Owliver’s Scrapbook #64 min read
Reading Time: 3 minutes
Owliver has partnered with his friends from PhilARThropy to bring your way a happy dash of art!
About PhilARThropy: PhilARThropy is a social organisation that takes art education and creation to under resourced communities by working in low income academic spaces across India).
The activities need minimum supplies, and you do not have to worry about perfecting it— this is your scrapbook. Have fun with it!
This week, we will be recreating a masterpiece!
Meet the Artist: Wassily Kandinsky
Kandinsky was a Russian artist who is thought of as the pioneer of abstract art.
Abstract art is a form of art that does not show things as they are but how the artist feels about them. It uses colours, lines, and shapes to communicate an artist’s feelings, and not subjects (or objects) as we see them. It came into being in early 1900s.
Robert Delaunay, 1912–13, Le Premier Disque, 134 cm (52.7 in.), private collection 
Kandinsky’s first abstract watercolor, 1910.
Look at these images, and think about what they make you feel. What do you think the artist was feeling when he made them?
Let’s go back to Kandinsky to examine the move from real subjects to abstract forms.
The Blue Rider, 1903 
A Riding Amazon, 1911
Do you notice any change in Kandinsky’s work from 1903 to 1911? The subject remains a horse rider but look how the colours, and lines have changed!
Kandinsky liked his work to be open to multiple interpretations. That is where abstract came in! There is no fixed meaning, form, shape or structure. The viewer participates in the meaning making of the art. Imagine how much fun that can be!
Today, we are going to recreate one of Kandinsky’s masterpieces—
Color Study: Squares with Concentric Circles
It’s vibrant, colourful, meaningful, and fun!
Let’s get started, shall we?
All you need is a pencil, paints, a scale, and of course, a paper.
Steps:
- Take an A4 sheet (it’s the one you use in a home printer) and divide it into 12 squares.
- Now draw 4-5 concentric circles in free hand (without a compass) inside each square.
- Now, take out your paints and colour each circle in each square in a different shade.
Remember to keep the painting as bright as you like! - Once you are done painting the circles, paint the remaining part of each square.
And voila! Your masterpiece is ready!
Watch this tutorial to see how Kandinsky’s magic can unfold on your paper!
While you wait for us to be back with more fun stuff, make more patterns using this method— try a few with your family and friends!— and share them with us at hello@owliverspost.com.
We will be waiting for them…
