Our Natural World - FRAME project

Exploring and playing with colours and shapes

Activity from the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

Juliette Barthélemy, from the Public, Mediation Projects, and Students Department at the Palais de Beaux-Arts de Lille, invites you to discover a piece by Sonia Delaunay.

As you explore this work, let your imagination run wild and make connections with the colours and shapes of nature. You will then create an abstract composition by tracing objects that you have on hand and then adding whatever colours you want.

Although designed for people with autism, this activity is suitable for all groups. Adult assistance is recommended.

Take a good look at this painting by artist Sonia Delaunay. What do you see? What do these shapes and colours make you think of? Waves on a lake? An airplane propeller? A funny owl? A rainbow seen through a kaleidoscope?

What do you think this piece represents? Could it represent the sounds of nature? Do you find that the colours seem like different textures?

Sonia Delaunay, born Sophie Stern or Sara Illinichtna Stern, Odessa (Ukraine) 1885-1979 (Paris), Rythme couleur no. 1076, 1939, oil on canvas, 154 X 158 cm. Collection: Centre national des arts plastiques / Fonds national d'art contemporain, Paris, on loan to the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille

In this abstract work, the artist wanted to represent what it’s like to play with shapes and colours. She enjoyed the energy, sensations and rhythm evoked by her paintings.

Now it's your turn to play with the shapes and colours of life.

For this activity, you will need to collect objects inside or outside your home and get a large sheet of paper, pencil crayons, and oil or dry pastels. Are you ready? Let's go!

Écouter l'activité

Explorer les couleurs et les formes

Invite your child to look for shapes around the house. A book can be a rectangle, a CD can be a circle, etc. Ask them to name the shapes and play!

It’s art time! Take your objects and a large sheet of paper or several sheets assembled into a big one and help your child draw the outlines. You can align the shapes next to each other or overlap them.

Switch to colour! Take the pencil crayons, pastels or paints and start colouring in one direction per shape. If need be, help your child stay inside the lines, which will also reassure them when everything is contained. Keep choosing colours to enhance the shape’s beauty! Always change the colouring direction to add depth to the texture.

Play with the background colour. Finally, don't hesitate to mix colours so that they move and come alive! When the piece is finished, don't forget to get your child to sign it. This means that the work is done and the activity is over. Stand at a distance to appreciate the work and invite other family members to come and admire this magnificent achievement. Hang it up in your home to make your child feel good about themselves!

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