Fourth and fifth grade students experimented with the theory of "color encoding." It is the idea that warm colors move forward in a two dimensional composition while cool colors recede. With the technology of color separating 3D glasses, you can see the theory come to life!
Students were amazed that as long ago as the late 1800s, a radical group of artists collectively called the Post-Impressionists and selectively called Fauves, began experimenting with heavily saturated color. Henri Matisse created shockingly colorful and "loud" paintings and collages that contrasted with the softer play of colors the Impressionists had experimented with. Vassily Kandinsky experimented with color to create depth with his "color study" series. A series of geometric shapes with heavily saturated colors pitted complementary schemes against one another to achieve depth. Students wondered if Kandinsky's eyes were some how different than our own and perhaps actually saw the 3D effect we get when we wear the special glasses!
In this project, students began by sketching a "pile of donuts" and using a value scale to shade the objects thereby creating a sense of depth. Next, students were asked to create their own "pile of objects" which ranged from cats and fish to cupcakes and clouds. Then, using the scale of warm to cool colors, students created a painting that showed depth. Although the effect is diminished somewhat without the glasses, the paintings nonetheless are brilliant and eyecatching. With 3D glasses, they become magic!
To see the gallery of student work on this subject, please visit the Alice Carlson page on artsonia.com
Image above by 5th Grade student, Zoe NP
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