Inspiration: I wanted to express the diversity of my students' personalities in a collective art project. How can we as teachers explore the qualities of the individuals we teach, as we broaden their understanding of using the language of art for expression?

This thought process began when viewing the work of Wassily Kandinsky in the Phillips Collection, Washington DC Kandinsky's Succession (oil painting -1935, 31" X 39") integrates a symbolic connection between his passion for music and artistic expression through painting.

I thought about a cooperative group project that would involve all of my classes. It started with student introspection about themselves, followed by symbolic visual interpretation, and ending with a series of large collaborative expressive artistic statements.

Problem: Students will create a small focused artistic image that symbolically represents their personal human qualities. Students will understand how they can use the language of art to make a visual connection to the work of Kandinsky and their own personal expression.

Materials:
pencil a collection of bell peppers (for the organic painting) three by five white note cards water color fine line technical markers (0.3 , 0.5) geometric drafting templates (circles, squares) plastic right angles Stonehenge Vellum (22" X 30") -- one sheet per class for the group presentation

Resources:
Art Scholastic Magazine, Kandinsky (working with shapes) -- Dec/Jan 1995-96 Kandinsky's painting Succession (Phillips Collection, Washington D. C.)

Startup Activity:
A painting base is needed before students begin the expressive project. Have students develop two water paintings, one in geometric shape and the other reflecting an organic form. The geometric painting will be a small 6-inch square to focus on maintaining visual interest, mixing, and repeating personalized color. For the organic painting, students can observe green bell peppers in class, a subject offering consistency of form yet unique individual differences. Instruct students to create a line drawing that will include the whole pepper form as well as one cut in half. They can use as many peppers as they choose. This image will fill the 12" X 18" vellum paper and can appear to run off all sides.

Students are then given basic information about the color wheel such as: the use of analogous colors, different color ranges and mixing. While working on the bell pepper images, students mix color and change the density of the media. Students have the option of using fine line black markers to enhance the form when the paintings are complete.

Process:
When the geometric and organic painting experiences are complete, the students move to the expressive symbolic process. In the first five minutes of class, students begin by creating a list in their sketchbooks of at least ten adjectives that define who they are as a person. The will be essentially confidential, because students are asked to share only one descriptive word with the rest of the group. During this sharing time, students may add another person's descriptive word to their list if they feel it applies to them. The list need not be limited to ten.

Students are then asked to symbolically translate this written language into artistic language, using qualities such as line, color, texture, form or shape. This is a symbolic interpretation and not intended for students to use literal images. Students are not permitted to use hearts, flowers, lighting bolts, question marks, etc. Students are asked: "What kinds of lines could represent you? What are the varied colors, shapes or textures best describe you? Is only one kind of visual representation in any given area enough to share your unique qualities?" Examples given: An angry or aggressive personal quality might be represented by bold lines, angular shapes, strong colors, rough textures, etc. A friendly quality might be represented by using rounded forms, soft warm colors, flowing line, smooth texture.

Students define themselves in artistic language on the same page of the sketchbooks where they have made their list. The focus is on designing a visual symbol that was representative of their human qualities. As students develop their image ask: "Does your image best represent your unique characteristics?" Students are to think and explore, varying the quality of line, shape, color mixing, and density of the color, and developing varied textures.

Water color is the media chosen for the color aspect. At this point students are encouraged to work large, combining, overlapping, repeating, and incorporating their chosen artistic language. They did not know at this point that the information developed would be reduced to a 3" X 5" card size.

When the visual thinking part was completed and before the students' designs were reduced to an unlined 3" X 5" card, the connection to Kandinsky was made. The aim was to have the student work be completely developed and not let Kandinsky influence their images. Share information about Wassily Kandinsky and his use of abstraction to present mood and music.

Students are then instructed to reduce the image from their sketchbooks to a 3" X 5" unlined card. Students then cut the image out using scissors or Exacto knives. During this time the teacher needs to prepare the large sheet of Stonehenge white vellum (22" X 30") for each class. This is done by observing the basic layout of Kandinsky's painting Succession from the Phillips Collection, Washington D. C. (Slide -1) This painting represents the musical influence seen in his work.

When finished, the students place their individual personalized images onto the large Stonehenge sheet for final presentation. Their work should be placed with consideration given to color and spatial relationships. The final visual result will include work from each student in the class.

Student choices:
composition color selection in all paintings

Evaluation:
Have students use reflective writing to respond to the following:

How does your image best symbolically represent your human qualities? Explain specifically how your use of line, color, texture, form or shape describes or defines you.

Results and Observations:
The startup activity was a good lead-in for varied use of shape, color, line, texture, and use of the media. Peppers of varying shapes and sizes worked well as students developed personalized mixed color and learned the best use of water color. It was valuable for the students to observe the unique shapes and to represent the interior form as well. Students were encouraged to enlarge the form when drawing. The geometric project focused on creating a small composition that maintained visual interest and offered additional mixed color opportunities with water color.

In the final symbolic work, the students created varied personal images that gave insight into the uniqueness of their human qualities. The class composite image reflects both the individual and the relationship to the work of Kandinsky.

The students' reflective writing added to the richness of the learning experience. Students are asked to use full sentences and paragraph structure. Though not part of the grade evaluation, this intended to give both the teacher and the students insight into what was learned and the depth of thinking involved in the process.

Time Frame:
five class periods for organic shape project four class periods for geometric shape project four class periods for symbolic image problem one class period for final critique and mounting of work (46 Min. periods)

Conclusion:
I participated in the symbolic process with my students and produced an image to go with each class. This was placed in the upper left hand corner of each class's project. I wanted to share the experience and also take the risk in each class to explain how and why I chose to define or describe myself in the artistic language selected. This was a positive addition to the overall experience.

When the final symbolic images of each student were placed with their classmates, the finished work reflected the abstract musical expression of Kandinsky. By including each student's work, the rich diversity of their personalities is seen in an overall image for each class. Each group realized both the connection with Kandinsky's work and their own as the collaborative project was completed.

National Standards:
Students reflect analytically on various interpretations as a means for understanding and evaluating works of visual art. Responses to works of visual art are correlated with various techniques for communicating meaning, ideas, attitudes, views, and intentions