AUSTRALIAN STEINER CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK The … · AUSTRALIAN STEINER CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK The Arts: VISUAL ARTS CURRICULUM Kindergarten/Foundation to Year 10 April 2015 The Australian
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Point A dot is a point which when enlarged, becomes a circle. Dots and circles represent centeredness and wholeness.(see mandalas and indigenous dot painting). Line Line expresses movement, direction, structure, and creates space. It can be used as contours to define shapes, or through shading to create tone and form. Line has expressive means to create mood e.g. curved, straight, irregular, branching, jagged, flowing. The weight of a line denotes character: sensitive or strong, smooth or rough. Shape and Form Shapes are flat and 2D; organic, geometric, regular or irregular, they express mood. e.g irregular shapes express movement, whilst regular shapes suggest stability and rest. A silhouette is a shape. Form implies 3D. In 2D, it is achieved through tone, perspective and colour, whilst in 3D it is achieved through modeling or carving. Volume and space, concave convex, inner and outer. Space and Form Space and form coexist as a unity. Sculptural form is expressed through the language of concave and convex, inner and outer movement, volume, mass and solidity. Symmetrical balance evokes feelings of stability and rest, whilst asymmetrical balance evokes dynamism and counter movement. Pictorial space is about achieving the illusion of depth on a 2D picture plane. Tone Tone is expressed in value. A tonal scale is an even graduation of tone from light to dark. A high tonal contrast and low tonal contrast is the difference between tonal values. High contrast creates interest or drama, low contrast, calm or monotony. Texture and Pattern Texture can be real (tactile) or simulated (illusion). Real texture can be created through impasto painting, collage, as well as relief/intaglio carving. Simulated effects can be achieved through drawing, photography, trompe d’oeuil, collage or pattern. 2D surface effects e.g. wood, wool, brick, metallic and reflective surfaces can be achieved through pattern, repetition and rhythm. Colour Colour creates mood, space and form. Hue (characteristic colour), intensity (strength of colour) and tone (colour value) make up the colour vocabulary. Complementary colours contrast and balance each other and are the opposite on the colour wheel; analogous colours are similar and are next to each other on the colour wheel; a colour-chord is a triad of three colours and is spaced 4 steps apart on the colour wheel.
Design Principles:
Movement and Rest Movement expresses direction and duration. Movement may be expressed through line, colour and repetition. The point or circle is movement which has come to rest. Gesture is inner movement or attitude. Colour movement is the interplay of colour perspective i.e. yellow radiates from center to periphery, green moves horizontally, vermillion advances and blue moves inwardly and recedes. Repeated or metamorphosed elements demonstrate duration and time.
Unity or wholeness is when there is a cohesive overarching idea or a unity of its parts. In the same way a conductor conducts an orchestra of single instruments to produce symphony (harmonious composition), unity in art is experienced when a single comprehensible idea unites the individual parts.
Harmony is resolution or balance. The opposite of harmony is discord or tension. Dynamic tension has an awakening effect or causes disquiet and chaos, if left unresolved.
Variety produces interest and movement or chaos and discord if in excess.
Balance and Counterbalance Balance is a principle of visual weighing so that all the elements are in balance. Symmetrical (or formal) balance mirrors around a central axis (left-right, above below or radially) whereas Counterbalance or dynamic balance is more complex and involves a higher degree of artistic sensing.
Similarity (Analogous) and Contrast Contrast creates visual dynamism; its signature awakens and focuses attention. Colour contrast is achieved through complementary opposites, tonal contrast through light and dark whilst shape contrast is achieved through variation of organic/geometric, curved straight, symmetrical and asymmetrical and size contrast. Similar or analogous colours, tones, shapes and size show least contrast and are dreamier and softer in signature.
Proportion Proportion is a principle of size/ ratio relative to the whole. Greek statues and temples and Renaissance paintings were based on the golden mean ratio 1: 1.618. Renaissance art developed laws of perspective, which mathematically correlated proportional size to pictorial space; disproportion and distortion have been used as tools to express emotionalism( see 20th Century art movements)
Pattern, Repetition and Rhythm Pattern and repetition are design principles, which bring strong cohesiveness (unity) to a work of art. The principle of metamorphosis expresses development through rhythmic time (cycle)
Wax and Clay Modelling enlivens the imagination and brings thinking into the will. Simple exercises in
coloured beeswax enable children to explore the different ways we can use our hands, how through
working harmoniously together, through the gentle coaxing of pinching and squeezing, plying and
compressing, cupping and rolling, our hands can bring about a myriad of imaginative forms: softly
spherical and rounded, solid or hollow, pointy or blunt etc. there are numerous possibilities to create birds
and nests, animals in their dens, as well as simple figures in a variety of poses. Clay, which is an earthier
medium, can best wait until Class 2, when with more variety and interest such as pottery.
It is essential for teachers to draw on the blackboard or model in front of the class how they wish the
children to go about their art. Through imitation, the children will see how the teacher captures in a few
simple strokes of colour or line, the essential gesture of the noble king, or the crafty witch. An entire
vocabulary of body gesture movement is needed to distil visually the essence or meaning of the story. A
gesture drawing is not a finished drawing, but the basis from which the child goes on, in freedom, to
develop his picture according to his own unique way.
Kindergarten
Content Description Content Elaborations
K.1. Painting: Colour Play: Experiencing colour through wet on wet painting.
Themes and motifs arise from children’s imagination inspired by stories, play activities, festivals and seasons. K.1. Wet on Wet Painting Exploring colour movement. Ensouling colour through colour stories The primary colours: citrus yellow, crimson red and ultramarine
blue produce the full spectrum of colours when mixed on damp paper.
K.2 Drawing Children express themselves freely in pictures, using a variety of art materials and techniques
K.2 Drawing K.2.1 Free Drawing exploring a variety of drawing materials and
techniques: wax crayons, wax resist, chalk
K.3 Modelling in Wax Children explore a variety of simple forms and movements
K3 Modelling in Wax K.3.1 Finger movements and modelling techniques in natural and coloured beeswax: pinching, stretching, rolling, coiling, K.3.2 Bread Dough As above but using bread dough: E.g. snails, stars, nests etc. K.3.3 Sand and mud play using modelling and moulding
1.1 Painting Children continue to explore the soul qualities of each of the primary and secondary colours; learning how to modulate colour, learning how to smoothly blend colours; and learning how to paint forms which arise out of colour.
