François Morellet (French, born 1926) Geometree No. 51, 1984 Tree branch and acrylic on canvas, 78 3/4 x 78 3/4" Gift of the artist, 1984

Francois Morellet is a self-taught painter who began his artistic career with landscapes, still lifes, and a series of unusual paintings using imagery and technique inspired by Australian bark paintings. In the early 1950s, however, Morellet completely changed his approach, and began creating paintings based on geometry and simple systems such as patterns and grids. In his Geometree series, begun in 1983, he explores the theme of the relationship between science and nature, and adds a new and playful dimension to his art. The obvious pun in the title pokes fun at his earlier geometric paintings and refers to the combination of man-made and natural geometry in works such as this. The artificial (painted) geometry is softened by the presence of tree branches, whose lines are not perfectly straight and whose forms cast shadows in certain lighting. The found objects (branches) help to determine the overall composition. Their shapes are repeated, continued, or complemented in the painted lines, and then the branches are attached to the canvas. At certain distances and from certain angles it is difficult to discern the real lines from the painted ones. The success of the combination challenges the traditional idea that nature and science are antithetical to one another and shows them in a harmony that is both thought-provoking and amusing.

There are more than one hundred works in the "Geometree" series. In some of them, curved branches and lines dominate; in others, straight lines prevail. Many canvases are covered with extremely complex patterns of line, while some have only a few. Lines can be heavy and thick, of a medium thickness as in the Gallery’s example, or so delicate that they seem to float across the canvas. Some have regular, repeated patterns, while others are totally random in composition. In a number of the Geometree works, the branch extends beyond the edge of the canvas, creating an entire other dimension to the work.

Regarding interpretation, Morellet has definite theories about the role of the artist and the part the viewer plays. He is very skeptical about the centuries-old idea of the artist as "genius," and the concept of a "masterpiece," and gives more responsibility to those who view his creations. He wrote that "the plastic arts must allow the spectator to find in them what he wants—that is to say what he brings to them himself." This can only be done if artists can "concern themselves with becoming simply the awakeners, the masters of ceremony of the general public—that public which still does not realize that it is itself a genius."

— Mariann Smith

SUGGESTIONS FOR HANDS-ON AND DISCUSSION ACTIVITIES

• You can start by discussing the difference between two-dimensional and three-dimensional works. Which of these works is which? Or does it depend on your viewpoint? The branch in Geometree No. 51 is not in itself two-dimensional. So, is this piece a sculpture or a painting? Is there a right answer to this? Many times the really exciting thing about art is that there is no right answer! Divide the children into two groups to debate whether this piece is sculpture or painting.
• Go for a walk and choose one branch, a stone, or another natural, organic material to be used in a two-dimensional piece. Use only black paint or crayon in addition to the object, which can be glued on to the paper.
• Go for a walk and find one manmade object—flattened metal, bits of cars, etc. Do the same exercise as in above. Gluing this might be more difficult. Explore other ways of getting it to stick—tape, sewing, etc.
• Go outside as a class and make a collection of items, separating them into manmade and organic piles. Divide into two groups and make a temporary, site-specific artwork out of each pile or a combination of the piles. Document with photos, sketches, or written descriptions. Give each work a title as a group. When finished, return the site to the state in which you found it.
• You could bring the above collections inside and create a more permanent artwork in the classroom.
• Assign some students to be critics and try to write a description and critique of the work they see. Have them collect art reviews from the newspaper and other library sources. Make a list of the information that should be included in a review or critique. They could interview (a tape recorder is great if available) the artists during and after the process of artmaking and take notes for their articles.