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| Karel Appel |
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| Karel Appel |
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| Karel Appel |
We took a look at Dutch COBRA painter Karel Appel (1922-2006). Some of our students referred to him as "Caramel Apple". Ha ha.
Appel's abstract animals and figures are bright, childish, expressive and most importantly, happy. Appel painted during the dark and depressing war and post-war era in Holland, and was therefore determined to bring joy and color to the world through his art. His colors are bold and fine-tuned with the careful placement of black and white. His subjects are animated and delightful.
We discussed Appel's use of color, form and shape. We began by taping our paper edges with artist tape, to give us that clean border when done, just like Appel. Then we drew our own imaginative, creative, fun, abstract figures. Using tempera paints and gauche we are using pure, bright colors to create strong contrasts. When painting was complete, we outlined our figures with a strong black line using a small brush.
We had so much fun with this project! Some of us decided to create abstracted animals (cows, cats, dogs, hippos) while others created truly invented creatures. Either way, our creativity was flowing freely, which juxtaposed nicely with the need to think critically about the placement of color, line and shape.
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| Karel Appel in process |
