Thematic collage
Make a collage based on a theme

For Loopy, 1999 and other paintings from the Easyfun series, Koons began each composition with readymade images culled from product packaging, advertisements, and magazine photography. He then made paper studies that he scanned and manipulated further using Photoshop software. To execute each canvas, Koons worked with teams of assistants for up to six months, painstakingly applying thousands of computer-calibrated colors by hand.

 Loopy is a large scale painting at 9 feet tall. Circles and curves are prominent shapes in the painting. With your students look closely at this work. What do they notice about the composition? What connections can students find between the lines, shapes, and colors in this painting? Do students recognize any of the images in the painting? What other connections can they make with the images?

a. Ask your students to pick a topic of their choice, such as food, household products, toys, or digital devices. Have them find images that relate to their topic and create a collage composition. For collage material, students could use product boxes, wrappers, labels, and magazine images. Ask students to try and make all of the parts of their composition relate and connect by using line, shape, and color.

b. If older students have access to computers and imaging software such as Photoshop, ask them to scan their collages and use the software tools to further manipulate the lines, shapes, and colors of their collages.

c. Display students’ analogue and digital collages in your classroom. What did they choose as their theme and why? What connections did they make within their compositions? Are their themes and collage images related to their own lives? In what ways?