Art

This term students from Foundation to Grade 4 have all been investigating the Element of Space. Space can refer to the positioning of subjects, the positive/negative space that the subjects create, and depth of field i.e foreground, middleground and background.  Students learnt about the Japanese design concept of ‘Notan’, which involves the play and placement of light and dark elements as they are placed next to each other in a composition. The word ‘Notan’ means light and dark harmony.

 The Grade 1 and 2 students demonstrated their understanding of positive and negative space by cutting a shape out of a small coloured square and then flipping the shape over. The resulting space the shape creates is considered the ‘positive’ space and around the shape is the ‘negative’ space. This was repeated 12 times with the students creating a checkerboard pattern. 

The Grade 3 and 4 students were also investigating Japanese Notan, specifically the art of ‘Expanding the Square’. The students were given one square piece of black paper and made single, double cuts or more on one side of the square and then flipped the shapes out. The square had to appear balanced, although not necessarily symmetrical, ensuring that each side of the square was cut, and no large space was left. A beautiful background was created with liquid water colour which was a striking contrast to the black lines and shapes.