|
The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art
Last updated Sunday, August 15, 2021
Author: Barb Rosenstock
Illustrator: Mary GrandPre
Date of Publication: 2014
ISBN: 0307978486
Grade Level: Kindergarten (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Aug. 2021
Synopsis:
Vasya Kandinsky was a proper little boy: he studied math and history, he practiced the piano, he sat up straight and was perfectly polite. And when his family sent him to art classes, they expected him to paint pretty houses and flowers - like a proper artist.
But as Vasya opened his paint box and began mixing the reds, the yellows, the blues, he heard a strange sound - the swirling colors trilled like an orchestra tuning up for a symphony! And as he grew older, he continued to hear brilliant colors singing and see vibrant sounds dancing. But was Vasya brave enough to put aside his proper still lifes and portraits and paint. . . music?
In this exuberant celebration of creativity, Barb Rosenstock and Mary GrandPré tell the fascinating story of Vasily Kandinsky, one of the very first painters of abstract art. Throughout his life, Kandinsky experienced colors as sounds, and sounds as colors - and bold, groundbreaking works burst forth from his noisy paint box.
| Note to readers: |
| • |
Read the Author’s Note near the end of the PDF.
|
| • |
Vasily Kandinsky is referred to as Vasya throughout the book. It was his nickname. Vasya is a nickname for Vasily.
|
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
| • |
School is starting in two days. How do you feel about that, especially since everyone will be masking up?
|
| • |
Have you heard of Wassily Kandinsky? What is he famous for?
|
| • |
Can you hear colors?
|
| • |
Can you see music?
|
| • |
Kandinsky was able to hear colors and see music in color! He had a condition called Synesthesia. Synesthesia occurs when the brain mixes up the senses. Because of this condition, Kandinsky was able to experience colors as sounds, and sounds as colors. He could "see" music and “hear” colors!
Vocabulary
|
| • |
Abstract art: A style of art that uses lines, shapes, and colors instead of objects.
|
| • |
Metronome: a device used by musicians that marks time at a selected rate by giving a regular tick.
|
| • |
Palette: a thin board or slab on which an artist lays and mixes colors.
|
| • |
Jagged: having rough, sharp points protruding.
|
| • |
Crimson: is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple. It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, Kermes vermilio, but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red colors that are between red and rose.
|
| • |
Kremlin: is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities.[1][2] This word is often used to refer to the most famous, the Moscow Kremlin
|
| • |
Cerulean: deep blue in color like a clear sky
|
| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
| • |
Why was the book called “The Noisy Paint Box”
|
| • |
Do you like Abstract Art? What kinds of art can you name, and what other kinds of art do you like?
|
| • |
Do you like to paint/draw? What do you like to paint or draw?
|
| Craft ideas: |
| • |
Check our craft ideas on Pinterest!
https://www.pinterest.com/readingtokids/august-2021-arts-creativity/
|
| • |
Google images of Kandinsky’s art
|
| • |
Have kids make their own abstract art inspired by Kandinsky’s Color Study, Squares with Concentric Circles
Instructions are on slide 5 of power point, or down below:
1. Take a piece of paper
2. Fold it in half, twice, so that you have a total of 4 squares on your paper.
3. Start coloring circles!
Remember:
You can use any colors, your circles don’t have to be perfect circles. Let’s do this!
|
*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
|
