Talking Points: Frank Bowling
How can the way we choose to apply paint affect what we are trying to say?
With no pre planned way of making a painting, Frank Bowling’s work comprises of many layers of different materials built up over many months. Incorporating not only paint, but also found objects such as string, toys, banknotes, chalk and glitter, of which he combines with paint applied with brushes, poured from a height, sprayed and scraped using palette knives. His work is a diary, telling a story of when it was made, with each application of material a new chance to explore.
Use the videos below and the questions which follow to begin a discussion based around Frank Bowling’s work.
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Frank Bowling
‘Frank Bowling has been hailed as one of the finest British artists of his generation. Born in British Guiana in 1934, Bowling arrived in London in 1953, graduating from the Royal College of Art with the silver medal for painting in 1962. By the early 1960s, he was recognised as an original force in London’s art scene with a style combining figurative, symbolic and abstract elements.’ – Explore Frank Bowling’s website.
Questions to Ask Children
What objects would you choose to include in a painting? Why?
How would you describe the way he works in one word?
How does scale impact the way that the artist works?
Questions to Ask Children
How does Frank Bowling’s work make you feel?
What do you like/dislike about Frank Bowling’s work?
How does scale impact the viewers experience of the work?
Which geometrical shapes would you include in your abstract painting? Why?
Choose one of Bowling’s paintings to look at in class:
Ask children to describe the colour palette, movement and texture. If you can see objects on the paintings take a closer look and think about why he might have chosen them.
This Talking Points Is Used In...
using sketchbooks to make visual notes
Show me what you see
