During the first Term in September our Year 7’s explore line and the formal elements in Art. However I sometimes struggle with an Artist reference for this Unit- I wanted a change from my usual format so I asked myself who would fit the bill this year? Paul Klee wasn’t an Artist I was initially drawn to as an NQT but as my teaching years have gone by I see that when chosen carefully- some of Klee’s work is very accessible and engaging for young people. He hits the nail on the head when addressing the Formal Elements in Art.

(FYI: The Formal Elements are the parts used to make a piece of artwork. The art elements are line, shape, form, tone, texture, pattern, colour and composition.)

Below is a video tutorial I have recently created to introduce students to Paul Klee’s abstract symbols used with colour to create his famous Park bei Lu (1938). In September we’ll likely be working in non-art classrooms and unlikely to be able to use paint for a while which is why I chose to use pencil crayons.

By Emma Such