Dear WMS families,
Each term we focus on a different artist.
We aim to give the children an understanding of the style of that artist so that they will be able to recognise some of their most famous works and of course to paint like an artist in their style!
At WMS we are very pleased that we incorporate so much creativity into our curriculum and that we have such well qualified staff to deliver this and to inspire your children.
Our art team is led by Miss Lorna, who studied art history, assisted by three excellent early years teachers (Miss Alex, Miss Anna and Miss Rebekah) who have fine art degrees and many years of experience.
Our WMS children love art!
We wanted to share with you some information about our chosen artist for this term.
This term we will be looking at Piet Mondrian (1872–1944).
Mondrian was a Dutch pioneer of abstract art, who developed from early landscape pictures to geometric abstract works.
Mondrian was born in Amersfoort, Utrecht, in the Netherlands. He studied painting at the Amsterdam Academy from 1892–94 and again, part-time, from 1896. Mondrian began to work in a more vividly coloured and sometimes pointillist style in 1908 (we studied Seurat at WMS last term).
Mondrian lived in Paris from 1912–14 and was influenced by Cubism, which he carried to the point of abstraction. He returned to Holland in 1914 and slowly evolved a more simplified abstract style which he called Neo-Plasticism, restricted to the three primary colours and to a grid of black vertical and horizontal lines on a white background which he is known for.
Mondrian lived in London between 1938 and 1940 and then in 1940 went to New York where he started to develop a more colourful style.
Mondrian died in New York in 1944.
We try to share some of the activities we do on Instagram. You will also read about the activities in our newsletter. Your children will hopefully also bring some lovely pieces home to you! (This will depend on which days they attend if they don’t attend full time.)
We will also have self-led discovery areas in each class as well as books, displays and pictures to look at.
If you have any books about Mondrian at home or from the library to have at home with your child, or if you would like to send these in with your child, then we would very much welcome this.
Additionally you might like to see some of Mondrian’s work at Tate Modern or Tate St Ives (if you happen to be in Cornwall!).
We hope you will enjoy learning with your child.
