Author: Christina Kladou

School/Organization: SPECIAL VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL AGIOU DIMITRIOU ATHENS

I decided to choose this learning scenario because it combines art and geometry. Mondrian is one of my favorite artists and the students always find his paintings interesting.

The implementation context

Mondrian and mathematics

It is a fact that many students are afraid of mathematics and especially geometry. In this context we tried to see geometry through the lens of art and specifically through the lens of an artist famous for his geometric designs. By Piet Mondrian. The learning scenario was applied to 2nd grade high school students of the   Special Vocational High School of Agios Dimitrios during the Creative Activities Zone. The students came into contact with a similar topic for the first time

The scenario was fully implemented in live teaching. We dealt with Mondrian’s paintings entitled ‘Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow’ and ‘New York I’.

Πητ Μοντριάν – Βικιπαίδεια

Composition with Red Blue and Yellow – Wikipedia

The narrative

1st teaching hour 

A Phase Duration 15 minutes

During the first teaching phase, a first reference was made to the connection between painting and geometry. Various works of painters with a similar theme are presented. The children are asked to name the geometric signs they observe on each board. Then there is a special mention of Mondrian and they are asked as an out of class assignment to go online and gather information about his life and work.

Kandinsky 

N. Eggonopoulos

Malevic

B Phase Duration 25 minutes

 In the second phase the children choose which Mondrian paintings they want to deal with. “Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow” and “New York I” were selected. Then we watch a video where the life and work of the artist is presented.

Piet Mondrian: A Life in 10 Snippets – Art History School

C Phase duration 1 teaching hour (45 minutes)

 In the third phase, the children, having procured the corresponding materials, paint one of the two paintings. At the same time, the painting lesson video inspired by Mondrian work “Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow” is shown so that they can get ideas for their own work. The children used A4 glue sticks, watercolors, markers, and rulers.

Piet Mondrian inspired Art Lesson

Piet Mondrian – Artwork & Bio of the Dutch Painter – Artchive

There are some photos of the implementation of the scenario. While the students were watching the videos and while they were drawing their paintings.

Learning outcomes

The students were able to know 

The basic geometric shapes The connection between art and mathematics The painter Mondrian and his technique. The students were excited about the process. They watched all the videos with great interest, they themselves searched for information about the painter. They responded with enthusiasm, chose the painting they would represent and brought all the necessary materials to attempt it. By using art in the educational process, math phobia is alleviated and students are given the opportunity to express themselves artistically. Additionally, they see the widespread use of mathematics in various areas of everyday life and how important a science it is.

Outcomes for the educator

Outcomes for me as a teacher

Europeana is an excellent tool for an educator. It contains a huge number of digital resources. I was impressed by the collections I discovered while browsing the portal. I would strongly suggest colleagues to venture into Europeana’s digital platform to discover a treasure trove of evidence from European cultural heritage. I admit that at first the results seem to be countless, but by using the right filters and keywords they are narrowed down significantly. Use of evidence requires caution, so always refer to the “Can I use this?” other resources that could be used:

Piccola composizione (Fantome incantato)

 Spazio totale: divergenze simultanee

Did you find this story of implementation interesting? Why don’t you read about the related learning scenario? Mondrian and Math lessons (LS-RS-344) – Teaching With Europeana created by Natalijia Budinski

Did you find this story of implementation interesting? You might also like: 

• Implementation of ‘Symmetrical ART’ (SOI-IT-192) implemented by Matteo Torre
• Forms and colors – Victor Vasarely (LS-ME-564) implemented by Mirela Giacomel

Do you want to discover more stories of implementation? Click here.

CC BY 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Lietuvos nacionalinis dailės muziejus.