Meet the Artist: Sophie Taeuber-Arp by Zoé Whitley and Lesley Barnes

Meet Sophie Taeuber-Arp (pronounced Toy ∙ ber ∙ arp). She was an artist but also a dancer, designer, puppet maker, architect and editor.

Taeuber-Arp was a true pioneer of modern art. For her, abstraction was never just an idea; it was her way of life.

After studying applied art, she became a teacher and took dance lessons. She taught others how to design patterns for textiles (fabrics and weavings). Her way with colours and shapes unlocked new possibilities in art, costume and interior design because she made her own rules! Her special vision later influenced her many drawings, paintings and sculptures.

Abstraction means expressing yourself with colours and shapes without having to capture something exactly as it appears in real life.

Even among her creative friends, she was remembered for her unique imagination.

Mode r m ov e m n a r t o r m o de e t we n t i n t i n t h e f i r r n i s m i s a e s ar t, lit t h centur y t half of t he t hat erat drama ure, music, c hanged d by r e j ecting esign and traditi on.

Taeuber-Arp was part of the Dada movement. This was a group of artists who believed in creating brand new meanings for what art could be.

They decided that words could become pictures if they glued them together from magazines or newspapers and that poems could be made without words, by combining nonsense sounds and syllables instead.

These are called sound poems.

Make your own Dada poem using the words around the page.

r att e m ’t esn poem se o d It sen our i f y m a ke a ! s n ’t Dad doe t hat ’s –

Think about the sounds that each word makes.

Would you whisper the words or would you shout them?

Are they soft or sharp sounds?

You can act out or make a dance to your poem with a friend!

Taeuber-Arp’s husband Hans once compared her to an expert bricklayer because of the way she brilliantly put together different coloured squares and rectangles to make her paintings.

Taeuber-Arp sometimes used metallic paint to make her work shimmer! You could also use some aluminium foil to create a metallic frame for your work on the next page.

Make your own construction of shapes like the artwork on the opposite page by assembling coloured pieces of paper, cut to different sizes.

Imagine you are a builder, laying down different-sized and coloured bricks. Which shapes will go where? Which patterns do you want to make? Think about which colours you'd like to go together.

Stick your different shapes below for your own artwork.

Between 1937 and 1939 Taeuber-Arp edited the magazine Plastique, which was published in Paris and New York.

Imagine you are a magazine editor, designing an exciting new publication cover.

What will you call your magazine?

What subjects do you want to cover and how can you describe them in as few words as possible?

Which eye-catching colours will feature in your design?

Draw your magazine cover here.

Taeuber-Arp invented extraordinary patterns. She would draw out her ideas on paper first and then copy them onto crossstitch, accessories or clothing – however she wanted to express herself! Follow this colour by number game to reveal the design.

2

2 2

5 2

1.

Brown

2. Light blue

5

5

3. Light pink 2

4. Dark blue

4

5. Red

4 5

4 5

2 2

4

5

5

2

2 4 5

2 2

5

4 2 5 2

The pattern opposite can be used for decorating a notebook cover, a plain t-shirt (ask for permission!) or to make a cross-stitch design with the help of an adult.

4

2 5

3

2

2

2

3

5

1

2

3

2

4

3

2

3 4

4

3

5

5 5

2

3

3

5

4

2

5

4

4

4

5

2

3

5

2

5

2

3

4

2

3

4

4

2

3

5

1

5 4

1

5 3

3

1 2

1

1

5 3

3 3

5

4

2

5 4

5

4

5

2 2

4

2

5 2

5

5

2

4

2

2

5

4

2

4 3 4

4

4

4

2 2 2

2 5

2

3 5 5

4

4 3

3

Dressing-up was a fun way for the artist to express herself from a young age. She created bold costumes for carnivals and artist parties by sewing together pieces of fabric in similar patterns to her drawings and paintings.

Taeuber-Arp once wore a cardboard cone hat with streamers and a matching cardboard apron as part of her outfit to a friend’s house-warming party!

In this space, draw some of your own costume ideas.

Think about shapes and accessories.

Will your costume include hats and jewellery?

Taeuber-Arp made small items in beadwork including notebook covers, necklaces and bracelets, which meant it was possible to wear or carry her abstract designs.

Using tube-shaped pasta, design your own necklace inspired by the artist’s combination of colours.

You will need: •

Dry pasta, such as penne or macaroni

•

Different paints in lots of colours

•

A length of yarn or string thin enough to thread through the pasta and long enough for an adult to be able to safely and loosely tie it around your neck

e mak t o n W hy a t c h i n g g a m et usin el ce brac r t er pie o a sh str ing? of

You c multi an use -colo ure pasta inste d ad!

1. Decorate each piece of pasta using the paint and leave to dry. (You’ll want to cover your work surface beforehand to catch any spills.)

2. Thread the painted pasta along your piece of string.

3. Make sure to knot your finished necklace so the pieces don’t slip off

Be inspired by the artist but unafraid to be original.

She once said, “It is not possible to take ourselves back to the exact circumstances of those in a past era, attempting to create art in the style of the past is always inauthentic.” Sophie Taeuber-Arp would encourage you to be yourself and to make each artwork your own!