Themes and motifs derived from Fairy, Folk and Nature stories from the Main lessons, festivals and seasons. 1.1. Painting: Colour Mood through Colour Stories 1.1.1 Primary hues: citrus yellow/crimson red/ ultramarine blue are
introduced through colour stories to personify the unique soul qualities of each colour:
e.g. “shining yellow” “warming red” “inviting blue” 1.1.2 Modulating colour (strengthening and diluting)
e.g. Light rose to crimson red, pale blue to deep blue, pale yellow to intense yellow
1.1.3 Mixing Secondary Hues Orange, Green, and Purple (see 1.1.1) 1.1.4 Analogous Colour or Transitional colours Graduating yellow through to red E.g. (yellow/ orange/ red) Yellow through to blue (yellow/ green/ blue) Red through to blue (red/ purple/ blue) 1.1.5 Complementary Colours: (opposite or contrasting colour)
Complementary colours balance and harmonize each other when placed beside each other, not mixed together. eg. blue and orange, green and red, yellow and purple.
1.1.6 Form Arising out of Colour: Introducing form/motifs without outlines; painting from the inside
out (not outside in)3, allowing the colour to suggest the form.
1.2 Drawing Children continue to imaginatively create pictures of themselves and their environment using the language of gesture, form and colour.
1.2. Drawing: Creating Pictures
1.2.1 Exploring the language of curved and straight lines and the development of forms through simple “seed” shapes.4
1.2.2 Drawing techniques: Using flats and points wax crayons for background/detail, merging
or blending colour, veiling or overlaying colours.
1.3 3D Modelling Exploring forms and motifs from nature, employing a variety of modelling techniques, using the language of form: from spherical to linear and movement to rest.
1.3 3D Modelling 1.3.1 Spheres and Hollows: Concave and convex: forming spheres and pressing hollows. E.g. nest of eggs, bowl of fruit, pod of peas etc. 1.3.2 Kidney shapes: Elongating spheres through stretching and
squeezing to explore simple animal forms. E.g. rabbit, mouse, cat, dog, bird, bear, fox etc.
1.3.3 Movement (Elongating spheres by stretching, rolling and curling) to create expressive movement: writhing snakes, stretching and napping cats, pecking birds, inquisitive mice.
3 Each form develops from a simple kernel of colour and shape, from which it “grows” into its chosen form and dimension in gradual steps, instead of being outlined and then coloured in. 4 op cit
*Themes and narratives derived from Celtic Myths and Legends, Animal Fables, Legends of Saints, Nature Stories and Indigenous Creation Myths 2.1 Painting Further developing the language of colour and colour harmony, contrast and complementary and analogous colours to express content and stories*.
2.1 Wet on Wet Watercolour Painting Introducing Golden Yellow, Vermillion Red and Prussian Blue
through imaginative colour stories. 2.1.1 Qualitative colour pairing: citrus/ golden yellow (sour and
ripe/spring and autumn), vermillion/crimson red (young and mature red), ultramarine/Prussian blue (sky and sea blue)2.1.2 Colour Perspective and Complementary opposites
Using counter change5 E.g. blue background/orange subject, then reversing orange background blue subject, exploring the effects of simple colour perspective.
2.1.3 Colour Chords: Colour Balance
Triads of 3-colour compositions explore dominance and Emphasis, colour balance and harmony. e.g. Yellow’s
Birthday6 2.1.4 The Colour Spectrum: The Rainbow or “colour continuum” Colour Transitions Merging Colour 2.1.5 Form Arising out of Colour: Simple motifs: trees, houses, animals, people, sun, moon etc. Colour perspective, red comes forward, blue recedes 2.1.6 Nature and the Four Elements: Colour mood and Gesture Fire : warmth, heat, sun, candle and fire,
Air: zephyr or light breeze, gust, wind, gale, storm Water: mist, rain and snow, waves and eddies Earth: caves, hills, valleys, mountains,
2.1.7 Warm and Cool Colours: Seasons and Festivals: 7 Developing imaginative colour-stories for Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn using warm and cool
colours and gesture E.g. The awakening seed, the trumpeting daffodil, the shy
violet, the sun loving sunflower, the sleepy Pussy Willow, the peeping gum nut etc
2.2 Drawing Children continue to narrate stories* in e.g. Main Lesson books through pictures, exploring compositions and relationships of individuals and groups
2.2. Gesture Drawing 2.2.1 Gesture Drawing Figures in movement Showing how figures and animals express actions of running,
sitting, standing, climbing, praying, horse riding, sword fighting etc. drawing from the “inside out” without outlines.
2.2.2 Narrative Drawing: Retelling the story through a sequence of pictures, emphasizing significant moments of the story and compositional placement of figures.
2.3 Wax and Clay Modelling Children create and display simple tableau/stories* in coloured wax or clay, using figures and animals in relationship.
2.3 Wax Modelling Narratives/Tableaux Relationship: The gestures of Human figures and animals to
show their relationship to one another. e.g. St Francis and the Birds/Wolf, St Brigid and the poor,
King of Ireland’s Son and the Dragon etc.
5 Counterchange is when the subject colour becomes the background colour and vice versa. 6 Placing the dominant colour in the central position and then balancing the other colours around it. Each colour has its own turn or “birthday” of being in the centre. 7 Mueller,B; Painting with Children Capter on Colour and the Seasons
Students will informally share the content and meaning of their artwork. Students experience how artworks contribute to their festivals.
Students use a variety of art forms to express themselves: creating stories out of colour (colour stories), creating informal plays and colourful dress ups, arranging tableaux of stories modelled in 3D, exploring patterns drawn and made in geometrical forms and maths.
pictures. Graduated colour washes, in accord with the rules of colour perspective, form the basis for
simple landscapes where mountains, rivers valleys, forests and plains can be gestured by vertical,
horizontal, curved and diagonal strokes, to artistic effect. Mixing the complementary colour opposites e.g.
blue and orange, green and red, yellow and purple, creates a new spectrum of tertiary colours, such as
olive greens, rust reds, cool browns and warm greys,8 creating more subtlety of expression.
