• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
    • About Art Class Curator
    • Contact
    • Speaking
    • Media & Press
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Join
  • SPARK Access
  • Member Login

Art Class Curator

Hands-on and Minds-curious Art Learning

  • Art & Artists
  • Art Appreciation Activities
  • Art Teacher Tips
  • Elements & Principles
  • Downloads & Resources
Home
  • About
    • About Art Class Curator
    • Contact
    • Speaking
  • Blog
    • Art & Artists
    • Elements & Principles
    • Art Appreciation Activities
    • Art Teacher Tips
    • Downloads & Resources
  • Podcast
  • Shop
  • Join
  • SPARK Access
  • Member Login

jean-honore fragonard

August 29, 2018 Leave a Comment

Yinka Shonibare’s The Swing: Culture and Identity in a Global Society

Yinka Shonibare The Swing 700x1000

Inside: Comparing Yinka Shonibare The Swing (after Fragonard) with the original painting and exploring the commentary on race, class, and multiculturalism.

The Swing is Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s best known work and is an icon of the Rococo style. It’s a painting that’s so familiar, it can be easy to pass it by without considering the details or the story behind it. Yinka Shonibare, a bi-cultural artist whose work explores issues of race, class, and colonialism, recreated the famous artwork and gave us a lot more to think about.

Yinka Shonibare The Swing 700x1000

Fragonard’s original painting depicts a lavishly dressed young woman swinging with the help of a man in the shadows while another man looks up at her from below. Symbolic statues watch in the lush outdoor setting and the man below is well placed to look up the woman’s skirts. The woman is looking at the man while one of her shoes is flying over his head, seemingly flung from her foot. The artwork is rumored to have been commissioned by a man who wanted a painting of himself and his mistress, a detail which adds an interesting layer to the original title of the painting, The Happy Accidents of the Swing.

The Swing (after Fragonard)

Jean-Honoré Fragonard The Swing
Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767

Yinka Shonibare The Swing (after Fragonard) features a lifesize, three-dimensional recreation of the woman on the swing with some of the surrounding foliage, but there are many notable differences. The eloquent dress is made with bright African wax prints (that aren’t exactly African) that’s branded with a fake Chanel logo. The mannequin skin is brown rather than white.

And, oh, she’s headless.

Yinka Shonibare The Swing (after Fragonard)
Yinka Shonibare, The Swing (after Fragonard)

Yinka Shonibare The Swing (after Fragonard) was not the first or last Rococo artwork Shonibare took a guillotine to.

Thomas Gainsborough, Mr and Mrs Andrews, 1750 beside Yinka Shonibare, Mr.and Mrs. Andrews without their Heads, 1998


Thomas Gainsborough, Mr and Mrs Andrews, 1750 beside Yinka Shonibare, Mr.and Mrs. Andrews without their Heads, 1998

Henry Raeburn, The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, 1790s beside Yinka Shonibare, Reverend on Ice, 2005

Henry Raeburn, The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch, 1790s beside Yinka Shonibare, Reverend on Ice, 2005

It’s worth pointing out that The Swing became a hallmark of the frivolity and wealth that philosophers in the Age of Enlightenment abhorred, and less than 30 years after Fragonard finished his painting, the French Revolution began claiming the heads of many in the aristocracy.

Shonibare’s version invites us to consider who society allows to be light-hearted, the trappings of sexism, racism, and classism, and the status symbols we use as a cultural shorthand to tell us who is important.

Much of how we define ourselves is determined by how society sees us and most people don’t take more than a glance. Our gender, the color of our skin, the clothes we wear, and the activities we take part in speak for us. Without our voice, without our heads, what do our bodies say?

Pattern in Yinka Shonibare Artworks

In addition to the beheading, another key change in Shonibare’s recreation is the use of color and pattern in the fabrics. When researching the work of Shonibare, I discovered that fabrics that we would usually associate with Africa actually did not originate in Africa. These “Dutch wax” fabrics were actually originally created in England and Holland, and they were sold to people in Africa after selling them in Indonesia failed. These fabrics became an integral part of African culture, and Shonibare found that duality of cultural identity interesting. He says “But actually, the fabrics are not really authentically African the way people think. They prove to have a crossbred cultural background quite of their own. And it’s the fallacy of that signification that I like. It’s the way I view culture—it’s an artificial construct.”

Free Poster

What Do Kids Learn from Looking at Art Poster

Our students learn so much from looking at art. Use this poster in your classroom to remind them of all the skills they’re growing!

Download

Free Poster

What Do Kids Learn from Looking at Art Poster

Our students learn so much from looking at art. Use this poster in your classroom to remind them of all the skills they’re growing!

Identity in a Global World

Shonibare was born in London and grew up in both Nigeria and the United Kingdom. When asked about multiculturalism, he said, “In a diverse society, people have to find a way of being together, and that can only come from understanding other cultures. Otherwise, you’re just fighting for space.”

