Art History - Sonia Delaunay

Our Specials schedule this year is

Mon - Art History

Tue - Philosophy

Wed - Structured Word Inquiry

Thu - Letter Writing

In my Art History 2024-2025 blog post, I decided September would be Sonia Delaunay. Here are some resources and my planning notes:

Sonia Delaunay
1885 - 1979

Sonia Delaunay: A Life of Color
by Cara Manes

Sonia Delaunay
edited by Lærke Rydal Jørgensen

Madame Sonia Delaunay: A Pop-Up Book
by Gérard Lo Monaco

also
Art History Kids - The Studio - October 2019

Sonia Delaunay Art Lesson
leahnewtonart.com

Draw Like Sonia Delaunay (PDF)
artprojectsforkids.org
inspired by her work in fashion design

excerpt from Encyclopedia of Artists, volume 2, p.37

In 1910 Delaunay married Sonia Terk, an artist also fascinated by color and light. Over the next few years both artists developed a new style in which forms were increasingly distorted and abstracted so that all that remains is light and color itself [emphasis added].

extra ideas I had that we didn't get to

look at "Electric Prisms" (1914)

explore layering colored films over one another on the light table

look at "Market at Minho" (1915)

do abstract animal activity from Art History Kids (p.27) with cut craft foam shapes as the rough draft and oil pastels as the final version

I recommend joining Lotus Stewart's Art History Kids website (The Studio) and getting access to her past lesson plans. I like her work, and find it's really helpful to have so many ideas that I can use as a jumping off point.

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week of Sep 9:

print examples from Art History Kids and put in page protectors

make observations about Sonia Delaunay's style

do you have a favorite? what do you like about it?

do abstract cut paper collage activity from Art History Kids (p.15)

week of Sep 16:

AM - read Sonia Delaunay: A Life of Color

look at "Le Bal Bullier" (1913) and "Flamenco Dancer" (1916)

rhythm & movement discussion from Art History Kids (p.25)

do abstract dance activity from Art History Kids (p.38) using watercolor pencils (cut 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 pieces of watercolor paper)




PM - read Madame Sonia Delaunay: A Pop-Up Book

pattern discussion from Art History Kids (p.24)

make patterns with our bodies; create patterns using beads

week of Sep 23:

AM - read a book about Orpheus and explain the origin of the term "Orphism"


Orpheus and Eurydice
retold by Sybil Grafin Schonfeldt

look at a picture of the baby quilt that started it all!

paint a harmonious Sonia Delaunay-inspired color combination on a circular gel printing plate and print onto fabric ("Gel print colour play" lesson from Jayne Emerson's Gel Printing on and with Textiles)




PM - read Sonia Delaunay: A Life of Color

do Gelli Arts Gelatin Printing Plates activity

week of Sep 30:

AM - Draw Like Sonia Delaunay (PDF)


PM - read Eating the Alphabet: Fruits & Vegetables from A to Z by Lois Ehlert



look at "Portuguese Market" (1915)
print page 8 of MOMA webpage

create an abstract fruit or vegetable with cut craft foam shapes, inspired by examples from Baker Ross (cut everything out of white craft foam, glue to construction paper, color with brush tip markers)

In addition to the Art History lesson for my regular school group (age 7-13), I'll have a Monday afternoon Art History class for early childhood (age 5-7). I think the "littles" will love Sonia Delaunay!

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