The Local Geography main lesson lends itself to a study of local indigenous cultures and their art.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dot painting, with its strongly spiritual and symbolic depiction of song
lines or “maps” of special totemic significance, can be compared alongside the student’s own “map
making” and use of symbolic representations. There is also a wonderful selection of early Australian art
from artists such as McCubbin, Roberts and Streeton, which capture the mood of pioneering settlements,
inspiring students to see the valuable contribution artists make towards the understanding of our cultural
and social heritage.
The Class 4 Human Being and The Animal Kingdom Main Lesson has a strong artistic dimension,
whereby through clay modelling and painting, students live in their imaginations of the animal kingdom.
Imaginative insights are gained through a comparison of the animal’s physiology with that of the 3 fold
nature of the human being. The figure of the human being shows a unique balance of head, trunk and
limbs, which is no longer maintained in the animal. To adapt to their environment animals specialise in
their development and this study of animals in Class 4 is about capturing the essence or gesture of the
animal’s speciality. E.g. the “head” animals such as the octopus, molluscs etc., the incredible stomach
and metabolic system that characterized the cow, the mighty chest for the lion, the nimble limbs of the
horse and so on. The discussion and artistic work is more about developing an imaginative connection
with the animal kingdom and less about precise observational detail and proportion, which is more fully
gone into in Class 5. In painting it is more about seeing the animal as a unity with his environment; hence
the background colour has a similar colour to the animals and is less concerned with spatial depth or
scenery.9 Soul colour as distinct from realistic colour, speaks about the soul qualities of the animal and
less about appearance. The courage of the lion for example is conveyed not only through its gesture10
but also by the warmth of red, not applied in its pure hue, but by permeating or warming the other
colours. Blue not only creates the spatial expansion of airy realms in which the eagle lives, but also an
inner space, which alludes to the element of thinking.
8 Tints and tones using black and white are not used until the high school. Mixing is done on the page. 9 Franz Marc A painter poet from the German Blaue Reiter group
10 The gesture is captured in a few essential strokes.
Themes and motifs derived from the Hebrew stories, Epic of Gilgamesh, Farming and House Building Main Lessons, Seasons and festivals 3.1 Painting: Exploring dominant colour moods; developing pictorial space through simple skills and techniques.
3.1 Wet on Wet Painting 3.1.1 Establishing Dominant Colour Mood ( example from the
Creation Story of Genesis) Day 1: Let there be Light. Day 2: And God created the sky. Day 3:Separation of the waters and the earth Day 4: Creation of Day and Night Day 5: Creation of fish/birds Day 6: Creation of animals and man 3.1.2 Colour Balance Colour exercises continue to explore colour balance through
complementary opposites continued. 3.1.3 Painting Techniques The foreground and background: how to create pictorial space
by graduated colour washes using 2 colours How to add detail Positive and Negative space. Scale (size denotes importance)
3.3 Drawing Introducing pictorial skills to show depth, such as atmospheric and colour perspective.
3.3 Drawing 3.3.1 Gesture Drawing: House Building and Farming: Bricklaying, hammering, sawing, building, ploughing, sowing
and reaping (fruit picking, hay making,) milking, churning butter, etc.
Frontal, three quarter and profile gestures 3.3.2 Drawing techniques include grading and mixing colour tone
through layering or veiling techniques (density not pressure) Using short and long overlapping strokes. 3.3.3 Depth, Compositional Space and Scale Depth through scale: Larger in the foreground (emphasis) Smaller in the distance. 3.3.4 Overlapping shapes and figures
3.4 Clay Modelling and Construction Introducing ceramic hand building techniques of pinch, coiling and slab methods to explore a variety of housing styles from around the world.
3.4 Clay Modelling and Construction 3.4.1 Houses around the World using a variety of mixed media materials and methods: including bark, clay, adobe, mud
brick, pise, stone, timber, bricks etc. 3.4.2 Figurative Modelling Narrative themes from the Hebrew stories are explored in wax
or clay. E.g. Noah’s Ark, Moses in the Bulrushes, David and Goliath, Joseph in Egypt etc. in group compositions or tableaux. Small group projects.
* Themes and motifs taken from the Class 4 Norse Mythology, Man and Animal Main Lessons and Local Geography including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art forms. 4.1 Painting Exploring and understanding how in the world and in story content*, light and darkness are expressed in colour; colour’s relationship to time and mood i.e. “young” colour (ascending) and “old” colour (descending), warm and cool colours, and space creating quality of colour in their artworks (atmospheric perspective).
4.1. Painting 4.1.1 Colour Mood:11 Interweaving colour transitions from Ascending colour scale (Becoming) and Descending (Dying away) Colour scale using short brush strokes. Polarities of light (yellow) and darkness (blues) Exploring colour mood of Nordic Gods: Asgard, Midgard, Jotunheim etc. 4.1.2 Colour Mood and Gesture in the landscape see Local Geography Main Lesson Topic Mountains, hills valleys, forests, pastoral Mixing brown using complementary opposites 4.1.3 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dot painting Symbolic
nature of indigenous art using acrylic on bark/canvas/ paper. 4,1.4 The Human Being and The Animal Kingdom:
Soul Colour /Gesture: Warm and Cool Colours (2 & 3 colour composition12 e.g. hibernating bear (cool colours) active foraging bear (warm colours) 4.1.5 Set and Mural painting skills and techniques include:
Colour Mood, Atmospheric perspective, Scale and Proportion
4.2 Drawing Drawing using gesture and the nature of symbolic art* such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and the Nordic runes
4.2 Drawing 4.2.1 Form Drawing motifs using symbolic Art forms E.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander,, Nordic Runes, 4.2.2 The Human Being and The Animal Kingdom Gesture Drawing 4.2.3 Gesture Drawing: Activities of pioneering days: Droving, gold fossicking and mining, forestry etc. Refer to early Colonial Australian Painting in relation to Local Area Topic and Camp
4.3 Modelling Identifying, modelling and presenting, the essential gestures of animal forms* and its relationship to the 3 fold human being in wax or clay.