Yinka’s work asks us to think about how identities are constructed in today’s global society. This is an essential question for all of us, but especially the youth who are discovering and sculpting themselves for the first time. In a society that often reverts to ‘us versus them’ and prizes the individual over the collective, it is vital for our students to actively participate not only in the creation of their personal identity, but in the building of a shared, inclusive community identity. Comparing Yinka Shonibare The Swing (after Fragonard) with the original can help them do that.

Discussion Questions

Use Yinka Shonibare The Swing in your classroom with the following discussion questions.

  • What’s going on here? What do you see that makes you say that?
  • How does this artwork merge different cultures?
  • How does the mood/emotions different from this artwork to Fragonard’s version?
  • Why do you think this artist choose to depict this artwork as a sculpture?
  • Why did the artist choose to decapitate the figure?

Classroom Connection

The compare and contrast art activity from the bundle of free art appreciation worksheets is a great way to get students thinking. This would be a great artwork for older students to write about, especially when they’re studying the history of the 1700s. Putting this artwork with others that show the duality of culture and reference colonization and class systems would open up the educational possibilities.

compare contrast art worksheet

Free Worksheets!

Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Download

Free Worksheets!

Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Filed Under: Art and Artists
Tagged With: jean-honore fragonard, yinka shonibare

 

May 24, 2015 2 Comments

The Best Examples of Emphasis in Art

Here’s another Elements and Principles of Art list to help you in planning your art lessons! Today’s post includes example artworks for emphasis in art.

It was hard to break this one down to categories, because chances are if the artwork shows emphasis well, it usually used more than one element or principle to do so. So, I have put the elements and principles of art that the artist used to show emphasis in art in parenthesis next to the artwork.

I will add to this list when I find more, so this is a good one to pin or bookmark! The horizontal images do not contain all of the examples.

Download the Free Elements and Principles Printable Pack


This pack of printables was designed to work in a variety of ways in your classroom when teaching the elements and principles of art. You can print and hang in your classroom as posters/anchor charts or you can cut each element and principle of art in its own individual card to use as a lesson manipulative.

Free Resource!

Elements & Principles Printable Pack

The Elements & Principles of Art are the foundation of every artwork, but teaching them can be a bore. Wake your students up and engage them with full color artworks, easy to understand definitions, and thought-provoking higher level thinking questions. This versatile resource can be hung in the classroom or used as an art manipulative.

Download

Free Resource!

Elements & Principles Printable Pack

The Elements & Principles of Art are the foundation of every artwork, but teaching them can be a bore. Wake your students up and engage them with full color artworks, easy to understand definitions, and thought-provoking higher level thinking questions. This versatile resource can be hung in the classroom or used as an art manipulative.

Emphasis in Art Examples

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis in Art - The Elements and Principles of Art Series
  • Grant Wood, Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939 (Line, Shape)
  • Jonathan Borofsky, Walking to the Sky, 2004 (Line, Movement)
  • Francisco Goya, The Shootings of May Third 1808, 1814 (Value, Color, Line)
  • Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767 (Complementary Color, Movement)
  • Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1494-99 (Balance, Line, Space)
The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis in Art - The Elements and Principles of Art Series
  • Richard Anuszkiewicz, Deep Magenta Square, 1978 (Color, Line, Shape, Light)
  • Albert Bierstadt, Sunrise on the Matterhorn, after 1875 (Size, Space, Light, Contrast)
  • Georges de La Tour, St. Joseph the Carpenter, c. 1645 (Contrast, Value, Light)
  • Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, 1948 (Space)
The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis in Art - The Elements and Principles of Art Series
  • George C. Ault, Sullivan Street, Abstraction, 1924 (Contrast, Shape, Line, Color, Light)
  • Rembrandt van Rijn, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, known as the ‘Night Watch’, 1642 (Line, Value, Movement)
  • Edgar Degas, The Star, ca. 1878 (Shape, Balance, Line, Movement)
  • Andy Goldsworthy, Circles, Varied (Shape, Color, Value)
The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis in Art - The Elements and Principles of Art Series
  • Ancient Egypt, Nebamun Hunting in the Marshes, ca. 1350 B.C.E. (Scale/Size, Line)
  • Fra Bartolommeo, Savonarola, 16th century (Light, Contrast)
  • Jean Arp, Enak’s Tears (Terrestrial Forms), 1917 (Color, Shape)
  • Caravaggio, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1601-02 (Composition, Line, Contrast, Light, Color)
  • Alexander Calder, Saucers Skirting a Planet, 1968 (Shape, Color)
  • Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, c.1620 (Line, Movement, Contrast, Value)
  • Gertrude Käsebier, Portrait of Alfred Steiglitz, 1902 (Texture, Value)
  • René Magritte, The Art of Living, 1967 (Shape, Space)

Elements and Principles Teaching Bundle

This extraordinary bundle includes the best resources for teaching each of the elements and principles—37 worksheets/handouts, 15 lessons (with accompanying PowerPoints and Handouts), 3 ready-to-go art analysis activities, 3 art analysis videos, and 13 elements and principle PDF articles.

