Matisse Cutouts

This is a recent project from 1st grade. We started the lesson by watching several youtube short biography video's and montage clips on Matisse. I love doing these Matisse cutouts, because it challenges them to use their cutting skills. You can really get an idea of the students motor skills and hand-eye coordination. We talked about some of the types of cutouts Matisse did, like the starburst, splash, spirals, zigzags and wavy lines. Students kept both positive and negative cutouts and could use both parts of each of their shape as part of the final arrangement. We spent a total of 4 days and ended the lesson with one of my favorite art books, When Pigasso Met Mootisse, by Nina Laden.