Self-Portrait

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool drawing! It's a self-portrait, which means it's a picture an artist made of themselves. This one is by an artist named Theo van Doesburg. He lived a long time ago! nn Does anyone know what a self-portrait is? (Pause for answers) That's right! It's like looking in a mirror, but instead of seeing yourself, you see how the artist saw themselves. nn This drawing is special because it's made with red chalk. Can you see the red? (Point to the drawing) It's not like a crayon, but it's similar. Theo used the chalk to make lots of little marks. See how some parts are darker and some are lighter? That's how he showed the shape of his face and his clothes. It's a bit like a puzzle, isn't it? He used light and dark to make his face look three-dimensional. nn What do you think Theo was feeling when he drew this? (Pause for answers) Maybe he was thinking about his work, or maybe he was just thinking about himself. It's a mystery, but that's part of what makes art so interesting! The drawing is simple, but it tells us a lot about Theo. nn This drawing was made a long time before Theo became super famous for his other art. But even then, you can see he was a very good artist! He was already really good at showing how things look and how people feel. nn So, take a good look at Theo's self-portrait. What do you notice about the way he used the red chalk? What do you think he wanted us to see? (Pause for answers and encourage discussion). Remember, there are no wrong answers when we look at art! It's all about what you see and feel. nn