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Torn Paper

Jean Arp (1887-1966) was an artist who would tear up pieces of paper and let them fall in order to inspire his compositions. Students will create their own torn paper collages as they learn about Arp.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Jean Arp was born in Strassburg, Germany which is now Strassburg France. Because he was of both German and French Alsatian ancestry his parents gave him two names: Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp and Jean-Pierre Guillaume Arp. He was an avant-garde artist and one of the founders of Dadaism. Have students investigate how he let random elements inspire his creations. Ask them to view "Collage with Squares According to the Laws of Chance" (1917) and other works of his, several of which carry the subtitle "according to the laws of chance." Explain that he used a "torn paper" ("papiers déchirés") approach to guide him. He would let torn pieces of paper fall to the floor to determine the composition of his collages or paintings.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to create their own torn paper collage. They could let pieces fall to the floor, as Arp did, to inspire the composition. They could also add additional features with markers to embellish the work.

  • Step 3

    Have students present their art and talk about how it was created. Did they arrange the torn paper according to the laws of chance? If so, how did it affect their artistic vision?

Standards

ARTS: Speculate about processes an artist uses to create a work of art.

ARTS: Explore and invent art-making techniques and approaches.

Adaptations

John Cage (1912-1992) was an American avant-garde composer. In 1985 he wrote a piece for percussion ensemble to celebrate the art of Jean Arp. It was called...ready?..."But What About the Noise of Crumpling Paper Which He Used to Do in Order to Paint the Series of "Papiers Froissés' Or Tearing Up Paper to Make "Papiers Déchirés?" Arp Was Stimulated by Water (Sea, Lake, and Flowing Waters Like Rivers), Forests." Have students learn about this piece and some of Cage's other music.

Have students explore other collage artists such as Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), David Hockney (1937-), Henri Matisse (1869-1954) and others.