Imants Tillers

and his

‘Inherited Absolute’

Please scroll down to Appendix for images of the works mentioned at right (or use button at right)

Stage 2/Stage 3

Subject matter: people

Forms: drawing, painting

Duration: 4 to 5 weeks

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Image Resources

• Inherited Absolute, Imants Tillers, 1992.

      Beyond the Frame kit  image 30

• The Virgin and Child with St Anne, Leonardo da Vinci, 1510
• The Painter’s Family, Georgio de Chirico, 1926

     To Image Appendix

Outcomes

Making

Stage 2

VAS2.1 – Represents the qualities of experiences and things that are interesting or beautiful by choosing among aspects of subject matter.

VAS2.2 – Uses the forms to suggest the qualities of subject matter.

Stage 3

VAS3.1 - Investigates subject matter in an attempt to represent likenesses of things in the world.

VAS1.2 - Makes artworks for different audiences, assembling materials in a variety of ways.

Appreciating

Stage 2

VAS2.3 – Acknowledges that artists make artworks for different reasons and that various interpretations are possible.

VAS2.4 – Identifies connections between subject matter in artworks and what they refer to, and appreciates the use of particular techniques.

Stage 3

VAS3.3 - Acknowledges that audiences respond in different ways to artworks and that there are different opinions about the value of artworks.

VAS3.4 - Communicates about the ways in which subject matter is represented in artworks.

Unit Overview

In this series of learning experiences, students will explore the artwork ‘Inherited Absolute’ by Imants Tillers (1992) and how the artist used appropriation to create this artwork. This artwork is in the permanent collection at the Orange Regional Art Gallery . Students will develop skills in drawing, painting and mixed media to produce their own images based on Tillers’ artwork.

Teachers may choose to all of the suggested learning experiences outlined in this unit or choose to do only one. The cornerstone of the unit, however, is to visit the Orange Regional Art Gallery to view ‘Inherited Absolute’. And while there, view the other exhibitions in the gallery.

Learning experiences

Teaching notes

Learning experience 1

Exploring appropriation and composition

Introduce the three artworks and the three artists. Discuss subject matter, media used, style etc.

Look at the three artworks side by side and ask students to suggest any similarities they may see between them.

Discuss why they think there are similarities. Introduce the concepts of appropriation and composition.

Discuss why artists would appropriate ideas and elements from the artworks of other artists.

Image resources

• The Virgin and Child with St Anne, Leonardo da Vinci, 1510
• The Painter’s Family, Georgio de Chirico, 1926

Beyond the Frame

• Inherited Absolute, Imants Tillers 1992

Information about the three artists can be easily located using the Internet.

Students will notice a lot of similarities between the Tillers and the de Chirico artworks. Draw their attention to the similarities in composition between them and the Da Vinci artwork.

Information about Tillers’ appropriation can be found on the back of the image from the Beyond the Frame kit, which can also be found on the ORG website. For general information, Google ‘appropriation (art)’, Wikipedia

Learning experience 2

Photocopy in black and white, and in A3 size, enough copies of the 3 artworks so that students can select 2 copies each.

Students cut up their 2 photocopies into random pieces, then reassemble them into the larger space, again at random. They are to leave spaces between each of the pieces.

Add colour to the image using crayons, coloured pencils or paint.

Students draw a grid onto the image and cut it into pieces to create enough parts for the whole class groups or at least a smaller group.

Students reassemble the grid parts using one of theirs and other students’ pieces.

Students redraw this new image onto A3 art paper, leaving a blank space to the left, right, top or bottom.

Paint this new image using colours similar to the Tillers artwork (neutrals). Overlay this with brown and gold oil pastels.

Use newspapers or magazines to cut and paste words that they identify with or that describe them.

Resources

A3 black and white photocopies of the three artworks above.

A3 art paper

Glue

Pencils

Oil pastels

Coloured pencils

Paint (watercolour)

Newspapers

Magazines

Learning experiences

Teaching notes

Learning experience 3

Students use viewfinders to select their favourite or interesting part of the artwork created in learning experience.

Students redraw this part of the artwork onto A5 (half of A4) pieces of paper.

Use paint and oil pastels to colour images.

Assemble the pieces into one class artwork or smaller group artworks. Glue onto cardboard sheets or news print.

Display beside colour photocopies of Tillers’ artwork with an explanation of the process.

Resources

Small view finders made of cardboard with a 5x7cm window, available at the gallery.

A5 paper

Paint

Oil pastels

Glue

Cardboard sheets or newsprint.