Virtual Refrigerator - Gustav Klimt

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Welcome to another edition of the Virtual Refrigerator! This weekly blog hop is co-hosted by A Glimpse of Our Life, Homeschool Coffee Break, and Every Bed of Roses. We all cordially invite you to add your link sharing the art that's on your Virtual Refrigerator and then hop over to the other blogs and admire what's on their Fridges!

  

August's Art Challenge: Modern Art
During the month of August, I am sharing some short studies of a few modern artists and our projects inspired by their work. We'd be especially interested in seeing your modern art themed projects as well, so be sure to link them at the bottom of this post!

This week we're featuring an artist we were not familiar with before we started looking for ideas for this series: Gustav Klimt. I make no guarantees, but the next two weeks we are most likely featuring Alexander Calder and M.C. Escher. Not necessarily in that order. (ICYMI: Week One was Piet Mondrian) Coming up in September and October, our other Virtual Fridge hostesses will be bringing us their artist studies, so keep an eye out for more info about what they'll be sharing!

This is one of the paintings by Klimt that caught Kennady's eye when we saw it on an art teacher's blog with her description of how her students did their own beech grove paintings. For this project, we're much indebted to A Faithful Attempt and the instructions she shared.

Beech Grove I by Gustav Klimt, 1902

Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was a symbolist painter, and founder of an art movement called the Vienna Secession started in 1897. Early in his career, he painted architectural decorations, murals and friezes. Some of his artwork was sharply criticized and controversial because he featured nude figures, sometimes in sensual poses, in his allegorical and symbolic artwork. The other genre of art he was very interested in and took seriously was landscape painting. Beginning in the late 1890s, he took frequent vacations in the lake region of Attersee, and many of his landscapes were painted there. Klimt's 'Golden Phase' was better received by critics, and earned him more financial success. The works of this period featured the use of gold leaf and patterns that resembled mosaics; and are considered Art Nouveau in style. The following portrait is from this period, and incidentally, was purchased in 2006 for $135 million, the highest price ever paid for a painting.

Adele Bloch-Bauer by Gustav Klimt, 1907

You can view a large collection of his art at Olga's Gallery, but be aware that many of his paintings feature nude figures and subjects that may not be suitable for young children. For safer viewing, check out our Gustav Klimt Pinterest board, where we've also pinned ideas for art projects inspired by his style. I've pinned many of Klimt's beautiful landscapes there, so be sure to check those out.

I have the gift of neither the spoken nor the written word, especially if I have to say something about myself or my work. Whoever wants to know something about me (as an artist, the only notable thing) ought to look carefully at my pictures and try and see in them what I am and what I want to do. ~Gustav Klimt

To make her birch tree trunks, Kennady used masking tape in a couple different sizes. She pressed the sticky side against her t-shirt to pick up some of the fibers. That way when she pulled the tape off later, it was far less likely to tear the paper. Okay, so stick strips of masking tape to watercolor paper...

then paint the background with a wash of watercolors. Oranges, browns, and yellows for an autumn scene; greens for a spring or summer scene; and blues for a winter scene.

Allow the wash to dry, then dap on smudges and dots of watercolors - more oranges and yellows for autumn leaves; bright floral colors for blossoms or petals; or white and blue or lavender for falling snow. After all the paint is dry, gently peel off the tape.

Shade one side of the tree trunks grey, either with watercolors or water color pencils. And finally, using a fine brush, paint some black or grey markings on the trunks to make them look more like birch bark.

Birch Grove with Blossoms by KAT, 2015

Birch Grove in Autumn by KAT, 2015

Birch Grove in Winter by KAT, 2015

I can paint and draw. I believe this myself and a few other people say that they believe this too. But I'm not certain of whether it's true. ~Gustav Klimt

Be sure to check out SchoolhouseTeachers.com for lots of art lesson resources, including art techniques and art appreciation studies.

What's on your Virtual Fridge this week? Leave a comment, share a link, and let us know!

You can grab the button above and add it to your post. Add your link here to share your child's art or your arts and crafts how-to posts. Please visit the other blogs and admire what's on their Virtual Refrigerators!

This post is also linked to the Art in Our Homeschool Round-up on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.



This post was previously included in the Crafts and Tutorials for Everyone Round-up on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

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