Striking poses: the figure in motion."If I repeat the shape of my being enough times, will that shape be seen?"--Miriam Schapiro Moving Titles * Free Fall * Pas de Deux pas de deux (French; “step for two”) Dance for two performers. A characteristic part of classical ballet, it includes an adagio, or slow dance, by the ballerina and her partner; solo variations by the male dancer and then the ballerina; and a coda, or * High Steppin' Strutter strut v. strut·ted, strut·ting, struts v.intr. To walk with pompous bearing; swagger. v.tr. 1. To display in order to impress others. * I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can * She Flies through the Air with the Greatest of Ease These are just some of the many "moving" titles that Miriam Shapiro has given to her masterpieces. Her moving figures take on a life of their own, without the use of traditional chiaroscuro chiaroscuro (kyärōsk  `rō) [Ital.,=light and dark], term once applied to an early method of printing woodcuts from several blocks and also to works in black and white or monotone. or
muscular-skeletal correctness. It is as if the pulse of their being
emanates from the process of the art itself. Taking on the medium of
mixed-media collage collage (kəläzh`, kō–) [Fr.,=pasting], technique in art consisting of cutting and pasting natural or manufactured materials to a painted or unpainted surface—hence, a work of art in this medium. and raising it from banal reality to high art,
Schapiro infuses her work with enough art elements and design principles
to stimulate rooms full of art students at a time. Her inspiration fuels
this lesson.
Posing Figures I start out by having students model a stiff pose, and then an action pose, so that they can begin to appreciate the use of diagonals and counterpoint counterpoint, in music, the art of combining melodies each of which is independent though forming part of a homogeneous texture. The term derives from the Latin for "point against point," meaning note against note in referring to the notation of plainsong. in a moving figure. They then take turns striking poses of various expressions, such as happiness, shyness, freedom, anger, silliness, and determination. They continue practicing these dramatic poses until it is very clear to them that a figure does not just sit there posing handsomely, but rather moves through space as it attempts to express what the person inside is experiencing. One classmate models at a time, as students capture each pose as a contour line drawing. The focus is more on the organic shape of the moving silhouette silhouette (sĭl' ĕt`), outline image, especially a profile drawing solidly filled in or a cutout pasted against a lighter background. than the details. Some poses are drawn with black
marker on white paper, while others are drawn with white marker on black
paper. Make sure to have students use permanent black markers on
watercolor paper so as to be prepared for the next step of pattern
painting.
At this juncture, I like to emphasize to students the importance of demonstrating a commitment to their sketches, as they learn to select with discernment the very best of their multiple poses. They then carefully cut out all their silhouettes and select those that will be placed as part of their final collage. Younger or special-needs students can cut out simple black silhouettes of moving figures, so as to adapt to age and time constraints In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. . Dancing Patterns In the next step, students stain a large piece of watercolor paper, using the wet-on-wet technique, creating large areas of background color and experimenting with smaller areas of background pattern. Patterns are then added to some of the white figures with wet-on-dry watercolor, while patterns are added to some black figures with white paint markers A paint marker is a type of marker pen that is used to create permanent writing on a variety of surfaces from paper to metal to stone. Unlike with most permanent markers the ink is an oil-based paint and generally requires shaking before use, similar to an aerosol spray or china markers. Some areas are left blank for breathing room. Fabrics and trims of black and white patterns are then carefully selected and glued on as borders. Figures and trims are layered into a unified whole, as the mundane fabric, trim, and bandana scarves scarves n. A plural of scarf1. scarves Noun a plural of scarf1 are raised to the high art of intensely expressive mixed-media collage. See Me, Feel Me, Touch Me Through the experimental process of placing, combining, shifting, layering, and overlapping, students each manipulate their artwork into a unified whole. They discover the art elements and design principles almost by accident, as they breathe life into their finished pieces. Concluding Critique When the artworks are complete, we follow the Feldman model of art criticism for the oral critique, utilizing the following chart of elements and principles to evaluate whether these figures truly did come alive. Repetition: "Notice me!" Pattern: "Be dazzled daz·zle v. daz·zled, daz·zling, daz·zles v.tr. 1. To dim the vision of, especially to blind with intense light. 2. by me!" Contrast: "I'm different from the next guy! I want to stand out!" Movement: "I am alive!" Shape: "I am real!" (organic) Unity: "We are all friends!" (overlapping) NATIONAL STANDARDS Students select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what makes them effective or not effective in communicating ideas; and reflect upon the effectiveness of their choices. WEB LINKS www.artcritical.com/sider/SSSchapiro.htm Interview with Miriam Schapiro archivesofamericanart.si.edu/oralhist/schapi89.htm. Tracy Ellyn is an art teacher at South Miami Elementary School South Miami Elementary School is a primary school for grades kindergarten-K5 in South Miami, Florida. It offers magnet programs in art, music, dance and drama for grades 3-5. In 2005 the enrollment was 573 students. . Miami, Florida “Miami” redirects here. For the Native American tribe, see Miami tribe. Miami is a major city in southeastern Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Miami-Dade County. Miami is a gamma world city with an estimated population of 404,048. . tzivia@bellsouth.net |
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