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Matthew
Ritchie: Proposition Player
LESSON PLAN
Emphasizing Scale When Creating a Site-Specific Work of
Art
OBJECTIVES
1. To learn about Matthew Ritchie’s site-specific
art
2. To learn how to re-create large scale drawings, possibly
as a group project
MATERIALS
Overhead projector, butcher block paper, drawing and painting
supplies
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION
Matthew Ritchie is an artist who was born in London in
1964 and is now living in New York City.
Seven years ago, Ritchie embarked on an impressive undertaking—to
create his own “map of everything” from the
Big Bang forward. His tale is told in paintings, drawings,
and other media through a visual language of his own making:
a group of characters that are drawn from such diverse
sources as mythology, quantum physics, alchemy, gambling,
biblical stories, pulp fiction, and cartoons. Mining lost
causes, speculative science and the abandoned corners of
our culture, Ritchie’s project celebrates the countless
connections to be found in our seemingly chaotic universe.
Matthew Ritchie, Where I’m
Coming From, 2003
Matthew Ritchie makes very complex large-scale wall drawings,
paintings and sculptures. Many of these pieces start out
as small drawings which are then re-created on large surfaces.
Many times these drawings are layered upon each other to
create a dense network of lines, colors and shapes.
Matthew Ritchie, Off the
Hook, 2003
Much of Ritchie's artwork is site specific, meaning it
is a unique work of art that is created specifically for
a designated area. In museums and galleries, these pieces
are often temporary and no longer exist after they are
taken down.
ACTIVITY I
Have the students make pen and ink drawings on letter size
paper. Take a drawing and photocopy it onto transparency
film. Tape a large piece of butcher block paper to the
wall and project the drawing onto it. Trace the drawing
onto the paper. Be sure to recreate all of the details
of the drawing, such as the thickness of the line and shading,
if any.
[OPTION:
Create a multi-layered wall drawing as a group project.
Choose several of the students’ drawings and copy onto transparency film.
Next, layer the transparencies on the projector and move them around until a
pleasing and energetic composition is agreed upon by the students.
Fill in the outlines with paint (or colored pencils or collage elements).
Choose a site and time to hang the final project. The location may be on a wall,
floor, ceiling, or may be pinned across a combination of the above. The time
be long term— in the classroom for the duration of the semester, or short
term—on the hallway floor until it’s trampled by students or across
the lockers in the hallway until the bell rings for the next class.
CLOSURE:
Discuss the difference between the original drawing and the final project. How
did the larger scale change the drawing? Discuss the impact of the location and
time period of the display of the project. Think of other places and times for
future site-specific works of art.
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