D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S C L U B

All About Abstract ArtistsS T U D E N T W O R K S H E E T

Friedensreich Hundertwasser was born in Vienna,

Austria in 1928. World War II broke out when he was

only eleven years old. It was a terrible time for Austria;

the city was bombed and destroyed. But young

Hundertwasser saw new life emerge from puddles and

the earth.

The little insects and new plants were a sign of life for

him and witnessing this drove his desire to live in

harmony with nature.

Hundertwasser didn’t like straight lines. He said, “In

nature there are no straight lines drawn with a ruler.”

Hundertwasser saw spirals as a symbol of life and nature

and would use spirals as a dominant feature in many of

his art works.

1. Why is this artwork by Hundertwasser considered

ABSTRACT?

Answers should be along these lines:

His art is abstract because he painted objects

more like lines and simple shapes and bright

colors instead of what they REALLY looked like in

nature.

D E E P S P A C E S P A R K L E & T H E M E M B E R S C L U B

2. Compare and contrast the two artworks below. Make sure to use information you have learned

about the elements of art.

Piet Mondrian. Composition A. 1923 Friedensreich Hundertwasser. 745 Blobs Grow in

Beloved Gardens. 1975

Abstract artist, Piet Mondrian was born in the Netherlands in 1872. Mondrian’s art was not based on outside influences and evolved over his career. His first paintings were of landscapes and windmills and were full of color. He painted what he saw. Then he discovered cubism which helped develop his own unique style that he called neo-plasticism. His paintings became composed of primary colored rectangles and grids of black lines.

Answers should be along these lines:

Similarities:

Both are abstract

Both artists used dark outlines of shapes

Both have balanced space

Differences:

-Mondrian used mainly primary colors and

Hundertwasser used many colors

-Mondrian used geometric shapes and

Hundertwasser used organic

-Hundertwasser overlapped shapes

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4. Circle the following principles of design you see present in Pollock’s work below:

PATTERN CONTRAST MOVEMENT BALANCE UNITY

Jackson Pollock was born in 1912 in Wyoming and died in 1956. He was an American painter and a major figure in the abstract expressionist movement. He was well known for his different style of drip painting.

He would drip paint onto a large canvas on the floor. It became known as action painting because he would move very fast across the canvas dribbling the paint in long wobbly lines. He would even just throw the paint onto the the canvas at times!

3. What do you think about Jackson Pollock’s

style of painting?

*Answers will vary here because it is an opinion.

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Rex Ray (artwork on the left) and Sonia Delaunay (artwork on the right) are both artists who focused

on simpler shapes and bright colors in their compositions. They both layered or overlapped objects

in the space, creating a sense of depth. Their explorations with color, line, and shape made a huge

5. How are these two artworks different?

6. Out of the 5 abstract artists studied in this unit, who is your favorite? Please explain why.

Answers should be along these lines:

Ray’s artwork has more organic lines and shapes. Delaunay has more geometric shapes

like circles, semi-circles, etc.

Ray uses mostly bright colors and Delaunay includes black and white.

*Answers will vary here because it is an opinion. Students should include an explanation

as to WHY he or she is their favorite.