Paul Klee and the planet symbols.

[Venus]

Communicating with visual symbols is basic to all disciplines. Scientists use drawn images, or symbols, to represent just about everything in the universe, from chemical elements to the planets. Artists, too, use visual elements to represent ideas and subject matter. Making the connection between science and art is just one goal of the elementary art teacher.

Linear Inspiration

A chance encounter helped me to embark on a very successful lesson integrating art and science with third-grade students. I was waiting to use the copier at school one day when a paraprofessional was running copies of a reference sheet on planet symbols for one of the third grade teachers. Scientists use these symbols to represent the nine planets in our solar system. I had never seen them before so I asked the aide for a copy. One glance at the sheet and I was reminded of the work of Paul Klee. He did not draw and paint life realistically, but went beyond the surface to get to the roots of things. He simplified and symbolized life in his artworks.

[Uranus]

[Jupiter]

Looking at Line

Line is a basic element of art. I began this third-grade lesson by asking my students to name different kinds of lines and draw their examples on the board. Following the review, we discussed line quality in the artworks of Paul Klee. Some of the visuals used were Park Near Lucerne, Legend of the Nile, and Flora on the Rocks. In these works, Klee used simple lines to symbolize trees, a boat, people, and flowers, similar to the way a child might draw these same objects. We discussed how Klee implied the idea of each object rather than painting it realistically. Then I passed out the planet symbol papers. The students were surprised to find this reference sheet in the artroom! Right away they recognized the connection between the simple line drawings of the science symbols and those of Paul Klee, which led to a discussion of other linear symbols, such as numbers and letters.

[Neptune]

The Painting Process

Now the students were ready to put into practice what they had seen and discussed. Each student was given a piece of approximately 12 x 18" (31 x 46 cm) brown kraft, or butcher, paper and a brush. Cups of black tempera paint were placed on the tables. The directions were to start with the planet symbols, then other lines and symbols could be added. Students were encouraged to turn their papers as they worked and to fill the space of the paper. Once the paintings were finished, we allowed them to dry and saved them for our next class period.

[Uranus]

Adding Color

At the beginning of the next forty-five-minute class period, we discussed Klee's use of color. In Legend of the Nile, he patterned off the background into rectangles of blues, while in Flora on the Rocks, he divided the space with organic lines and used earth tones. The tree lines in Park Near Lucerne were outlined with colors and the rest of the background space was filled in. To achieve a painterly effect without actually using paint, students used chalk that had been soaked in a sugar-water solution. (Dissolve six or eight tablespoons of sugar in a small container of water to make a thin solution and soak the chalk for about ten to fifteen minutes.) The painted black lines could be outlined with color before the background was filled in or students could section off the background, then fill it in with color. Some students chose to blend colors together at the edges.

[Saturn]

Cosmic Results

In this lesson, students got to the roots of their own art-making. They learned how to use symbols studied in the classroom to make images in the artroom. They learned, too, how both scientists and artists use the same visual language to describe life forms. The completed paintings were a dazzling array of lines and colors, each one a success story!

Resources

Partsch, Susanna. Paul Klee: 1879-1940. Bonn, Germany: Benedikt Taschen, 1993.

NATIONAL STANDARD

Students identify connections between the visual arts and other disciplines in the curriculum.

Kathy A. Miller-Hewes is an art teacher at Ridgeview Elementary School in Davenport, Florida.