POP ART POPS UP High School.

Mention Pop Art to high school students and you hear the words "soup cans" and "Marilyn Monroe." Students tend to have an idea of what Pop Art looks like but no real idea of what it is.

Art History

We looked at Andy Warhol's Soup Cans, Cow Wallpaper, and Marilyn Monroe and discussed their similarities. Bright colors and repeated images were the first commonalities the students noticed. They were also struck by the simplicity of the images. Having recently looked at some Cubist pieces by Picasso, the students noted the Pop Art lacked the complexity of the Cubist work.

Next, we talked about what was going on in the United States during the 1950s and 60s. They concluded that the images used in Pop Art were everyday items that reflected that era. These items were sybolic of popular culture, hence the term "Pop Art".

Art Production

First, students did a contour line drawing of an everyday object from their lives, using black felt-tip pens on a piece of photocopy paper. I asked them to consider composition and fill the entire page. I photocopied their contour line drawings and gave each student 12 copies.

Each student enhanced the photocopies in some way while making sure that all of the pieces looked good together. They could use any medium or combination of media. Students chose to paint, add patterns, or glue fabrics and interesting paper to the photocopies.

Once the students finished all 12 pieces, they chose 9 that seemed to go well together. Then, they glued the 9 pieces into a grid on a large piece of black paper. We found that in the grid the pieces looked entirely different than they looked individually.

The students, pleased with their artwork, believed the images reflected the times we all live in, an important aspect of Pop Art.

ClipCard submitted by Lisa Arthur, a high school art teacher at the American International School in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.