4.3 Clay Modelling 4.3.1 The Human Being and The Animal Kingdoms Single and group compositions 4.3.2 Clay Tablets using Bas relief E.g. Nordic themes (runes)
interweaving knot and labyrinth motifs
11 Mueller Painting with children Moods of Nature 12 See German Expressionist painter C20th Paul Klee for examples of animals in their environment
Students will be able to distinguish between symbolic and representational art; how symbolic conventions are used to convey meaning e.g. map making and aboriginal and runic art in their own and others’ artworks.
Students will be able to work collaboratively in group projects which require planning and communication such as stage sets and props. They use colour mood, colour transitions and scale, gesture, form motifs and atmospheric perspective in expressing artistic content.
5.0 Themes and Motifs taken from Ancient Myths & Legends: India, Persia, Egypt, Babylonia, Chaldea, Greece and also the Botany Topic 5.1 Colour and Painting Striving to create a more complex colour palette with interweaving colour, more subtle in variation and more balanced in colour harmony. 5.2 Drawings Exploring a variety of drawing and sketching methods and media to develop creative thinking and expression. 5.3 Modelling Sculpting and Hand building Exploring 3D through modelling, sculpting and hand building through themes such as such as temples, figurines, pinch and coil pottery using various materials and techniques, such as clay, soft stone carving and cardboard construction, paper maché, whilst striving for balance beauty and ideal proportion.
5.1 Painting 5.1.1 Archetypal Plant studies in colour (wet on wet) 5.1.2 Individual plant studies: E.g. Lily, Rose 5.1.3 Trees and their Gestures: For example: Eucalypt (airy, branching), Willow, (watery, weeping) Poplar (vertical, sentinel) Oak (expansive, protective) Birch (airy, weeping) 5.1.4 Botanical Notebook Studies: the sketch (plein air) Plants & Insects (Box watercolour) 5.1.5 Man and Animal studies in colour and gesture continued: 5.1.6 Interweaving colour exercises Using rhythmic short brushstrokes of similar colour tones to
modulate from light to dark 5.1.7 Plant pigments14 5.2 Drawings 5.2.1 Observational drawing and quick sketching from nature
exploring a variety of media and techniques using tonal shading, textural effects, mono and relief printing, brush, pen and ink line drawings, soft pastel, wax resist, stencils, etc.
5.2.2 Colour Veiling: Media include tissue paper, wax block crayon using themes of light and darkness and perspective such as trees and flowers
5.2.3 Silhouettes: Greek Circular and band motifs figures, animals and plants (Sgraffito technique) 5.3 Modelling, Sculpting, Hand Building 5.3.1. The Figure can be explored in a variety of ways: Relief
Sculpture, Block Sculpture, Seated and supported Standing Figures, with the aim to achieve a balanced free
standing figure such as that achieved in the Classical period of Greek sculpture with the “S-curve” or contrapposto. The Olympian ideal of the human figure as athlete can be seen in the Discus and Javelin Thrower.
5.3.2 Temple Architecture: Examples of the Indian Stupa, Persian Ziggurat, Egyptian pyramid, Greek temple with its 3 aspects of pediment, column and stylobate as well as the Doric Ionic and Corinthian order can be explored in a simple way through clay modelling or carving of poured plaster blocks.
5.3.3 Terracotta Hand built Pottery Pinch and coil methods are sufficient for a Greek urn to be
made and fired either by individuals or as group project. Balance, levity, proportion, function, form and beauty reaches its climax in Greek Vase art. Applying slip and using hand painted or sgraffito decorative geometric patterns and forms produce effective results.
14 Plant pigments (powder) are mixed with water and applied in washes. The colours are generally less vibrant but subtler in intensity.
6.0 *Themes and motifs taken from the Roman epoch/The Aeneid, Australian Explorers and Colonisation, Geology, Physics, Astronomy and Geometry. (including Australian Indigenous peoples and their representation of views through art) 6.1.Painting Exploring colour mood through becoming and dying away colour schemes, light and darkness through colour (veiling) and space (colour and atmospheric perspective), through a series of exercises and related themes*. Compare artistic style features used to communicate meaning including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks and those of early European painters in the colony. 6.2 Drawing Drawing from the years themes* and their different content and exploring how these are represented e.g. light falls upon objects and the shadows which are cast. Drawing forms and objects in 3D through the modelling effects of tonal light and dark.
6.1 Painting 6.1.1 Colour Mood 15(wet on wet) These can be done in pairs over the course of the year Sunrise/ sunset Moonrise/moonset Seasonal moods 6.1.2 Veil Painting I Preliminary Studies 16 Colour translucency and density from light to dark can be
undertaken as a series of small watercolour studies (A5) without subject matter, exploring colour tone monochromatically and polychromatically in warm and cool colours
6.1.3 The Australian Landscape: Atmospheric Perspective (wet on wet) See Australian Explorers Main Lesson also the Australian Desert Landscape painters such as
Albert Namitjira 6.1.4 Experience Indigenous art styles, painting on bark, rock
carvings 6.1.5 Understanding Colour (see Physics Main lesson) Goethe’s colour, colour wheel, primary, secondary and
tertiary colours, analogous and complementary colours. 6.1.6 Displays for Open day, parent teacher evenings. Class presentations and tutorials enable students to talk
about how they developed their artistic ideas to reach their final outcomes.
6.2 Drawing 3D Form 6.2.1 Simple Projection and Shadow Drawing17 A series of drawing exercises in graphite and/or
charcoal exploring the tonal effects of light falling upon different surfaces such as spherical, cylindrical, conical and cuboid and the various shadows they cast.
How the intensity of light determines the intensity of shadows (high and low tonal contrast)
How the angle of incidence of the light source determines the length of shadows
How shadows overlap and how shadows project onto various curved or planar surfaces.
Visualizing the interpenetration of two forms as well as the shapes created when objects are truncated at various angles.
