Colour Mixing

Vincent van Gogh

van Gogh is generally considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt, yet his reputation is based mainly on the works produced in the last 3 years of his short, ten-year painting career. In fact, he only sold one painting during his lifetime. Vincent van Gogh produced more than 700 drawings and 800 oil paintings which are recognisable by their striking colours and bold texture.

Take a look at paintings of landscapes, trees and flowers. Ask the children to see if they can tell how Van Gogh painted his subjects. What tools did he use? What colours did he mix together?

Alfred Sisley

Sisley was mainly a portrait painter and was one of the artists who founded Impressionism. He was interested in the transient effects of light and colour, looking at the way a scene changed and how colours altered as the light conditions changed.. Sisley painted with a restricted range of delicate colours and is particularly well known for his winter scenes and snowy landscapes.

Sisley painted trees at different times of year. Look at some of his paintings and discuss with the children then see if they can paint a tree in winter and a tree in summer. What are the differences and how are they achieved?

Paul Cézanne

Today, Cézanne is often called the Father of Modern Painting because his work and ideas influenced the development of much 20th Century art, particularly Cubism. His work was misunderstood during his life and he seemed to be a failure as an artist, having to be supported by his father and selling very few paintings. Cézanne painted many subjects including landscapes.

Look at a range of Cézanne paintings and compare the different colours that he used. See if the children can verbalise the similarities and differences between the paintings. Children could choose one painting and try to recreate one of the trees in it.