Matisse-Inspired Exploration of Positive and Negative Space

Led by Art Parent Danielle DiSalvo, Ms. Vaughn's first-graders explored the use of positive and negative space in a Matisse-inspired lesson.

The materials used are simple . . . sheets of different colored construction paper, scissors and glue sticks. Preparation is quite easy . . . just pre-cut different colored sheets of construction paper in 9 evenly sized rectangles (so that you have 3 rows of 3 pieces each). You'll also need to grab enough full-size sheets of paper for the entire class.

The lesson begins with a simple explanation of the idea that when a paper is cut, not only does the paper take on a different shape (positive space) but the empty space that is left behind becomes a shape of its own (negative space).

A simple way to demonstrate this is to use a piece of dark construction paper, cut it down the middle in a curving line and tape the pieces onto the whiteboard with a few inches between the pieces. The construction paper pieces will be their own shapes, but the white space in between becomes a shape of it's own.

After the demo, the children choose a full sheet of construction paper to serve as the background, plus 9 pieces of the smaller, cut-down construction paper in contrasting colors from the background color.

Instruct the children to cut their smaller sheets into abstract shapes, saving all the pieces that are cut away. Students can then experiment with arranging the cut pieces onto their full-size background paper. All pieces that have been cut out need to be arranged in the composition in some place or another.

A tip is to wait to give them the glue sticks until they've had an opportunity to experiment with moving pieces around to make a conscientious decision about their composition. Once the student has a composition that pleases them, give them a glue stick to affix the pieces permanently.

One final note . . . because the pieces are arranged in a 3 x 3 grid, the project could also be used as a basic mapping/math lesson if the grid were labeled with coordinates. A fun exercise would be to point to one cut shape and ask the children to find its match and name the coordinates where it's located.