Spatial arrangements of 3D objects on a 2D surface includes the skill of overlapping forms to create spatial depth.
7 Step Tonal scale Drawing methods include a variety of shading techniques
such as hatching, smudging, tonal washes and white conté on black paper.
6.2.2 The Human Figure Establishing proportions of head trunk and limbs of child and
adult Looking at various gestures: standing, seated and moving
figures working in softly shaded silhouettes
15 See Steiner’s training sketches 16 See year 7 for Veiling II 17 Done in conjunction with the physics main lesson
6.3 Modelling/Construction Continuing to develop greater realism and expression in figures and facial features. Modelling from the years themes* including Architectural modelling of Roman buildings and civic works to explore representation of content themes and planning meaningful display.
wash etc. 6.2.3 The Face: Frontal and Profile Relationship of facial proportions to chronological age Profile and frontal proportion and expression The silhouette profile. 6.3 Modelling, Ceramic Hand building, Cardboard Construction, Mosaic 6.3.1 Towards Realism Proportion and Expression (see 6.2.2) Figurative themes from Roman epoch in single or group
compositions may include gods/goddesses, the Caesars, centurions, or individuals such as Hannibal, Cleopatra, Romulus and Remus, with attention to Roman features and dress etc. and/or contrast European explorers with Australian Indigenous peoples etc.,
6.3.2 Ceramic Hand building and Cardboard Construction: e.g. arch, aqueduct, barrel arch, triumphal arch, cupola, Pantheon, Tuscan and Composite capitals,
Bas relief (Trajan’s Column), Caryatids, Colosseum, catacombs etc.
6.3.3 Mosaic Pictures Reference to Roman/Early Christian/Byzantine mosaics such
as Roman geometric form motifs and Early Christian symbols
6.3.4 Construction for Class Displays or Class Play sets / production- created to portray content themes e.g Roman History.
Students will be able to identify artworks made from various cultural epochs and comment upon their artistic style and conventions. They will learn how to express themselves using similar conventions in their own artwork and discuss their work using the appropriate art language. They will develop a variety of ways to express their feelings and ideas about various cultures such as Roman, European and Indigenous cultures.
Students will learn how to create their own works of art and develop the skills to express particular moods and meanings. They will continue to develop their skills as well as learning new ones in both 2D and 3D. Through Class Plays students will learn about the effects of sets, props and lighting to communicate mood and meaning through artworks.
Year 7 offers a wealth of stories and imagery to inspire students artistically. The timeless legends of
Arthurian knights and their Grail quests, stories of courtly love and troubadours, monks illuminating
manuscripts in their isolated cells, crusades to the Holy Lands, the rise of Islam etc. provide a rich palette
of examples of art and architecture, many of which were inspired by a religious devotion and giving
expression to a timeless beauty, enduring to this day. Students will come to appreciate the painstaking
efforts of icon painters, the intricately carved sculptures of stonemasons, the master artisans responsible
for the coloured stained glass windows through which the transient light bathes the soaring interiors of
cathedrals with the wisdom teachings of the Church. When engaged with artistic tasks of their own, such
as veil painting and intricate design work of stained glass windows, students will gain a sense of the
same degree of concentration and mood needed to bring about something artistic and worthwhile.
Year 7 and 8 students show an increasing desire to draw naturalistically, to make objects appear solid
and conform to the relative scale and perspective of the picture space. To understand how figures appear
lifelike and facial features expressive, is to learn how tonal shading, models the musculature in soft
transitions of light and dark. The Year 7 year corresponds to the late Middle Ages when the painter
Giotto, broke with the traditional flat linearism of Byzantine icons (with their gold backgrounds and
otherworldly piety) introducing the first blue sky, solid figures and an interest in nature and worldly things
and as teachers we can follow this cue. The more adventurous spirit of Year 8 demands greater
challenges in drawing. Reflective surfaces, optical illusions, complex machinery and inventions meet their
new found confidence and curiosity.
During the Renaissance, the expression of rational order and harmony of proportion was considered to
be the ultimate ideal of beauty. Replicating Nature was not enough. It had to be improved upon by
imposing order and ideal proportion. The Sistine Ceiling, School of Athens and the Last Supper, lift
humankind to new heights of a moral imagination, where the conception and attainment of these lofty
ideals is, with artistic genius, made possible.
The teaching of the Visual Design elements in Year 7 and Design principles in Year 8, introduces
students to the universal Language of Art through a number of short exercises and projects. This is
followed up in the Study of Art Main Lessons in Year 9 where students will be able to view works of art
and participate in discussions as to what makes a particular painting or sculpture beautiful or good.
During Year 8, the interest in and depiction of the outer world reaches a new level, as drawing becomes
the means by which ideas are visualized and recorded. Artist’s notebooks such as Leonardo’s, show
analytical sketches of human anatomy, inventions, water vortices and clouds etc. not only what things
look like, but how things work. Year 8 students engage with drawing as an extension of their thinking and
quest for knowledge. The structural components of modern age machinery (see the Industrial Revolution
Main Lesson), tools, bones, seed pods, shells are a source of fascination as they seek to grasp the
complexity of forms with their intellect. Drawing is their tool and the means to knowledge and
understanding. In addition, plein air sketching, freehand perspective, portrait and figure sketching enliven
student’s capacity to see and record the passing moment, forcing them to sharpen their eye to the
essential details and not get overwhelmed by detail. A diversity of styles and approaches is needed at
this age to keep students engaged and thinking creatively.
Note: There is an emphasis on traditional themes in Visual Arts 7-10 but the teacher can bring modern and contextualised examples for the time and place of their class.
7.0 Themes and motifs taken from Arthurian tales, the monastic and court culture of the Medieval Ages, the Crusades and Islam, Voyages of Discovery, Wish Wonder Surprise and Indigenous Societies Main Lessons 7.1 Painting Continuing to master the veiling technique, as well as introducing icon painting of the medieval Ages and early Renaissance. 7.2 Drawing Consolidating and extending observational and imaginative drawing skills including design elements and principles. 7.3 Clay Modelling and Ceramics Developing 3D ceramics using hand building and clay modelling techniques.
