Focus on Line and Shape
Global Positioning Systems
Arturo Herrera
b. 1959, Caracas, Venezuela; lives in Berlin and New York
When Alone Again III, 2001
Latex paint on wall
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami
Main Objective
Students will investigate the creative process of Arturo Herrera and create an abstract drawing
exploring line and shape.
Florida Standards
English Language Arts
Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons (LAFS.3.W.1.1).
Visual Arts
Manipulate art media and incorporate a variety of subject matter to create imaginative artwork
(VA.3.F.1.1).
Materials
Coloring book pages
Tracing paper
Pencils
Large drawing paper
Tape
Colored pencils
Vocabulary
Abstract Art
Abstract art is the work of an artist that focuses on colors, shapes, lines or forms with little or no
recognizable imagery.
Composition
Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art; such
as lines, shapes, forms and colors created by an artist.
About the Artwork
This work which is painted anew, directly on the wall, each time it is installed—appears at first glance
to be a monumental abstract composition in the style of the Abstract Expressionist “drip” painter
Jackson Pollock. A closer look reveals the fragments of another iconic reference: the famous scene in
the classic Disney animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), in which the dwarfs march
through the forest singing “Heigh-Ho.”
Opening Inquiry
Introduce When Alone Again III by Arturo Herrera. Ask students to take several minutes to look
closely at the projected image.
• How would you describe the lines in this artwork?
• How is color used in this work? Does it help you to look at the work in a particular way?
• Do you see any recognizable images in Herrera’s mural?
Art-Making Steps
1. Provide each student with a coloring book page, tracing paper, drawing paper and a pencil.
2. Ask students to tear their coloring page into small pieces (1” x 1”) and create a new
composition by layering the pieces in interesting ways. Encourage students to make an
abstract composition and avoid recognizable images.
3. Using tracing paper, ask students to trace the lines from their new composition. Students can
rotate their tracing paper several times to repeat section of the composition.
4. Lastly, students will mount their drawings on a sheet of drawing paper using tape and will color
the drawing using markers or colored pencils
Closing Inquiry
• Do any two compositions look the same? How and why are they different?
• How many different compositions do you think are possible from a single original work?
Assessment
Ask students to lay out their completed works and have each student choose a different work (apart
from their own) to write an interpretative paragraph. In the paragraph, ask them to describe what they
see, what they think is going on and the overall mood of the drawing.