Wow, we really need to applaud our fourth graders--they have made some amazing fruits and vegetables in a nod to surrealist artist Rene Magritte, who painted several paintings featuring enormous fruits and flowers in tiny rooms.
We created terra cotta fruits and vegetables and then installed them in little rooms we made from paper, to create a surrealistic environment. Stepping into the realm of science, Fourth Grade learned how clay goes through a complete chemical change when it is heated at high temperatures, becoming terra cotta (Latin for "hard earth"). Basically, it becomes metamorphic rock! Then we painted the terra cotta with glaze, which is made from crushed sand. Sand, when heated to high temperatures, melt and hardens, becoming glass. So when we glazed our fruits and vegetables, it was like coating the metamorphic rock with igneous rock!
Parents, you can dialog with your kids--ask them some questions!
*What is surrealism?
*What kind of things did Rene Magritte paint?
*What was your favorite Magritte painting? Describe it.
*What would you put in a surrealistic artwork?
I enjoyed your blog. And because of your interesting blog, I learned that I can go to the museum for free on the first Saturday of each month. Thank you!!!
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