Real or Not Real Tour, Part One

A better name for our Real or Not Real? tour might be Realistic or Abstract? When a work of art is realistic, it resembles, or looks like, real life. One way an artist might make abstract art is to start with something that we are familiar with and then change it in some way. Another way people use the word abstract is to describe works of art that are mostly geometric shapes, or lines, and don’t seem to show anything specific. To think about how artworks can be realistic, abstract, or both, we drew a spectrum in our journals, labeling one end with an 'R' for realistic and the other end with an 'A' for abstract. At each tour stop, we added a symbol to show where we thought that work of art should be placed on the spectrum.

Visit 2 (3rd-5th grades) Vocabulary:

realistic / realista  

abstract / abstracto 

kinetic / cinético(a) 

component / el componente  

monumental / monumental

4th grade

We began our tour by tracing and describing the lines of this sculpture. What do you think of when you look at this artwork?

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

5th grade

5th grade

This sculpture is called The Spider. How does it resemble a spider? Would you call it abstract, realistic, or somewhere in between? Alexander Calder made sculptures with curving armatures and biomorphic shapes that hung from the ceiling, also known as mobiles. This sculpture is called a stabile – basically, the artist put a mobile on a base that rests on the ground. Calder is known for making kinetic sculptures, which means they can move!

There is also an element of chance in Calder's work, since the sculptures move and he does not control how they look all the time. Who else liked working with chance?  Jean Arp, who we learned about during our last tour. Fun fact: it was Arp who suggested that Calder call his standing sculptures stabiles!

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

4th grade

5th grade

5th grade

After we added a symbol for The Spider to our spectrum, we made our own wire kinetic sculpture inspired by a living creature. As students made their sculptures, they considered what kind of creature they were making. Is it friendly? Shy? Hungry? Hyper? Gives hugs? Takes long naps? 

3rd grade

3rd grade

4th grade

5th grade

5th grade

Stay tuned for pictures of everyone's kinetic sculptures!