During our two art therapy workshops (as well as in private art therapy lessons) we have been talking more about abstract art and cubism. Along with those styles of art, we have been focusing more on a handful of artists, including Wassily Kandinsky (who might sound familiar from previous projects we have done), Paul Klee, and Jackson Pollack. We have been experimenting with the styles of these artists and learned more about how to create our own artwork by the inspiration of other artists.

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian-born artist, the child of a musician. Kandinsky was encouraged to pursue a law degree, which he did, even though it wasn’t something he loved. He was, however, very interested about the relationship between music and art and how he could combine the two. He was also influenced by the constructionist movement (which used dots, lines, and geometry) as well as experimented with color. Wassily Kandinsky is known as the “father of abstract art”.

Paul Klee was born in Switzerland in 1879. He was an artist influenced by artistic movements, including surrealism, cubism and expressionism. In 1923, Klee, along with his friend Wassily Kandinsky, formed the Blue Four with two other artists, Alexej von Jawlensky and Lyonel Feininger. They toured the United States to lecture and exhibit their work.

Jackson Pollock, born in the U.S., experimented with abstract expressionalism. Many of his techniques included pouring and splattering paint directly onto canvas. This method of producing art was somewhat controversial at the time. While Pollock had some supporters, he also had his fair share of critics.

Each of these artists made great contributions to the world and we will continue learning about them as well as their artwork and how it inspires us to create artwork of our own.