Abstract Landscape Collage

Overview

This 60-minute Year 9 Art and Design lesson focuses on creating an abstract landscape collage using photographs. This activity encourages students to explore abstraction, composition, texture, and colour while fostering individual creativity. The lesson aligns with the Key Stage 3 Art and Design curriculum, specifically fostering skills in developing creativity and experimentation and understanding how images are constructed and conveyed.

By the end of the lesson, students will have produced a textured, abstract interpretation of a landscape, incorporating artistic inspiration and photographic techniques.

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Objectives

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand abstraction in art – Identify abstract elements and explore how realistic images (e.g. photographs) can be transformed into abstract works.
2. Use photography creatively – Select fragments of photographs to convey mood, texture, and colour.
3. Develop composition skills – Explore balance, layering, and juxtaposition in visual design.
4. Cultivate personal responses – Generate an abstract landscape that reflects their interpretation of the world around them.

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Links to the UK Art Curriculum

National Curriculum Key Stage 3 (Art and Design):

1. Developing ideas: Students will develop an understanding of how to manipulate media (photographs) and abstract concepts in their work.
2. Experimentation: Students will experiment with materials to create textures and layers.
3. Critical thinking: This task will push students to think beyond representational art and evaluate their own creative choices.

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Materials Required

1. Magazines, newspapers, or printed photographs (e.g. landscapes, textures, natural elements).
2. Scissors and craft knives (as appropriate).
3. Glue sticks and PVA glue.
4. Blank A4 and A3 paper (white or coloured).
5. Oil pastels, markers, coloured pencils.
6. Sponge brushes for blending or texture.
7. Examples of abstract artwork (e.g. those by Kandinsky, Matisse, or Abstract Expressionist artists).

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Lesson Structure (60 Minutes)

Starter Activity (10 Minutes): Exploring Abstract Art

1. Introduction (5 Minutes):

   • Display 3-4 examples of abstract landscape collages or abstract artwork inspired by natural themes (e.g. Kandinsky's countryside-inspired works).
   • Ask students: What makes these works abstract? How are colour, shape, and texture used differently from realistic art?

2. Small Discussion (5 Minutes):

   • In pairs, students discuss how a landscape photograph could be simplified or deconstructed into its components (e.g. colour blocks, textures, lines).
   • Share findings as a class to scaffold the idea of breaking down complex visuals into abstract elements.

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Main Activity (40 Minutes)

Step 1: Photographic Exploration (10 Minutes)

• Task introduction: Students will browse through magazines or photographs provided.
• Focus: They should look for patterns, colours, and interesting textures that resonate with their idea of a landscape. Encourage them to think about overlaps and contrasts (e.g. how a green meadow texture could blend with a rocky structure).
• Students cut out sections of magazine pages or images to use in their composition. Approximately 6-10 cutouts per student.
• Challenge them: “Find textures you wouldn’t normally associate with landscapes to make your collage unique. Could steel or bold graphic patterns suggest part of your abstract landscape?”

Step 2: Composition and Assembly (25 Minutes)

1. Planning (5 Minutes):

   • On their paper or card, students lightly sketch or plan their compositional flow. This should include 3-5 large dominant shapes for their background and smaller textural details to layer later.
   • Encourage an intuitive process—no ‘right’ or ‘wrong.’

2. Collage Building (20 Minutes):

   • Students begin attaching their cutouts to their base.
   • They can overlap images, rip edges for softer transitions, or layer cutouts for depth.
   • Encourage them to include negative space or a focal point and to focus on how different fragments interact visually.

3. Adding Details (Optional):

   • Once they are happy with their arrangement, they may use oil pastels, markers, or pencils to add linear or textural details that connect sections of their artwork, enhancing the abstract effect.

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Plenary Activity (10 Minutes): Reflect and Review

1. Mini-Gallery Walk (5 Minutes):

   • Students leave their artwork on their desks, walk around, and observe each other's collages.
   • Ask students to take mental notes on:
     • A unique element in someone else’s collage.
     • Which piece feels the "most abstract" yet still conveys a landscape.

2. Peer Feedback (5 Minutes):

   • Pair students and encourage them to share their thoughts with a classmate whose work resonated with them during the gallery walk.
   • Teacher-led reflection: Highlight works that use bold or unexpected interpretations. Discuss how abstraction allows for varied perspectives.

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Differentiation

• For Advanced Students: Encourage deeper experimentation by layering translucent tissue paper, using paint washes, or integrating textured materials (such as sand or fabric).
• For Students Needing Support: Provide pre-cut, simplified landscape textures or smaller working dimensions, and offer one-on-one guidance. Suggest visual prompts for inspiration.

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Assessment Criteria

1. Experimentation: Demonstrates exploration of abstraction with varied elements (e.g. textures, colours, or patterns).
2. Composition: Balanced and thoughtful arrangement of visual elements.
3. Creativity: Individual interpretation of the landscape theme.
4. Effort and Reflection: Engagement with the task and depth of thought during peer discussion or the gallery walk.

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Homework / Extension Activity

• Ask students to photograph their local surroundings (e.g. park, street, or garden) and select parts of the photos to turn into a small abstract study.
• They may present their studies at the start of the next lesson, describing their creative choices.

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Teacher Notes

• Organise magazines and photographs the day before to ensure access to a variety of textures and patterns.
• Play ambient or instrumental music during the collage-making process to stimulate creativity and focus.
• Prepare questions for informal one-on-one critiques while students work.

This lesson is a chance for students to combine personal interpretation with visual experimentation, creating work that is unique to their individual perspectives while building key skills in composition and abstraction.