Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you today? I hope you're feeling really, really good.

My name is Ms. Afsal, and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson, which I am extremely pleased about.

Today, especially, I'm excited because we are looking at natural forms. Our lesson is called Natural Forms in Fine Art, and I'm so interested in nature and forms we find in nature.

So I think it's gonna be a really interesting lesson.

The lesson comes from the Unit of work Foundation Workshops.

So already we can tell that this is something quite foundational to art, is exploring natural forms. So if you are ready with some energy, enthusiasm, and creativity, let's begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can review the range of ways artists have been inspired by natural forms in art.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Natural forms and asymmetry.

What do these words mean? Well, natural forms are shapes, patterns, and structures found in the natural world.

For example, shells, plants, and bones.

And asymmetry is a lack of symmetry when two sides of something are not identical but still balanced visually.

These are our keywords, natural forms, and asymmetry.

Our lesson is called Natural Forms in Fine Art, and it consists of three learning cycles, artist spotlight: natural forms, visual deconstruction: natural forms, and personal connection in art: natural forms. It's all about natural forms. Let's begin with artist spotlight: natural forms. Why do you think natural forms can be a popular subject in art? Pause the video and share with someone.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Natural forms are often seen as beautiful, and this provides artists with endless inspiration.

Could not agree more.

So much beauty in nature.

Artists take different approaches to the techniques and themes in their work.

Some themes and techniques artists might use around natural forms in art are inspiration from natural colours, textures, and shapes, exploring asymmetry, beauty in nature.

Oh, can't get enough of that.

Abstract art informed by natural forms. Symbolism and meaning.

Artwork featuring natural forms has appeared across cultures and history.

However, the natural forms chosen often vary and hold different meanings depending on the culture.

Can you think of any natural forms that might have specific meanings? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

In different cultures, natural forms are associated with specific meanings.

An apple in Christianity is a symbol of temptation, knowledge.

and sin.

The koru, a spiral symbol in Maori culture, signifies new life, growth, and peace.

In Chinese culture, a lion, or shiahi, is a symbol of strength, bravery, good luck, and protection.

And in Mexico, marigolds are believed to guide the spirits of the deceased back to the living world.

So we can see in different cultures there are specific meanings associated to various natural forms. The same natural form can hold nuanced alternative meanings for a range of cultures.

For example, a lotus flower in ancient Egypt, this symbolises rebirth and the sun.

The flower closes at night and reopens with daylight.

In Hinduism and Buddhism in India, the lotus flower symbolises purity, enlightenment, spiritual awakening.

And in China, the lotus flower symbolises nobility, beauty, and knowledge.

Let's take a look at another natural form, which can hold meanings for a range of cultures.

So river or water.

Pause the video, and share with someone.

Do you know what river or water could mean in any particular culture? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Let's have a look.

So water is a powerful symbol in Lakota art, reflecting its essential role in Lakota culture and spirituality.

In Gurindji art, water represents life, connection to the land, and cultural heritage.

And in Japanese Shintoism, water is a symbol of purification and spiritual cleansing.

Let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? Natural forms carry the same significance and meaning across all cultures and time periods.

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

Well done, if you selected false.

And now I'd like you to say a little more about your answer.

Pause the video while you do this.

Perhaps you said something like this.

Natural forms have appeared in art across time and cultures often chosen for their varying and specific significance and symbolism within that culture.

Let's have a look at some artists exploring the symbolism of natural forms. They include Cas Holmes has used fauna in her work to explore her identity, cultural heritage, and journeys.

Kevin Gilbert uses different species of swan to examine colonial histories in his painting, "Colonising Species," 1989.

Flowers symbolise youth and fertility in Gluck's "Flora's Cloak," 1923.

The diversity of colours, textures, and shapes found in nature can lead to visually striking works of art.

Artists can create works which replicate natural forms or abstract works informed by natural forms. What natural form has inspired this work? Pause the video and share with someone.

Here's Laura.

"I think those are peppers.

The shape and colour are accurate." And Jun, "The artist has abstracted the texture to make the work visually appealing." I wonder if that's what you came up with.

Peppers.

Artists can be inspired by a single specific element like the form, colour, or texture of a natural form in their work.

Aisha is using natural forms as a stimuli with a focus on pattern.

Artists inspired by specific elements of natural forms include Magdalene Odundo creates ceramic sculptures inspired by organic forms. Brooke Lanier captures water through many different processes in her work, often focused on pattern, shape, and tone.

Abraham Mignon was known for his highly accurate paintings of flower pieces, still lives of fruit, still lives in forests.

