Charles Demuth Inspired Precisionist Cityscapes

One of my favourite painting activities to do with my students are these cityscapes inspired by the art of Charles Demuth.  We started by drawing the industrial cityscape, complete with smokestacks (which led to a discussion of just what exactly is a smokestack) before applying our first paint colours.  To get the hard-edged style of Demuth's cityscapes, I then had the students use masking tape to break up the scene, before painting the entire cityscape again in darker colours.  This layering of colour was a great way to introduce the concept of value, and the kids loved peeling off the tape to reveal the end result.

      

 Our Inspiration Artist:

 Charles Demuth, Self Portrait, 1907

Examples of Demuth's Artworks:

Charles Demuth, Aucassiu and Nicolette, 1921

Charles Demuth, From the Garden of the Chateau, 1921-25

These are just a few of the paintings created by some of my older elementary students: