Study how abstract artist Franz Kline's coal region roots inspired his art then create your own original industrial drawings.

• 1.

  Franz Kline was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on May 23, 1910. He grew up among sights associated with coal mining: dark, barren landscapes, industrial buildings, stark vistas. Kline typically sketched on telephone book pages. He once had the opportunity to see his work projected on a wall, and to observe the strength of the abstract shapes that he saw in his industrial drawings. From then on, his work became almost exclusively abstract.

• 2.

  Kline eventually moved to New York City, and was closely associated with important artists of the abstract expressionist movement. In his later years, Kline tried to reintroduce color into his work. Most of his art was black and white with small undercurrents of color. He painted with inexpensive house paints on unstretched canvas, in large, bold, abstract strokes. Study the similarities in his small- and large-scale creations.

• 3.

  To create an abstract painting in Kline's manner, begin by sketching a building or piece of machinery with Crayola® Colored Pencils. Use strong lines and no shading.

• 4.

  If you have access to an overhead projector, trace your drawing on a transparency with Crayola Markers, then project the image onto a large sheet of colored paper taped to the wall with masking tape. Trace your drawing with colored pencils. OR choose a section of your drawing that has interesting forms. Lightly redraw the lines on a large piece of colored paper with a colored pencil.

• 5.

  Cover a table with recycled newspaper. Use a wide sponge brush and black Crayola Tempera Paint to paint the lines. Dry.

• 6.

  Use a second sponge brush to paint in the areas surrounding the lines with white tempera. Be bold and expressive; leave some areas blank. Dry.

Standards

• LA: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
• LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
• LA: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade level topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
• LA: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
• SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.
• SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.
• SS: Explore factors that contribute to one's personal identity such as interests, capabilities, and perceptions.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Select and use the qualities of structures and functions of art to improve communication of ideas.
• VA: Describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural contexts.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resources include: Franz Kline by Harry F. Gaugh; Franz Kline (1910-1962) edited by Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev, David Anfam, & Dore Ashton
• Invite a community member that is familiar with the history of coal mining in Pennsylvania to speak with the class. Prior to the meeting, students share and review photograph of coal-,\mining regions such as near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where Franz Kline grew up. Students compose questions for the expert. After the meeting, students post learning to a class blog.
• Encourage students to research the history and status of coal mining. In what areas of the world has coal been found? What are the types of coal? What has coal been used for? What mining and transportation techniques use coal? What are the benefits and limitations of burning coal? How does the energy efficiency of coal compare to other fuels for heating and generating electricity?