Louise Nevelson Sculptures

Born Sept. 23, 1899/1900, Kiev, Russia — died April 17, 1988, New York, N.Y., Louise Nevelson was a Ukrainian-born U.S. sculptor. Born in Kiev, she moved with her family to Maine in 1905.  She studied at New York's Art Students League and with Hans Hofmann in Munich (1931). Her early figurative sculptures feature blockish, interlocking masses and found objects that anticipate her mature style. By the 1950's she was working almost exclusively in abstract forms. She is best known for the large, monochromatic abstract sculptures of this period, consisting of open-faced wooden boxes stacked to make freestanding walls. Within the boxes are highly suggestive collections of abstract-shaped objects mingled with pieces of architectural debris and other found objects skillfully arranged to produce a sense of mystery and then painted a single colour, usually black. She is recognized as one of the foremost sculptors of the 20th century. http://www.answers.com/topic/louise-berliawsky-nevelson

Second grade students examined and discussed the life and art of Louise Nevelson.  We analyzed the piece pictured above entitled "Case with 5 Balusters".  Students engaged in a discussion of her composition focusing on her choices of materials and paint.  Then they chose five items of identical shape and arranged them on a piece of

They chose 5 more after this first step.  The reasoning behind the two groups of shapes was to pay homage to the 2 groups of 5 identical shapes Nevelson chose for her composition.  After the 10 shapes were glued to the cardboard, students  used many different shapes to fill in their compositions, making them both formulaic and abstract compositions.  They are currently on display  in the first and second grade hallway and by the Treehouse.