Pablo Picasso
November lesson Plan for Kindergarten
Abstract Faces
Biographical information
Pablo Ruiz Picasso
Born October 25, 1881 in Malaga Spain – died April 8th, 1978 in Mougins France
Pablo Picasso was labeled the “Hero of Modern Art.” At the age of seven, Picasso began
to paint, completing his first oil painting one year later. He began studying art when he
was 11 and continued until he was about 16. By his 20th birthday, Picasso had moved to
Paris, France and had begun to develop new art styles that the world had not yet seen.
Picasso is one of the most recognized artists in the world. He is best known for helping
to create the Cubist movement and for the many different styles of art he practiced. One
of Picasso's greatest fears was not being a good artist. Picasso produced 20,000 artworks
during his 70-year career.
While Picasso’s career included many different styles of art, in this lesson we are going
to be learning about Picasso’s Abstract period. Abstract art is when an artist recreates an
image that looks different than it appears in nature. In Abstract art, forms (such as
people) are modified or changed to emphasize certain parts of the image (person’s face).
Abstract art uses a combination of colors and lines to create pieces of art that reflect
something maybe only the artist sees. Abstract art is different from most art. It is not as
much about the object in the painting as it is about the feeling it invokes. Interpreting
abstract art takes more than simply looking at the art. For abstract art to become more
than just "a piece," the artist must make the person looking at the art feel an emotion.
Because of this, when a group of people view an Abstract work of art, they may all have
a different viewpoint of what the artist was trying to show us. Below is a list of things to
consider when viewing abstract art.

Great abstract art will hold different meaning for each person viewing it.

Look at the use of colors, shadows and textures. Study the art to see if these things
work well together.

Find out the feeling that the art evokes, feelings are often expressed by colors and
shapes. Colors and shapes that do not work well together create feelings of
turmoil, fear, anxiety, hate or sadness. Colors and shapes that you feel belong
together create happier, calmer feelings.

Read the title of the art. The title may allow you to see the abstract art from
another perspective. Ask yourself if the title changed your thoughts about the
piece.
Show the students Picasso's paintings, Girl Before a Mirror and Woman with a Blue Hat.
Direct the students to the faces in the paintings and discuss how Picasso changed the
faces from natural looking faces to abstract faces.
Vocabulary Words
Color – Helps to create the mood of a painting. Bright, warm colors can give a feeling of
warmth, love or enthusiasm. Cool colors can give a feeling of calm or peace. Whereas,
very dark or drab colors can give a feeling of sadness and disrepair. Color is relative,
which means that how a color looks depends on the colors around it, the colors it is
mixed with, and the amount of light on it.
Line – A line is whatever appears in an artwork in the distance between two points. A
line has more length than width and can be straight, curved, or jagged. Lines can be
made by a pencil, a marker, a stick, or other items. The outside edges of objects can be
lines. Lines are used to show direction and to communicate moods and feelings.
Shape – Can be two or three-dimensional. Two-dimensional shapes have only height
and width. They are created when the ending point of a line connects to the beginning
point of the same line. Three-dimensional shapes have height, width, and depth.
Abstract - Art, including painting, sculpture, and graphic art that does not represent
recognizable objects.
Discussion Questions
Here are a few questions to ask the students while showing examples of Picasso’s works
of art.
What do you see?
Why do you think he uses the colors he does?
How could he rearrange the faces to look interesting or silly?
Do you see any sort of pattern that he seems to use in his paintings?
Why do you think Picasso chose to represent his figures in this manner?
Here are some questions to ask the students after they have completed their project. If
time allows, they can even use their own works of art to answer the following.
How did this project make them feel?
Did they like drawing this way?
Basically a brief reflection on what they had created. This is designed to be a fun activity
that introduces children to a new style of art.
Picasso Faces Project Details
Materials: 12”x18” black construction paper, Oil pastels and white crayons (students
can use their own white crayon). Project example
Girl Before a Mirror painting
Read –Picasso and the Girl with the Ponytail
Demonstrate the lesson by following these step by step instructions, please remember to
have the students put their name on the back of their paper and to roll up their sleeves.
1. Draw a circle for a face, using a white crayon.
2. Draw a profile down the face.
3. Draw the front view of an eye and a side view of an eye. You can place one eye in
a different place.
4. Draw the mouth.
5. Make crazy hairstyles. Draw each hair.
6. Outline every single line with a black pastel.
7. Color all parts a different color.
Pablo Picasso
Girl Before a Mirror
Woman with a Blue Hat