo or beat.

Rhythm can be created through line, colour, shape, pattern, and composition.

Gestural lines can create rhythm by representing the artist's movements.

Rhythm helps guide the viewer's eye around a piece rather than settling on a particular focal point.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

I loved exploring rhythm together with you.

Finding out how we create this visual tempo or beat through line, colour, shape, and so on.

And I especially loved getting practical, creating your wire sculptures, and then taking them to the next level by adding those paper and string elements and creating even more rhythm.

You've done a great job today.

I hope you're proud of what you've created, and I certainly am.

I look forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

And in the meantime, stay creative.