Karl Blossfeldt Stilllife Project

AWQ 4M - Karl Blossfeldt Still Life Project 

Name:_____________ 

Simple Nature Beauty 

Karl Blossfeldt was a German photographer, sculptor, teacher and artist 

who worked in Berlin, Germany. 

He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants. 

His subjects were plants and living things. He was inspired, as was his father, 

by nature and the way in which plants grow. 

STEP ONE: RESEARCH on the school network the work of 

Karl Blossfeldt: K:Drive/Mr.Arnett/AWQ 4M/Karl 

Blossfeldt Stilllife Project/intro.htm 

STEP TWO: REFLECT on the following questions on the 

attached question sheet. 

STEP THREE: Bring in from home 1 tree branch or leaf to be 

photographed. When selecting your still life object consider 

shape, texture and contrast. 

STEP FOUR: PHOTOGRAPH your object in any style you 

wish. Including, macro, wide angle, zoom. Use any black and 

white, sepia, collage, selective color to create a 3 different 

images. The background should be plain. Explore creative 

lighting to make your object look as unique as possible. 

Including, but not limited to artificial lights, natural light, 

reflectors, flash-it’s up to you. 

STEP FIVE: ARRANGE your photographs in Adobe 

Photoshop using photographic techniques/manipulation to 

create your finished (3 photos) using Layers. 

Karl Blossfeldt, Delphinium Larkspur 

STEP SIX: REFLECT by answering the following questions 

using the elements and principles of design on your work: 

1. What part of your finished project did you find most 

successful and why? 

2. What part of your finished project did you find least 

successful and why? 

3. If you had to do this project, what part would you change 

or improve on and why?

Artwork Title:__________________________________________Name:____________ 

A) Influences from past and present works: 

K:Drive/Mr.Arnett/AWQ 4M/Karl Blossfeldt Stilllife Project/intro.htm 

1. How has Karl Blossfeldt used line in his work? 

2. How has Karl Blossfeldt photographed his still life object(s) in an interesting and unique 

way? 

3. What about Karl Blossfeld’s still life photography that makes it appear timeless in nature? 

4. What kind of mood/feeling do you get from Karl Blossfeld’s still life photographs and why? 

B) Photographic/digital manipulation techniques used in my work and how they support 

my intended visual message: 

C) REFLECT on your completed work by answering the following questions using the 

elements and principles of design: 

1. What part of your finished project did you find most successful and why? 

2. What part of your finished project did you find least successful and why? 

3. If you had to do this project, what part would you change or improve on and why?

Karl Blossfeldt Still Life Rubric 

Name:__________ 

Knowledge/ 

Understanding 

Demonstrates 

understanding of the 

elements & 

principles of design 

in the object mosaic 

photograph 

Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 

Work does not 

meet 

assignments 

expectations for 

this category. 

Incomplete. 

0 

Student 

demonstrates 

limited 

understanding of 

the elements & 

principles of 

design in the 

photograph. 

0.25 

Student 

demonstrates 

some understanding 

of the elements & 


in the photograph. 

0.50 

Student 

demonstrates 

considerable 

understanding of the 

elements & 


in the photograph. 

0.75 

Student 

demonstrates 

a high degree of 

understanding of 


principles of 

design in the 

photograph. 

1 

/1 

Thinking/ 

Inquiry 

Karl Blossfeldt 3 Still 

Life photographs 

Work does not 

meet 

assignments 



Incomplete. 

0 

Student depicts 

object in 

photographs with 

limited 

effectiveness. 

0.25 


object in 


some effectiveness. 

0.50 


object in 


considerable 


0.75 


object in 


a high degree of 


1 /1 

Communication 

Clarity: 

Discusses artistic 

influences and 

research questions 

in the artistic 

statement 

Explains use of 

photographic/digital 

manipulation 

techniques in the 

artistic statement 

Reflective 

Questions: Strength, 

Weakness & Next 

Step 

Work does not 

meet 

assignments 



Incomplete. 

0 

Incomplete. 

0 

Incomplete. 

0 

Student 

discusses 

influences in the 


and research 

questions with 

limited clarity. 

0.25 

Student explains 

use of 

photographic 



with limited 

clarity. 

