Lessons:
A-7 Dorothea Tanning
Door 84
Overview
- Discuss Door 84 by Dorothea Tanning.
- Learn about color, movement, and moods.
- Create figures in rest and motion.
Reflection
- What is the title of your artwork?
Door 84 by Dorothea Tanning, 1984, oil on canvas with found door, 63.75×104×5.25 in. (161.87×264.16×13.33 cm), © 2026 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris, © The Dorothea Tanning Foundation
Discussion Presentation
Discussion Questions
Describe a dreamworld behind your bedroom door.
A dream-like world in artwork is surrealism. Tanning painted everyday objects doing impossible, dreamlike things. Two figures exist in a place with no floor or ceiling, just swirling colors.
How do the two figures show action?
Tanning used twisted poses, blurred edges, swirling color, and sweeping brush strokes to make motionless figures feel bursting with action.
How can only four colors create very different moods?
The color palette is pretty limited to blues, yellows, greens, and grays. The color distribution of dark blues and grays feel somber and heavy, while bright yellows and energetic strokes explode with frantic movement.
Biography
- Dorothea Tanning (duh-ruh-THEE-uh TAN-ing) was an American artist from Illinois.
- Tanning was a painter, sculptor, designer, writer, and poet.
- Her works explored Surrealism, Prismatic, theatre costume design, soft sculpture, and figurative themes.
1910–2012: American artist Dorothea Tanning discovered Surrealism in New York. She married Max Ernst and spent decades in France, working across painting, sculpture, and poetry to challenge traditional representation with deep psychological elements.
Tanning is primarily associated with Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, evolving from precise figurative dreamscapes to loose, prismatic compositions. Her style explores the subconscious by merging ordinary objects with emotional landscapes. She used fluid brushstrokes and specific “color moods” to depict figures trapped in dreamlike states. This shift from detailed imagery to abstraction allowed her to introduce psychological depth, pushing the boundaries of post-war avant-garde art while maintaining a focus on the female form.
Door 84 exemplifies her later “figurative abstract” style by embedding a physical wooden door into a swirling, non-literal background. The painting captures a chaotic nightmare struggle without gravity, using fiery colors to mimic the frustrating, illogical nature of the subconscious mind.
Project
Materials
- sketch paper
- 9×12 royal blue paper
- 6×9 yellow paper
- drawing pencil
- white glue
- soft chalk pastel
- kneaded eraser
- paper towel
- fixative or aerosol hair spray
- How to Draw Figures handout
Warm Up & Brainstorm
- 10-minute sketch: use How to Draw Figures handout to sketch stick figures with contours.
Project Directions
Rest and Motion Figures
1. Create 50/50 paper.
Glue 6×9 yellow on 9×12 royal blue paper.
2. Add rest and active figures.
Use white chalk pastel to draw stick figures: relaxed in one half and active in the other.
3. Add mass to the figures.
Draw clothing and mass to arms and legs. Color details, blend and soften colors, then use the hard edge or corner of the chalk pastel to create lines and texture.
4. Add backgrounds.
Add color, lines, and shapes that describes the relaxed and active figures.
5. Give artwork a title.
Pre-Lesson Preparation
- No prep required.
Day of Lesson Setup
- Demo using How to Draw Figures in Motion handout.
- Demo chalk pastel techniques: line widths and blending two colors with a piece of paper towel or fingertip to soften the lighter color into the darker color.
- Tip: do not use pencil on the project paper, chalk pastel does not stick to the graphite.
- Do not blow chalk dust. Turn paper over and tap once to remove excess dust.
- Tip: adults, spray the fixative. Hold aerosol 6-8 in. from paper and spray evenly across entire paper. Spray outside if possible.
- To prevent chalk transfer, cover with a piece of paper.