7.1 Painting 7.1.1 Veil Painting Colour and Light Exercises include simple abstract studies in colour light and
darkness (transparent washes), colour mood (warm and cool colour spectrum) atmospheric perspective (soft and hard edges), introducing simple form motifs such as light shafts through windows,18 dappled forest moods etc.
7.2 Drawing See the birth of Naturalism in painting and the development of
pictorial space during the Early Renaissance period 7.2.1 Linear Perspective I Exterior Buildings 19
Discovery of the laws of perspective in the Early Renaissance see Giotto, et al, Leonardo’s Last Supper, Raphael’s School of Athens
equal distances apart 7.2.2 Linear perspective II Interiors and Furniture How to draw in perspective interior space, both traditional and
modern E.g. churches, rooms, including windows, doors, balconies, verandas, stairs, as well as furniture: tables, chairs, dressers, wardrobes, etc.
Oblique perspective and Freehand Perspective 7.2.3 Observational and Experimental Drawing II New ways of seeing: themes from Nature and man-made
including figurative drawing using mixed media techniques 7.2.4 Graphic Design I: Introducing the Design Elements of dot, line, shape, tone,
colour form, texture through creative design exercises using a variety of media and techniques, including print-making, (stamp, stencil, lino) and paper craft.
7.3 Clay Modelling and Pottery 7.3.1 Bas relief Sculpture Raised or Intaglio Bas relief on tiles, plaques, or columns (see Romanesque & Medieval motifs such as Chartres cathedral on
stone masonry) labyrinth designs(church floors), Celtic knot and interlacing plant motifs from Islam, Nordic
Stave churches etc. 7.3.2 Figures in the Round Active and receptive gesture (convex and concave) How to express qualities such as: Poverty (pauper/begging figure), Protectiveness (see artist Kathe Kollwitz) Maternal Love (Madonna and Child), Tranquility (Buddha) Piety, Courage (St George)
18 Refer to stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral 19 See Herman von Baravalle
8.0 * Themes and motifs may be taken from Renaissance, World Geography, Anatomy, Meteorology, Biographies, Solid Geometry, Age of Revolutions. Students mount and display their artworks, considering selection, location, labelling and audience. 8.1 Painting Extending painting skills of watercolour, painting frescos, using acrylic/gouache- applied to new themes and projects. 8.2 Drawing Students experiment with a range of visual art and graphic design conventions and techniques, including analysing those from other artists, to find effective ways to enhance representation their ideas and observations (e.g. observational drawing skills begun in Classes 6 and 7, introducing the concepts of design principles and aesthetic beauty). 8.3 Clay Modelling and Pottery Exploring principles of 3D form through sculpture and pottery referring to other artists when planning and making their artworks Responding to visual artworks through a variety of cultural and historical perspectives, comparing and contrasting the visual conventions and canons of beauty.
8.1 Painting 8.1.1 Veil Painting II Watercolour: Developing themes in conjunction with Main Lessons. E.g. Landscapes (World Geography) Clouds (see Meteorology), Tree groupings 8.1.2 Mural or Theatre Set Painting Techniques include enlarging pictures for a mural or theatre set
using grid method, applying knowledge and skills to achieve depth (foreshortening. Scale, linear, colour and atmospheric perspective)
Medium: Acrylic Refer to Renaissance Painting, Sistine ceiling, last Supper Sistine ceiling 8.2 Drawing Tonal Drawing III 8.2.1 Observational Drawing: Special effects Angles of illumination, reflective surfaces, optical illusions, 8.2.2 Anatomical Drawing: see Anatomy Main Lesson The Skeletal form Exploring concave convex forms See Leonardo’s anatomical drawings 8.2.3.The Portrait Face: Biographical Studies Tonal value, proportion, expression
Studying the Renaissance Masters and/or photo images of outstanding individuals: e.g. Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Mandela, Shackleton etc.
8.2.4 Graphic Design Part II Design Principles Exploring Design Principles of composition, balance, contrast,
rhythm, unity, etc. through a series of creative design exercises using mixed media applied to various topics and projects such as book and poster design.
Refer to traditional and modern design ideas. 8.3 Clay Modelling and Pottery 8.3.1 Anatomical modelling20 See Anatomy Main lesson Applying form principles of concave, convex and lemniscate
movement 8.3.2 Character Studies in Expressive Movement: “Heroic and Dramatic Gesture” see Age of Revolutions: Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the
People, Shakespeare, Rodin, Ernst Barlach for examples of expressive gesture
8.3.3 Ceramics: Decorative Pots Finding balance between function(purpose), form (proportion) and
beauty (aesthetics) Hand building /wheel techniques of pinch, coil, Refer to Asian ceramics, tribal pottery etc.
Students will be able to compare and contrast artistic conventions and practices used to communicate content and meaning by artists of various periods such as Medieval and Renaissance with modern practices of the 19th and 20th Century.
Students gain an understanding of and demonstrate the artistic process from the idea through to the finished work of art and how various materials and techniques they and other artists use, affect its message and meaning.
Classes 9 and 10 continue to develop and strengthen those observational skills, which began in Class 6,
i.e. seeking to draw objectively what is perceived through tone, form and space. In addition, however,
students learn an artistic way of seeing, which simplifies and reduces the visual information down to its
essential gesture, the difference between replicating “exactly what is seen” and “interpreting imaginatively
the spirit of the form”. This imaginative or artistic way of seeing penetrates through the surface
appearance to apprehend the underlying idea. Thus is the spirit liberated from appearance and reveals
its meaning, through the simplest language of colour and movement. The imagination, now freed up from
having to reproduce what is perceived, can now rearrange and compose according to an inner necessity,
rather than outer conventions.
Year 9 students are in the midst of puberty. This is a time of strong physicality and intense emotions. For
a time the world appears to present in emotional shades of black and white. It is in this context that the
Year 9 art curriculum explores atmospheric mood through black and white tonal shaded drawing,
printmaking and photography. The students experience how form condenses and then dissolves out of
the subtle or dramatic shifts of atmospheric light and darkness. The difference between the light that falls
on objects from the outside and light that illuminates from within, can be compared in Durer’s Melancholia
to Durer’s St Jerome, as well as comparing Rembrandt chiaroscuro to Caravaggio’s.
