Trial of Discovery Learning in Abstract Painting Appreciation

—Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie and Trees as Teaching Materials—

Abstract

The present paper examines the possibility of an appreciation education method that incorporates discovery learning into appreciation of abstract paintings in junior high school art classes. It appeared to be possible to encourage the discovery of the artist’s intention by having the students follow the transition of the works leading up to the creation of an abstract painting. Specifically, setting Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie as the work to be appreciated, we constructed a class to discover his intention through appreciation of his series of trees. As a result of developing a lesson centered on the dialogue between the teacher and students (approximately 140 junior high school third graders), the educational efficacy of incorporating discovery learning into the appreciation of abstract paintings was confirmed. The results revealed that most students made or deepened their expectations concerning the artist’s intentions by appreciating the series of trees. It was also shown that not only the works and the artists, but also the perspective and way of thinking concerning abstract paintings were deepened.