Introduction
Sol LeWitt. Weird name! Who was he? What's he famous for? Why might we want to know? It's your mission to find out.
Your job today is to research the (ok here's a hint, he's an artist) work of Sol LeWitt. He has a pretty interesting approach to thinking about art and ideas. He's also pretty famous. Have you heard of him? His art can be really surprising to look at (sometimes really huge), but it's also great to investigate because he was interested in maths, art, and what 'making art' might be.
His art may change the way you think about colour, shape, line, maths and the role (or the job) of an artist in making art. Grab a post-it note (or two) and note down any questions you have for Sol LeWitt as you find out about him.
Task
Your job today is to work in pairs to write a brief explanation of why you think Sol LeWitt has become a famous artist. You will need:
- An introduction
- A paragraph about his life and interests
- A paragraph about how he makes his art
- A paragraph about your opinion - does he deserve to be famous or not? Why do you think that? Give one or two examples of his work to back up your opinion, briefly describing them in a sentence or two.
- A brief conclusion
Watch out! His work might change the way you think about art, shapes, maths and even music.
Process
- Have a quick read over this information on the class website about Sol LeWitt. What are the most important 5 or 6 facts? Note these down.
- Note down on your postit anything that surprised you, or any questions you'd like to ask him.
- There are a few more facts you need to be able to do a paragraph on his life. Have a look at the section 'Life' on Wikipedia. You should now have enough information to write your introduction and your first paragraph.
- For the next two paragraphs, you will need to view each of the following video clips.
- You'll probably be best to view them twice - the first time to see what they are about (then discuss whay you think are the main ideas and see if you agree).
- The second time you watch the clip you'll need to make brief notes on the key ideas in the video (4-5 bullet points).
- Remember to add questions for Sol LeWitt on your Post-it notes.
- Here's a video introduction so you can have a look at his art.
- You'll need to read, look at pictures and watch videos from this great blog from the New York Met Museum
- Is he on to a great idea, or is he having everyone on? What do you think?
- What questions do you now have to add to your postit notes?
- You should now have enough information to write your next two paragraphs. Remeber your next paragraph is to explain how he makes his art.
- Your final paragraph is to give your opinion. Does he deserve to be famous? Why/why not? What do you think/feel when you see his art?
Evaluation
Your writing today has been to inform, explain AND give your opinion.
Did you remember:
- Title
- Introduction
- A paragraph informing your reader of important facts about his life
- A paragraph explaining how he makes his art
- A paragrah explaining your opinion about whether or not he deserves to be famous, why, and how you feel when you look at his art and why.
- A brief conclusion
Conclusion
Today you've come across an artist who may be new to you.
Would you recognise his art if you saw it on a wall somewhere? Could you describe it to someone? Has your thinking changed as you found out more about his work today?
Remember to add your postit notes to the wall of questions for Sol LeWitt.