By Year 10 the students usually have moved beyond the emotional “black and white phase” and are
again able to appreciate the world through a wider and less dramatic spectrum of feelings. It is time now
to re-introduce a focus on colour. The art of developing a painterly approach to colour, through the
understanding and practice of colour transitions of hue, tone and intensity, the Year 10 student is directed
towards a harmonious interweaving of colour not bound by too much delineation of form.
The 3D experience for Year 9 is about clay modelling a life size head. Steiner’s indications suggest, what
experienced teachers have subsequently corroborated, that is the intrinsic value of students modelling
the plastic formative shaping forces and inner growth forces of the head, as expressed through the
concave - convex, the curved and angular, the masculine and feminine, youthful and mature proportions,
at this particular age. From this experience students will also recognize the language of form of the soft,
youthful idealism of Greek Classicism, the delineated individualized forms of Roman pragmatism, the flat,
linear other-worldliness of the Christian Romanesque and Medieval sculptures, the worldly naturalism of
Renaissance sculpture and the soft transcendence of Buddhist heads. This language of form can then be
further extended in Year 10 in the realm of figurative, organic and geometric form movement in both
modelling and carving mediums.
Finally, by looking at representative works of art from early to modern civilisation in a chronological
sequence, students will appreciate the pendulous swing of the canons of beauty over the centuries; how
the motifs of bud, flower and over flower, can be discussed in relation to the ascendency and demise of
civilisations. The study of art cultivates a refined sensibility and appreciation of beauty, the aesthetics of
which is dependent upon a rich vocabulary of art language.
Note: There is an emphasis on traditional themes in Visual Arts 7-10 but the teacher can bring modern and contextualised examples for the time and place of their class.
9.0 At Year 9 the emphasis is on the practice and understanding of tonal value (light and dark) firstly in black and white and then in Year 10, colour and colour tone. Printmaking, Photography, Modelling Clay Heads. Study of Art I and II 21 9.1 Black and White Tonal Drawing Exploring tonal values and relationships to express atmospheric mood and form. 9.2. Printmaking Exploring new and experimental approaches to image making through various printmaking processes.
9.3 Photography I Introducing the SLR camera emphasising black and white photography 9.4 Modelling: Exploring the language of form
principles: concave and
convex, through the clay
modelling of a life sized head.
9.1 Black and White Tonal Drawing 9.1.1 Studies in Black and White Atmospheric Shading Tonal transitions (high and low tonal contrast ) Illumination from the front, behind, (silhouette), side (charcoal
sticks and pencils) diagonal shading, hatching, white and black conté, fine liners)
9.1.2 How the Interplay of Light and Dark creates Form Comparing illumination from outside (outer light) e.g. Durer’s Melancholia with illumination from within (inner light)
e.g. Durer’s St Jerome in his Study, also Rembrandt and Caravaggio
Media: graphite, fine liners, white conté on black, charcoal 9.1.3 Exploring Special Effects Reflective surfaces e.g. metallic, mirror, water, Opaque and transparent surfaces e.g. cloth, glass, Textural surfaces e.g. rough, smooth and faceted 9.2 Printmaking: Develops out Black and White Tonal Drawing skills (9.1) 9.2.1 Mono printing 9.2.2 Scratchboard (White lines on black background) 9.2.3 Collagraph (includes cardboard, string, glue prints) 9.2.4 Relief printing: Lino and Woodcut Monochromatic reduction print 9.2.5 Intaglio Etching (celluloid) Themes include abstract designs elements, natural and manmade etc. Refer to e.g. Durer, Rembrandt, Goya, Gauguin, German Expressionists: Franz Marc, Kollwitz and Barlach, Japanese woodcuts and Australian Margaret Preston 9.3 Photography I Black and White Photography is a basic introduction to the camera and the phenomena of light and image. Further development on digital and colour photography will continue in Years 10 and beyond. 9.3.1 Light and image 9.3.2 Intro to the SLR camera and film developing and printing 9.3.3 Photo editing/post-production / manipulating images to create
artworks 9.4 Modelling Clay Heads Finding the balance between the inner expanding-forces and
the formative im-pressing forces. 9.4.1 Preparatory Drawing: Proportion and age (front and profile) The language of form principles: convex and concave Expression 9.4.2 Terracotta Clay Heads Construction and Firing: Introduction to hand building methods Language of form principles: convex/ concave Facial features and expression Hair and head coverings Refer to idealized Classical Greek heads, realistic Hellenistic/Roman portrait busts, Donatello, Michelangelo, Bernini, Rodin, Asian Buddhist heads et al.
21 Gerbert and Richter “Art and Human Consciousness”
9.5 Study of Art I Appreciating examples of fine art, which best show the development of human consciousness from Palaeolithic to Roman times. 9.6 Study of Art II Appreciating fine works of art, which best exemplify the development of human consciousness from early Christian to Renaissance times.
9.5 A Study of Art I Palaeolithic to Roman Representative examples of Art, which best exemplify the development of man’s consciousness throughout the Ages.22
9.5.1 Palaeolithic/ Stone Age Paintings and Sculpture The nature and meaning of Symbolic Art Pre writing ideograms and petroglyphs Fertility figurines Cave paintings e.g. Lascaux, Altamira, the Kimberley Ranges 9.5.2 Egyptian Painting and Sculpture: Religious/ Funerary Art Stylised artistic canons Hieroglyphic picture writing Bas relief and block sculpture 9.5.3 Sumerian, Assyrian, Babylonia, Painting and sculpture 9.5.4 Ancient Persia Picture symbols Painting: coloured glazed tiles Sculpture Influence on Byzantine and Islamic Art 9.5.5 Minoan (Crete), Mycenaean and Aegean The characteristic differences Fresco wall and vase painting Sculpture 9.5.6 Greek Art: Greek Vase painting: (Black figure ware) Sculpture: The Classical ideal of beauty of the human figure 9.5.7 Roman Art: Fresco Wall Painting: naturalistic landscape and portraiture Sculpture: Realism, heroic movement and commemorative Relief sculpture
9.6 Study of Art II Early Christian to Renaissance 9.6.1 Early Christian /Byzantine: The symbolic, spiritual and religious nature of Christian and Byzantine art Catacomb paintings and Church mosaics Russian and Greek icons 9.6.2 Islamic Art 9.6.3 Romanesque Gothic: Illuminated manuscripts Influences of Celtic Art Sculpture 9.6.4 Gothic art Gothic cathedrals and stained glass windows Portal sculpture Bayeux tapestry 9.6.5 Renaissance Painting and Sculpture: Naturalism and pictorial space Discovery of the mathematical laws of perspective Sculptural realism reaches harmonious proportion Renaissance in the South (Italy) Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo; Renaissance North of the Alps (Germany) Grunewald, Van Eyck and Durer
