For

Middle Years Students

Curriculum

Art

Aim

Exploring formal elements and principles of design.

Preparation

To do this activity you will need to:

• Read the information for Theme Five – The 1960s and 1970s: Pop Art.
• View the work either online or in the exhibition.

You will need the following materials:

• 2B Black lead pencil, tracing paper and a large photocopy of the image.

Individual Task

Place tracing paper over a reproduction of this work and separately identify these formal elements and design principles:

• Line: how many different types of line can you see?
• Texture: is it rough, smooth, matte or glossy?
• Shape: consider the main underlying geometric shapes of triangles and circles. How have they been used compositionally?
• Colour: how many separate primary colours are used? What do they suggest?
• Movement: how does your eye move through the composition?
• Scale: how does the large size of this work contribute to its meaning?
• The depiction of space: is it shallow or deep space?
• Tone: locate dark, light and half tone areas (Benday dots). How has tone been used to model forms?
• Composition: how does it hold together as one image?

Discussion Questions

Repetition: Where does the repetition of shape create rhythm? How many places can you see repetition in the composition?

Comment on the way Lichtenstein has created the illusion of reflective glass in the airplane window in the third panel. What are the main shapes you see in this work? How do they create visual strength in the composition?