Lets Get Surreal

By Scott Morrison Melman and Christa Wisniewski

Lesson Plan
Day 1: Pre-Assessment, Discussion of Vocabulary, Artist, Objectives, and Prompt. Students
start brainstorming and sketching.

Day 2: Students have a quick Do Now Video and discuss it. Students start working in sharpie.

Day 3: Students have a quick Do Now Video and discuss it. Students work in sharpie and
watercolor.

Day 4: Students have a quick Do Now Video and discuss it. Students finish working.

Day 5: Students have a quick Do Now Video and discuss it. Students critique of class.

Day 6: Extra work day if needed.

Day 7: Students finnish critique. Other half of class critiques.

 Objectives (Goals)
1. The student will create a surrealist scene using watercolor and
sharpies.
2. The student will critique their peers artwork by mentioning two strong
elements in it and two elements that need improvement.
3. The student will explore an idea using surrealist imagery.
4. The students will be able to explain how they used surrealism to explore
their idea.
Prompt Given
Each student will be creating a (11inX15in) surrealist artwork using watercolor
paint and sharpies. The image should include at least 3 figures (animals, people)
and a well developed background. Landscapes work well. The artwork should
explore an idea chosen by the student or picked out of the bag. Following the
artwork creation there will be a Cafe Critique where we will enjoy some brownies
and juice/tea while we talk about the strong and weak point of each students
work.
Do Now Videos
Vocabulary
Juxtaposition : the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side
often to compare or contrast or to create an interesting effect.

Texture: the perceived surface quality of a work of art.

Line: a point moving in space, where two or more points connect.

Movement: the illusion of, or implied movement. Actual movement or motion.

Balance: the ways in which the elements (lines, shapes, colors, textures, etc.) of an
artistic piece are arranged.
Artist : Estela A. CuadroEstela A. Cuad
She was born in 1979 in Buenos Aires, Argentina where she still

lives today. She is an artist and Graphic Designer. While she

prefers to work manually she occasionally uses photoshop and

Illustrator. She works with a wide range of mediums including oil paint, watercolor, india ink,
pens, salt, and small coal. She likes to create her work outside when she can. Her inspiration
for work, comes from my unconscious, from the imaginary and not real, I'd say.
 Teacher Work
<Scott Morrison Melman

Christa Wisniewski>
Student Work
Research
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm

- Surrealism is defined as an an international artistic movement to harness the

potential of the subconscious and the imagination, begun in the 1920s
- Rejection of realism and rationalism
- Intended as a revolutionary movement to transform society
- Influenced by the writing of psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung
- Spanned writing, painting, sculpture, and video

http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/s/surrealism
Research
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-surrealism.htm

- Surrealism is defined as an an international artistic movement to harness the

potential of the subconscious and the imagination, begun in the 1920s
- Rejection of realism and rationalism
- Intended as a revolutionary movement to transform society
- Influenced by the writing of psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung
- Spanned writing, painting, sculpture, and video
Research
http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/s/surrealism

- Surrealism grew out of Dada literary movement

- Incepted by Andre Bretons 1924 Surrealist Manifesto
- Key figures include Breton, Hans Arp, Salvador Dali, Max Ernst, Rene Magritte,
Joan Miro
- Oneric surrealism used hyper realistic rendering to dreamlike imagery (Dali)
- Automatism came directly from the subconscious. Work attempted to capture
an unfiltered stream of consciousness (Miro)
- Movement gradually fractured into various movements/philosophies, including
abstract expressionism