22 The history of World Architecture can be taken as a separate study in the Year12 Steiner Curriculum.
10.0 One of the main focus areas of Year 10 art is learning about colour i.e. transposing black and white tonal images into harmonious colour schemes.in addition, how students generate ideas for their art should be seen as a process to be engaged in, exploring a variety of approaches and finding a direction which best suits them. 10.1 Painting Exploring and interpreting colour through various approaches and media. 10.2 The Design Process Following a visual design process from idea to resolution in painting, photography print-making and/or sculpture: Develop subject matter, plan, and design and create artworks which use materials, techniques, technologies and processes to develop and represent their own developing personal style and artistic intentions to portray themes and content. Plan and evaluate displays of art. 10.3 Sculpture Exploring the language of 3D form: volume, space and movement through a variety of sculptural media and processes such as modelling, carving and mixed media.
10.1 Painting Understanding and Applying Colour 10.1.1 From Monochromatic to Polychromatic: A review of colour principles: Hue, Tone and Intensity Colour
wheel, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colours, Analogous and complementary, split complementary, Simultaneous contrast, warm and cool colours, aerial perspective, symbolism and colour, emotion and colour
Painting techniques and media: underpainting, impasto, colour wash and glazing, gouache, acrylic, inks, pastel
Topics may include: 10.1.2 Still Life Genre: Still Life painting gives a personal, cultural and social insight
into value, meaning and relationship to the world not only from what is painted but how it is painted.
See Dutch and Flemish still life artists: Zurburan, William Kalf (opulence and status), Chardin (transient beauty), Herman Steenwjick (symbolic), Cezanne, Juan Gris (towards Abstraction), Van Gogh, Matisse and Margaret Olley (colour), Morandi (monumentality and light )etc.
10.1.3 The Australian Landscape Genre: A range of artists and styles can be referred to including
Colonial painting, The Heidelberg School: Streeton, McCubbin, Conder, Jane Sutherland, Heyson, Namatjira, Williams, Boyd, Nolan, Pugh, Lloyd Rees, Margaret Preston and others. Compare Australian Indigenous painting styles and meanings such as aerial “country” landscape art, PupunyahTula dot paintings, of Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Emily Kngwarreye etc.
10.1.4 Art as Identity: Social, Cultural and Environmental Themes may include: identity, multiculturalism, indigenous
culture, urbanization, technology, conservation issues Mixed media: collage, painting, colour reduction print Refer to Australian artists past, modern and post-modern to
examples of how artists express meaning. 10.2 The Design Process Maybe combined with 10.1.2-4 and/or 10.4 10.2.1 Individual project Using the Graphic design elements and principles, an idea is
explored and recorded visually through a number of design steps from formative beginnings to final work of art and its display
An art journal of drawings/ photos/ images is presented along with a folio of work.
10.3 Sculpture: Modelling, Carving, Assemblage Exploring the language of form through a number of related
themes and methods such as: 10.3.1 The Figure- Expressive Movement: Clay Modelling: Form Arising out of Gesture i.e. inner movement: Single or group compositions. Refer to Rodin, Degas, Barlach, Kollwitz, Asian art etc. 10.3.2 Organic Form: Sculpture Wood, Soft Stone Carving, Wire armature plaster Exploring and interpreting nature’s organic shapes and forms
through design principles of volume, space, light, gesture/movement, balance, concave and convex
Refer to: Stone Age and Totemic art, Romanesque and
10.4 Study of Art III Appreciating how human consciousness is reflected through great works of art. Analysing a range of visual artworks from contemporary and past times to explore how artistic intention and differing viewpoints are communicated thus enriching their visual art-making. (starting with Australian artworks, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, and also considering international artworks)
Medieval stone Sculpture, Modern20th Century Art e.g. Arp, Brancusi, Moore, Akio Makigawa(AUS) etc. 10.3.3 Mixed Media Sculpture and Assemblage New ways of interpreting and creating through art. This includes papier maché, wire, mosaics, kinetic art See 20th Century Modern and Australian artists, Barbara
Halpern, Rosalie Gascoigne, Inge King, Ron Robertson Swann; etc.
10.4 Study of Art III. A survey of representative works of art to show the development of human consciousness from Late Renaissance to the dawn of the Modern Era. 10.4.1 Titian, Tintoretto, El Greco, 10.4.2 Caravaggio, Velasquez, Bernini 10.4.3 Baroque: Rembrandt, Rubens, Hals, Vermeer, 10.4.4 Neo Classicism: Poussin, Claude Lorrain, J.L David, Ingres, 10.4.5 French and German Romanticism: Delacroix, Goya, Caspar
Friedrich. 10.4.6 English Romanticism: J.W Turner, Constable, Blake 10.4.7 Realism: Manet, Courbet, Daumier 10.4.8 Monet, Pissaro, Degas, Lautrec, Gauguin, 10.4.8 Art in the East
Achievement Standard Year 10
Students will make informed choices how to plan explore and execute works of art. They will research artists who share similar interests and methods as theirs and identify influences on their own artworks by analysing what artistic conventions they have used, through which historical, cultural or social perspective they have communicated and how effectively they achieved their aims.
Students will develop the confidence and motivation to explore, experiment, develop and refine a number of ideas and subject matter to express personal meaning through various materials, techniques and processes