• This discussion could be used as a warm-up activity or at the beginning of a unit.
• As an extension, students could write a poem to accompany this painting.

To many students, abstract renditions will seem meaningless; many may seem reluctant to take on the task of thinking about—let alone analyzing—a work that doesn’t “seem real” to the concrete-thinking middle school student. By discussing abstract works, such as Motherwell’s Black on White, students must work through those pre-conceived notions, developing grit and endurance along the way. Through this process, students can practice the important skills of endurance and grit, and the desire to rework ideas. The ability to endure is a critical skill in the language arts curriculum beyond mere stamina to get through testing situations. When analyzing literature or responding to critical thinking questions, the desire to rework ideas and stick with the problem and analysis is a critical prerequisite to this deeper thinking and the ability to relay that thinking to others.

• How would you describe the various lines in this painting? Consider their thickness and color.
• How does the artist use lines to create depth?
• How do the lines show movement and gesture within the painting?
• Notice the limited color palette. How would this work be different if more or brighter colors were included?
• Compare and contrast the right and the left sides of the painting.
• How does the artist create juxtaposition between the sides through his use of lines and movement?
• While there is a clear dissonance between the sides, how does the artist create a sense of harmony within the work?
• How would this work be different if it were smaller? Would it have the same overwhelming effect on the viewers?

• How does the artist add drama to the composition without communicating violence or competition?
• Why do you think the artist would select the title Black on White?
• Notice how the artist does not cover up the drips and rough texture. Despite these details, do you think there is a sense of intention and design within the work? Why would the artist leave those “mistakes” on the canvas?
• Without depicting recognizable objects, how does the artist communicate deep, emotional truths of the human experience?
• Although there are no recognizable forms on this side of the work, do any of the shapes resemble objects found in nature? How do these associations help the viewer connect to the work of art?
• Compared with the careful and contemplative left, the right side of the painting seems chaotic and destructive and is bursting with active energy. How does the artist connect the two sides to craft a greater message?
• Do you agree that the two sides balance and complement each other instead of opposing one another? Justify your answer.
• How could this work be representative of the dualities of life and death, love and loss, and failure and triumph that human beings experience throughout full and complex existences?

• After giving students ample time to observe this work of art, ask what inferences students can make about the subject, with particular emphasis on what clues lead them to their inferences and conclusions.
• Have students make inferences as to the artist’s country and the time period of the piece.
• Why do you think the artist chose to render this as an abstract expression rather than a recognizable subject?
• What mood does the artist want to create in the observer?
• Inform students that the artist lived in the 20^th century and is American.  Do either of those pieces of information change the students’ perceptions as to the interpretation of the work?  Why or why not? (Activate students’ prior knowledge o/cultural awareness)
• Does the painting seem “balanced?” If you agree that it is, how does the artist create this sense of balance? How might this be similar to the approach a writer must take to the organization of a written piece?
• Does the work seem “static” or “dynamic?” Why or why not?
• Divide the painting in half vertically and have students make observations on each half. Do the parts taken individually have a different mood than the overall piece? Why or why not?
• What is the artist trying to say with this piece? Are students’ impressions the same after the discussion as they were in the beginning? Why or why not?

The first thing viewers may notice about this painting by artist Robert Motherwell, a prime example of the expressive properties of raw paint on canvas, is that is has no “obvious” subject matter. Instead, the artist features bold and sweeping splashes of paint on the canvas to express deep, emotional truths of the human experience.

                     

Here, Motherwell used a limited palette of colors, earthy tones enlivened with the dramatic use of black. The thick, black brushstrokes range from feathery and drip-like to solid and heavy. This parallels a balance between other contradictory elements in the painting such as intellect/emotion, shape/line, sweeping gesture/measured rhythms—all very characteristic of Abstract Expressionist works. The black stroke is reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy and brush painting where the brushstroke can express poetic and lyrical rhythm. Additional rhythm is created from the spaces between the brushstrokes and color structure.

 

While the panoramic format is typically associated with landscape, the large-scale size allows the viewer to be engulfed in the work. The size and gestural brushwork are symbolic of the artist’s exploration of inner turmoil and anxiety. The shapes on the left side of the work are much more controlled than those on the right. Although there are some points of overlap among the shapes on the left, Motherwell attempted uniformity in creating their contours and edges. While some of the lines may appear to be bulky, they interact with one another with finesse. The fine, rounded intricacies of the red form lend it an organic gracefulness. Compared to the careful and contemplative left, the right side of the painting seems chaotic and destructive and is bursting with active energy.

 

Despite this strong contrast, the two moods exist in harmony. The clash between the legs of the large, central “x” adds drama without communicating violence or competition. Instead, the two sides exist in a yin-yang relationship on the canvas, balancing and complementing each other. The canvas could represent the dualities of life and death, love and loss, and failure and triumph that human beings experience.

 

Motherwell belonged to a group of artists known as the Abstract Expressionists, who strove to uncover their most personal feelings directly through making art. The movement exploded onto the art scene after WWII with its characteristic energetic application of paint (dripping, smearing, slathering, and flinging). Although at first glance it seems that a kindergartner could have painted this work, Motherwell and his peers cultivated the interplay of skill and unplanned occurrences to determine the painting’s final outcome.