0.25 

Poor, yes/no 

answers/limited 

incomplete. 

0.25 

Student discusses 




statement with some 

clarity. 

0.50 


use of photographic 



with some clarity. 

0.50 

Somewhat coherent 

and somewhat 

complete. 

0.50 

Student discusses 




statement with 

considerable clarity. 

0.75 


use of photographic 



with considerable 

clarity. 

0.75 

Clear and 

substantial answers. 

0.75 

Student 

discusses 


research 

questions in the 


with a high 

degree of clarity. 

1 


use of 

photographic 



with a high 

degree of clarity. 

1 

Superior and 

insightful 

answers. 

1 

/1 

/1 

/1 

Application 

Creative Process: 

Creative Process: 

Demonstration of 

Skill Development & 

following procedures 

including Clean Up 

Incomplete. 

0 

Student 

demonstrates 

limited 

effectiveness in 

demonstrating the 

creative process 

and following 

procedures. 

5 

Student 

demonstrates some 



creative process and 

following 

procedures. 

5-6 

Student 

demonstrates 

considerable 



creative process and 

following 

procedures. 

7-8 

Student 

demonstrates 

superior 



creative process 

and following 

procedures. 

8- 10 

/10 

Uses elements & 


and photographic/ 

digital manipulation 

techniques to 

produce an effective 

3 object 

photographs 

Incomplete. 

0 

Student 

demonstrates 

limited use of the 

elements & 

principles of 

design and 

photographic 

techniques to 

produce an art 

work of limited 


1 

Student 

demonstrates some 

use of the elements 

& principles of 

design and 

photographic 

techniques to 

produce an art work 

of some 


2-3 

Student 

demonstrates 

considerable use of 



and photographic 

techniques to 

produce an art work 

of considerable 


3-4 

Student 

demonstrates a 

high degree of 

using the 

elements & 

principles of 

design and 

photographic 

techniques to 

produce a highly 

effective art work. 

5 

/5 

/20 

A1. The Creative Process: apply the creative process to create a variety of artworks, individually and/or collaboratively; 

A1.1 use various strategies, individually and/or collaboratively, with increasing skill to generate, explore, and elaborate on original ideas and to 

develop, reflect on, and revise detailed plans for the creation of art works that address a variety of creative challenges (e.g., extend their skills 

in using brainstorming, concept webs, mind maps, and/or groups discussions to formulate original and innovative ideas for an art work on a 

social or personal theme; use critical research skills to explore and elaborate on ideas; demonstrate fluency in formulating clear and detailed 

plans; demonstrate flexibility in revising their plans on the basis of reflection) 

A1.2 apply, with increasing fluency and flexibility, the appropriate stages of the creative process to produce two- and three-dimensional art 

works using a variety of traditional and contemporary media (e.g., extend their skills in working with a range of media; demonstrate flexibility in 

revising plans in response to problems encountered during other stages of the creative process; reflect on the effectiveness of preliminary 

versions of their work, and revise the work on the basis of reflection and self-assessment) 

A1.3 document their use of each stage of the creative process, and provide evidence of critical inquiry, in a portfolio that includes a range of

art works created for a variety of purposes (e.g., ensure that their portfolio includes the following: evidence of critical inquiry associated with 

idea generation and elaboration; evidence of research on how different artists approach specific themes and/or use particular techniques that 

can be adapted in their own work; preliminary and final works to show evidence of thoughtful revision), and review and reflect on the contents 

of their portfolio to determine how effectively they have used the creative process 

A2. The Elements and Principles of Design: apply the elements and principles of design to create art works for the purpose of self-expression and to 

communicate ideas, information, and/or messages; 

A2.1 apply the elements and principles of design with increasing skill and creativity to produce two- and three-dimensional art works that 

express personal feelings and communicate specific emotions 

A2.2 apply the elements and principles of design as well as a wide range of art-making conventions with increasing skill and creativity to 

produce art works that comment and/or communicate a clear point of view on a variety of issues 

A3. Production and Presentation: produce art works, using a variety of media/materials and traditional and emerging technologies, tools, and 

techniques, and demonstrate an understanding of a variety of ways of presenting their works and the works of others. 

