Art is at the Core: Piet Mondrian

If you’re looking for unique arts integration activities for your art room, the Piet Mondrian-inspired ideas below are sure to be a big hit with your students. They are so easy to incorporate and implement.

Who is Piet Mondrian?

Piet Mondrian grew up as one of five children in central Holland. His father was the headmaster of a local primary school and encouraged art and music in the home. Mondrian thought art and philosophy were deeply connected. He was also a prolific and was drawn to both spiritual and philosophical studies.  

Below are ideas for integrating Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie with other subjects.

Art is at the Core: Piet Mondrian

Jumping In

Have students view Broadway Boogie Woogie and imagine what it would be like to jump into the image. They can imagine what they would see, feel, hear, smell, and taste. Give them one to two minutes to think and then have them share with partners or in small groups. Make sure they justify what their conclusions.

For instance, if a student says they imagine they would smell something sweet if they jumped into the artwork, ask them why. Instruct them to share their “whys” with their partners and groups. This particular student might say the red, blue, and yellow squares make them think of candy which smells sweet.

That is an example of an appropriate justification. The point to this activity is to have the students really look deeply at the work which helps them connect and get engaged. 

Directions

After students have analyzed the work by “jumping in”, show them the delightful YouTube video, Lost in the City. This video was the final assignment for a student taking an Imaging and Animation class at RMIT. It turns Broadway Boogie Woogie into a city with trains and such traveling about.

It really helps the students see the artwork in a different way. After the students have an idea of how this work of art might be a city, have them identify cardinal directions as they look at a print. Essentially, they are turning the print into a map.

Next, have them identify left, right, up, and down. Then, ask them to work in pairs or independently to choose two or three points on the print as locations. They can name these locations. Perhaps one is an ice cream shop and another is the train station. They will figure out how to travel from one place to another.

Have them write down the directions using appropriate vocabulary. Take it a step further by having them create a scale to determine the travel distance and time it would take to get from one place to another in this imaginary city. This integrates analyzing artworks, math, and language arts!

Measurement

After you have taught the previous lessons to students, you can use Broadway Boogie Woogie to help the students interact with measurement in a new way. If you have taught the previous two lessons, your students will be connected and invested in this work. They will be eager to create their own version of Broadway Boogie Woogie.

You can have them cut out their own squares on red, blue, and yellow construction paper or provide them with precisely cut pieces depending on what is developmentally appropriate (not easiest) for your students. Have them arrange their shapes on a piece of white paper to mimic the feel of Mondrian’s work. The pieces should be in straight rows as if on a grid.

They will need to leave some places blank just as Mondrian did. They will need straight rows of colors and some spaces filled like rectangles and squares, just as Mondrian did. Have them estimate and measure these spaces. Then, have them convert their measurements. They can also use the squares to determine area and perimeter of different sections of the work and the work as a whole.

Take it up a notch by having the students share all of this data with the class and compile class graphs and charts recording the information. Then, students can analyze the class data and discuss it.

Final Thoughts

How awesome are these activities? I highly recommend giving them a try and even tweak them as needed. Don’t forget to reach out to me if you have any questions, need help, or have ideas of activities students can do to learn more about Piet Mondrian.