Hiroshi Sugimoto captures the patterns created with electricity through his "Lightning Fields," 2009.

Through art, we can abstract a natural form so much that it is no longer recognisable.

So we can go from this natural form to this abstracted artwork.

How has this artist taken inspiration from the original natural form? Pause the video and share this someone.

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Perhaps you talked about inspiration taken from the shapes, the patterning, and the colour of this natural form.

Artists creating abstracted works informed by natural forms include Monya Riachi examines the properties of salt, resulting in abstracted art in "Where Bougainvillaeas Bloom Ceaselessly." Elizabeth Neel examines the strength and power of nature over humans in her abstract painting, "Swamp Dump," 2005.

and Joshua Abarbanel layers and repeats natural forms in his sculptural wooden artworks.

Artists can use natural forms to comment on important issues in societies, such as climate change.

This can be part of a social action project.

Artists can use natural forms to address important issues in the world.

"Suffocated Life," 2021 by Tapas Das comments on how plastics are infiltrating our natural environment.

Luzinterruptus' "Packaged Garden," 2018 installation combines lighting, plastic, and flowers to create a garden in response to Valencia Port's ZAL, Zona de Actividades Logisticas, Area of Logistic Activities.

Other themes and techniques artists might use are themes of decay and ethereal, social action works and climate change, land art, trade exploitation and colonialism, and highly accurate replications of natural forms. Check for understanding.

Which of the following artworks are not likely to have been inspired by natural forms, A, B, C, or D? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done if you selected B.

Burgers are perhaps not such a natural form.

And now for your first task, I would like you to select two or three artists or specific artworks and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are the artworks visually similar or different? Subject, colour, tone, shape, style, composition, and materials.

What themes, symbols, or ideas do the artworks explore? Are there any connections between them? So pause here while you have a go at this task.

So how did you get on with the task? You may have said something like this.

Here's Alex.

"Kevin Gilbert has used images of swans in conflict and colours reflecting a flag to make us think about the issue of ownership of land and colonial histories in his painting, 'Colonising Species,' 1989." "Luzinterruptus' use actual flowers, green lighting, and plastic bottles to create an installation which also shares an important issue: the negative impact human developments have on the environment." And now, we're onto our next learning cycle: Visual deconstruction: natural forms. What is the first thing you notice about this artwork? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder what you came up with.

I really noticed the lines, and the patterning, and the colour in this artwork.

Artists use various techniques to communicate in their work.

The elements of art, line tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, and texture.

They also use composition, space, and perspective.

Materials and techniques.

Imagery and subject.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following is not a common way artists communicate in their work? Is it A, choosing a subject or image that tells a story, B, selecting materials or techniques that support their message, C, recording their personal life in a diary, or, D, using texture, colour, and shape to create a mood.

Pause video while you decide.

Well done, if you came up with answer C.

Indeed recording their personal life in a diary is not a common way artists communicate in their work.

So how are the elements of art used in this work? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if you came up with these elements, lines and different thickness flow, like water or weathered rock formations.

Patterns are found in the repeated flowing lines.

Limited colour palette, but warm yellow hues catch the eye.

Texture can be found in the use of washes and bold pen marks.

The shapes and forms used are all natural and flowing, and the high contrast tone defines the work and creates emphasis.

Natural forms often use flowing, asymmetrical elements that contrast with geometric rigidity, enabling dynamic compositions.

This asymmetrical image has been edited to explore symmetry.

So here is asymmetrical.

And now we've got one line of symmetry.

And now we've got two lines of symmetry.

What is the effect of symmetry in this natural art form? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing your responses.

Why might artists manipulate asymmetry and symmetry in their natural forms art? Pause the video and share with someone.

What do you think? Let's hear some responses.

Here's Sofia.

I could use asymmetry to move the viewer's eye across the composition." And Jacob.

"Symmetry can be used as a decorative pattern on clothes, wallpapers, and art." And also, "Asymmetry can make the artwork feel more natural as a lot of natural forms are not perfectly symmetrical." Check for understanding.

"Which is the most likely reason artists use asymmetry in their art inspired by natural forms?" Is it A, to confuse the viewer and hide the subject, B, to follow strict mathematical rules in their composition, C, to make the artwork look perfect and mechanical, or D, to reflect the irregular organic forms found in nature? Pause the video while you decide.

Well done, if you selected answer D.

Indeed, it's to reflect the irregular organic forms found in nature.

