Here’s an open letter to my 6-year-old nephew, Bertie. I sent him a postcard from 798 Art Zone in Beijing with a link to this blog post written on the postcard. If he receives it, it will give him some fun themed activities he can access himself or with his class mates if his teacher thinks it might be relevant. I sent the postcard to him via his school.

This blog is part of a series on a similar theme. If you would like to read another post from this series, click here: A postcard from Yonghe Temple, Beijing.

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Dear Bertie

As you may know, I’m a fan of art and believe everyone needs art in their life. Art is not just paintings; it can be many things such as books, films, poems, theatrical performances, and even buildings. So, when someone asked if I wanted to visit the art district in Beijing, I jumped at the chance.

The 798 Art Zone was originally an industrial area. When the factories were closed, the artists moved in.

Today, you can find plenty of interesting buildings and art exhibitions ranging from the traditional to the modern. Here’s a video of my day:

What do you think? Was there anything you found particularly interesting?

I decided to create my own abstract expressionist drawing a bit like the ones in the video. I got my pens ready, put my paper on the table, closed my eyes, and started to draw what came to my mind. I didn’t draw what I could see but rather how it made me feel. When I was finished, I opened my eyes and had a look but didn’t change anything afterwards. Would you like to see my drawing? Here it is:

What do you think? Can you think of some ways to describe it? When I was drawing, I was thinking of the sun setting on a beach. The orange represents the sun, the blue represents the sea, and the grey represents the sky.

If you would like to create your own abstract expressionist drawing, take a piece of paper and some coloured pens or pencils. As you will be drawing with your eyes closed, you might want to put something underneath the paper in case you go over and draw on the table. When you are ready, close your eyes and start drawing what first comes to mind. Remember, you are not drawing what you can see but more how it makes you feel. Once you have finished, open your eyes and take a look but don’t change anything.

If you are doing this activity with your friends in class, or at home, you could create an art gallery by sticking everyone’s artwork to the walls. Walk around, look at and discuss each piece of art, saying what you think it represents.

To help you, here is some success criteria:

• Write your name on your drawing.
• Stick all drawings on the wall. It’s best if they are spaced out.
• Play some art gallery music to set the mood:

• Walk around and discuss what you think each piece of art represents. Say:
  • I think it looks like …
• Use some positive language:
  • Yeah, it looks totally cool!
  • Wow! This is amazing!
  • That’s incredible!
  • The colours are so strong!
  • I love the shapes!
  • This is so expressive!
  • Yeah, I totally love it.
• Ask others their opinion by saying:
  • What do you think?
• Once you have finished, share your ideas together as a group.

I hope you enjoyed this activity!

Take care and I’ll send you another postcard soon!

Uncle Oliver x

References:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/798_Art_Zone

https://www.chinadiscovery.com/beijing/798-art-district.html

Music: The Noveltones, Left Bank Two https://youtu.be/0ztdqrMRiKc?si=VIuxLGUkEHrbagON

Are you a teacher? If yes, you might be interested in these adaptable games and board games, including a language dominoes template: Games and board games