How Do I Love Thee: Embodied Thinking

Piet Mondrian's Boogie Woogie

 Primary Colors 

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 When studying color theory it is typical to introduce artists' work that illustrate a color scheme or other vocabulary. Piet Mondrian was an abstract artist known for his use of primary colors and geometric shapes.The piece shown above is titled Broadway Boogie Woogie and was painted in 1942. To encourage embodied thinking show the video of the couple dancing the boogie woogie. after the video discuss the relationship of the dance and the painting. Why do you think the artist painted this peice? What was happening in the world during this time and would that encourage the artist to paint such a cheerful subject? Students should make connections to the war and may have thoughts on why the artist would concentrate on subjects such as dancing. 


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After discussing the culutral context of the art and text have the students partner up and try to do the boogie woogie. Use youtube how to videos to help teach the dance or get a dance instructor to come to your classroom.

Embodied thinking is learning with our bodies. Normally when studying color theory we would not use our bodies in the notion of dance. Studying he artist Piet Mondrian offers a great learning experience. As mentioned above Piet Mondrian is known for his geometric paintings. Inside the MOMA you can view one of this most interesting peices, Broadway Boogie Woogie. The time period in which this peices was created offers a great way to teach cross curriculum with history, being the year 1942. Having the students reflect on the piece of why the artist may have created this peice in correlation to the time period is one type of embodied thinking using the notion of empathy. The students will be thinking as another person trying to figure out why they made the chooses they did. After the reflective thinkng students will actually learn the dance the peice was based on.

Learning the dance allows the students to kinetically be active in learning. The students will have a deeper connection to Piet Mondrian's work and most likely have a greater appreciation of the art. I also think the students will begin to think about different subject matters for their personal art other than landscapes, animals and portraiture. Many times students are hesitant to appreciate abstract art. They think that anyone could paint that and it's "stupid." I think learner deeper meaning in an artist's work will grow their art appreciation and give deeper thought into abstract art. Asking questions and putting yourself in the artist's shoes is a great way to begin to understand and appreciate art. Hopefully the questioning will continue when the students analyze other works of art.

Using embodied thinking teaching methods takes a lesson of looking at a peice to art to a cultural learning experience. The lesson will have a lasting impact on them and they will remember the piece, Broadway Boogie Woogie by Piet Mondrian.