A3.1 use with increasing skill a wide variety of media, including alternative media, and current technologies to create two- and 

three-dimensional art works for a variety of purposes 

A3.2 use with increasing skill a wide variety of traditional and current materials, technologies, techniques, and tools to create original art works 

for a variety of purposes and audiences 

B1. The Critical Analysis Process: demonstrate an understanding of the critical analysis process by examining, interpreting, evaluating, and 

reflecting on various art works; 

B1.1 demonstrate the ability to support their initial responses to a variety of art works with informed understanding of the works’ artistic form 

and function (e.g., describe their initial response to an art work, and explain in detail how specific aspects of the work’s content, formal 

qualities, and media inform that response) 

B1.2 deconstruct with increasing skill and insight the visual content and the use of elements and principles of design in their own art work 

and the work of others (e.g., extend their skills in identifying individual elements and principles and aspects of the visual content in an art 

work, interpreting their function, and analysing their effect; compare and contrast the use of shape, form, line, texture, space, and balance in 

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water and Moshe Safdie’s Habitat) 

B1.3 explain in detail, with reference to a variety of historical and contemporary art works how knowledge of a work’s cultural and historical 

context, achieved through extensive research, has clarified and enriched their understanding and interpretation of a work’s intent and 

meaning 

B1.4 describe in detail and reflect on with increasing insight the qualities of their art works and the works of others, and evaluate the 

effectiveness of these works using a wide variety of criteria (e.g., provide an informed explanation of why a work of art is, or is not, 

successful with respect to its ability to communicate a message or emotion, its technical and aesthetic conventions, its form and stylistic 

qualities, its originality) 

B2. Art, Society, and Values: demonstrate an understanding of how art works reflect the societies in which they were created, and how they can 

affect both social and personal values; 

B2.1 analyse, on the basis of research, the function and social impact of different kinds of art works in both past and present societies (e.g., 

how art works function to decorate private and public space, to investigate and draw attention to themes and issues, to criticize political 

policy and social norms, to satirize public figures, to memorialize people and commemorate events, to preserve aspects of a people’s 

culture; how works of art can symbolize political, religious, social, or economic power; the power of art to help change personal and public 

positions on social and political ideas) 

C1. Terminology: demonstrate an understanding of, and use correct terminology when referring to, elements, principles, and other components 

related to visual arts; 

C1.1 extend their understanding of the elements and principles of design, and use terminology related to these elements and principles 

correctly and appropriately when creating or analysing a variety of art works (e.g., when analysing how artists’ manipulation of space, 

movement, form, and proportion affects meaning in an installation or an environmental work) 

C1.2 explain in detail terminology related to a wide variety of techniques, materials, and tools (e.g., techniques and materials associated 

with installation art; additive and subtractive techniques, digital manipulation, impasto, optical colour mixing, pointillism), and use this 

terminology correctly and appropriately when creating, analysing, and/or presenting art works 

C1.3 explain in detail the stages of the creative process and the critical analysis process, and explain, using appropriate terminology, how 

these processes contribute to the successful creation and analysis of art works 

C2. Conventions and Techniques: demonstrate an understanding of conventions and techniques used in the creation of visual art works; 

C2.1 extend their understanding of a wide variety of techniques that artists use to achieve a range of specific effects (e.g., techniques used 

to create a range of textures in an art work, to develop the connection and relationship between forms in a composition, to draw attention to 

specific parts of a work) 

C2.2 extend their understanding of the variety of conventions used in visual art (e.g., allegory, appropriation, juxtaposition, synectics; 

conventions associated with formalism, objective and non-objective abstraction, propaganda, realism, social commentary), and explain in 

detail how they are used in a variety of art works 

C3. Responsible Practices: demonstrate an understanding of responsible practices in visual arts. 

C3.2 demonstrate appropriate health and safety procedures and conscientious practices in the selection and use of various materials, 

techniques, tools, and technologies when producing or presenting art works (e.g., demonstrate safe practices when creating installations, 

assemblages, earthworks, constructions, multimedia projects; demonstrate appropriate protocols, deportment, and respect for others 

when working in a studio or visiting a presentation space)

Karl Blossfeldt Stilllife Project

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