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

I would like you to select one artwork and describe it by answering what can you see in this artwork? Think about the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape and form, and texture, composition, space and perspective, materials and techniques, imagery, and subject.

How has the artist used these techniques to communicate with the audience? You could record this as an idea shower around an image of an artwork or write it as a paragraph.

Pause here while you have a go at this task.

So did you get on? You may have said something like this.

Paint has been used in two ways, expressive and abstract in the background and more controlled in the foreground, creating different textures.

The main imagery is a mirrored pair of birds.

The composite composition is symmetrical with negative space, creating balance.

Cool colour palette with some warm tones, creating focus on birds.

And a wide tonal range creates a dramatic mood.

Each person notices different elements in an artwork and interprets artworks with varied ideas.

The next slide shows an alternative way to understand this work.

The use of a single line of symmetry is unsettling.

Short lines in the feathers contrast with textures in the backdrop.

Ravens representing the balance of good and evil.

This is a wasted area of composition, creating too much negative space.

The textures in the background make me think of water.

The dark tones in the feathers and beak draw my attention.

You may have selected an artwork like this and described it in the following way.

The composition is almost triangular and tall.

Uses recycled media altered into twisted elongated forms. Colours are controlled as subtle browns with flashes of red.

The looping lines form an asymmetric pattern.

Knotted lines appear like roots or twigs.

Tone is created from the strong directional lighting, casting tangled shadows.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, personal connection in art: natural forms. How can looking at an artist's work help us develop our own work? Pause the video, and discuss.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Andeep.

"Art with similar themes can develop my ideas more than techniques or imagery." "I'll look at techniques and processes, and try to apply this to my theme." "Work that has similar imagery or natural forms will be helpful even if the theme is different." Let's have a check for understanding.

When looking at an artwork for inspiration, which of the following is a useful way to respond to it? A, ignore the meaning and just choose random parts to copy, B, only pay attention to the colours and nothing else, C, take ideas from the theme technique, imagery, or a mix of them, or D, try to copy the whole artwork exactly as it looks.

Pause a video while you decide.

Well done, if you chose answer C.

Indeed, take ideas from the theme, technique, imagery, or a mix of them.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection with an artwork, such as the techniques used or themes explored.

We can identify and interpret how natural forms create deeper meanings in an artwork to examine our personal connection to the themes of the work.

We can often find links to our own themes through looking carefully at the works.

What meanings do you interpret from the natural forms represented in this work? Pause the video and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Lucas.

This work inspires my theme of growth and decay.

The dark tones and lines remind me of fungi and mould." And Laura.

"My theme is religion.

I can use natural forms which relate to narratives in different faiths and depictions of paradise." And Aisha.

"I wanted to look at floral natural forms from my grandparents' garden as part of my theme of memory." Can you think of other thematic interpretations? Pause the video, and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

And now your final task.

I would like you to select one artwork and use the questions below to consider your personal connection.

What themes, symbols, or ideas does this art explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections between them that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes, or creative decisions in this artwork inspires you? How might you use them in your own work? You could record this as an idea shower around an image of the art or write it as a paragraph.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

So how did you get on? You may have said something like this.

Theme reflections.

This links clearly with my theme of reflections as the bird is facing itself.

I like how this makes me think about the idea of reflecting on your own life and choices.

I want to explore this idea in my work, and we'll take photos of myself in profile, using different lighting.

I can then edit the photos to create a composition like this one before developing a mixed media artwork.

Love that idea.

And here's another one.

Or you may have said something like this.

The theme is family and home.

For me, this sculpture reminds me of a root system which symbolise the feeling of belonging.

It's made from newspapers and makes me think of how our family stories create links between us.

I'm also drawn to the sculptural techniques, which are delicate and brought together to make a whole.

I'll create a sculpture using a similar technique, but use family letters and recipes to create a nest symbolising home.

Such a lovely, well-thought out idea.

In our lesson, Natural Forms in Fine Art, we've covered the following.

Natural forms are often seen as beautiful, and this provides artists with endless inspiration.

Artwork featuring natural forms appears across cultures and history, often with each culture assigning its own meanings to forms. The diversity of colours, textures, and shapes found in nature can lead to visually striking works of art.

Artists can create works which replicate natural forms or abstract natural form imagery.

Artists can use natural forms to comment on important issues in society, such as climate change.

Natural forms often use flowing, asymmetrical elements that contrast geometric rigidity, enabling dynamic compositions.

Well done everyone for joining in with this lesson.

It was so wonderful to explore natural forms with you, and I loved hearing about your ideas and your inspirations.

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

Until then, stay creative.