CHESS Ar tistic
Chess is one of the world’s old- est games, invented in India before 600 AD. The original pieces were inspired by the
infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots of the ancient Indian army. The
design of chess
pieces changed
when the game
spread to the
West, reflecting the society
of medieval
Europe. The
king remained,
pawns were the foot soldiers, horses
became knights, and the queens
became the most powerful players on
the board. The pieces are individuals,
each with their own abilities and purpose in a battle of logic and creativity.
Even those who do not speak the same
language can play the game together,
just as we all can understand the language of art.
As an approach in teaching art history to my eighth grade classes, we
created a chess set that reflects the
important artists and art movements
of the twentieth century, from Impressionism to the electronic age. This
project could be adapted for any art
movements, cultures, or styles.
Christine Horvatis Blackwood
est impact on art in the twenty-first
century. Pablo Picasso, Faith Ringgold,
Alfred Stieglitz, and Georgia O’Keeffe
became the kings and queens, and
students interested in recreating their
work submitted sketches. Those with
the most effec-
tive designs
were assigned
these pieces.
The rest of the
students chose
an artist from
our final list
and continued
with their research and ideas for a
sculptural chess piece based on that
artist’s work.
Students were encouraged to visualize paintings as sculptures and to
interpret them from all sides in three-dimensional form. They imagined
the additional aspects of the artwork
that would be evident if we could see
As an approach in teaching
art history to my eighth grade
classes, we created a chess
set that reflects the important
artists and art movements of
the twentieth century.
behind, around, and through the originals. The structures were to stand
freely, show correct proportion and
balance, and work within the vertical space on the chessboard. We set
a maximum height of 18" ( 45 cm) in
order to have a unified set. We cut a
chessboard from plywood and painted
it with 6" ( 15 cm) squares.
Making the Bases
I purchased round plastic containers
and filled them three-quarters full
with plaster. It is very important to
work quickly at this point! After putting on the lids, I turned them upside
down and let the plaster set. (Make
sure the lids are firmly in place!) This
makes the base strong enough to support the sculpture on top and prevent
tipping. The bases were then spray-painted either gold or
Designing Chess Pieces
Students examined visuals, books,
DVDs, and information from the
library, art galleries, and the Internet
to create an art timeline. Discussions
were lively as we selected the artists
who, in our opinion, had the great-