Buy Now

There you have it! The best emphasis in art examples for your elements and principles of art lessons. Want more elements and principles of art examples? Check out the below posts.

The Art Curator for Kids -Example Artworks that Show Space - The Elements and Principles of Art Series-300The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Line - The Elements and Principles of Art - 300The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis - The Elements and Principles of Art SeriesElements and Principles of Art - Artworks that Show Proportion in art and ScaleThe Art Curator for Kids - Elements and Principles of Art Series - Artworks that Show Shape - 300The Art Curator for Kids - Why I Hate the Elements and Principles But Teach Them Anyway - 300The Art Curator for Kids - How Artists Depict Space - Masterpiece Monday - John Sloan , South Beach Bathers, 1907-1908, Art Lessons for Kids - Elements of Art Lessons

Photo Credits:

  • Bernini’s Apollo and Daphne — Int3gr4te
  • Borofsky’s Walking to the Sky — doreen

Filed Under: Elements and Principles of Art
Tagged With: albert bierstadt, alexander calder, andrew wyeth, andy goldsworthy, artemisia gentileschi, caravaggio, edgar degas, fra bartolommeo, francisco goya, george ault, georges de la tour, gertrude käsebier, gian lorenzo bernini, grant wood, jean arp, jean-honore fragonard, jonathan borofsky, leonardo da vinci, michelangelo, rembrandt, rene magritte, richard anuszkiewicz

 

May 7, 2015 8 Comments

The Ultimate Collection of Color in Art: Examples and Definitions

It’s time again for an Elements and Principles of Art post! This post includes good examples of color in art, divided into categories. This list of examples of color in art contains the following elements of color: warm and cool colors in art, primary color art, complementary colors in art, analogous colors examples, neutral colors in art, and color intensity in art.

Want to check out my color wheel lesson on Color in Art? Click here to purchase the color in art and color wheel lesson.

Download the Free Elements and Principles Printable Pack


This pack of printables was designed to work in a variety of ways in your classroom when teaching the elements and principles of art. You can print and hang in your classroom as posters/anchor charts or you can cut each element and principle of art in its own individual card to use as a lesson manipulative.

Free Resource!

Elements & Principles Printable Pack

The Elements & Principles of Art are the foundation of every artwork, but teaching them can be a bore. Wake your students up and engage them with full color artworks, easy to understand definitions, and thought-provoking higher level thinking questions. This versatile resource can be hung in the classroom or used as an art manipulative.

Download

Free Resource!

Elements & Principles Printable Pack

The Elements & Principles of Art are the foundation of every artwork, but teaching them can be a bore. Wake your students up and engage them with full color artworks, easy to understand definitions, and thought-provoking higher level thinking questions. This versatile resource can be hung in the classroom or used as an art manipulative.

Examples of Color in Art

The Art Curator for Kids - Color in Art Examples - Primary Color Art

Primary Color Art

The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. The primary colors are the basis for all other colors. You cannot do anything to mix blue, yellow, or red. They just exist.

  • Piet Mondrian, Broadway Boogie Woogie, 1942-43
  • Mark Rothko, Untitled (Yellow, Red, and Blue), 1953
  • Jacob Lawrence, Workshop (Builders #1), 1972 and many others
  • Cy Twombly, Summer Madness, 1990 (Click link, then click #20)
  • Hans Hofmann, The Golden Wall, 1961
  • Pablo Picasso, Claude and Paloma Playing, 1950
  • Fritz Glarner, Relational Painting No. 64, 1953
  • Roy Lichtenstein, Stepping Out, 1978
  • Ancient Roman, Glass Garland Bowl, late 1st century B.C.E.
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Ambassadeurs Aristide Bruant in his cabaret, 1892
  • Nicolas Poussin, The Death of Germanicus, 1627

Complementary Colors in Art

Complementary colors in art are opposite each other on the color wheel. They create a lot of contrast in art. Look around in the world, and you will be surprised how often complementary colors are used. What are the sets of complementary colors? The basic complementary color pairings are red and green, purple and yellow, and orange and blue.

  • Wassily Kandinsky, Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle), 1913
  • Pablo Picasso, Woman in Striped Armchair, 1941
  • Rufino Tamayo, Women of Tehuantepec, 1939, Oil on canvas

The Art Curator for Kids - example of color in art - Complementary Colors in Art - Green and Red

Complementary Colors in Art – Red and Green

  • Marc Chagall, I and the Village, 1911
  • Ando Hiroshige, Plum Estate, Kameido From “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo”, 1857
  • Shinobo Ishihara, Test for Color Deficiency
  • Vincent van Gogh, The Night Café, 1888
  • Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434
  • Henri Matisse, Portrait of Madame Matisse (Green Stripe), 1905
  • Pablo Picasso, Woman with Hat, 1962
  • Georgia O’Keeffe, Anything, 1916 (Click link, top right image)
  • Vincent van Gogh, La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle; Augustin-Alix Pellicot Roulin, 1851-1930), 1889
  • Kay Kurt, Weingummi II, 1973

Complementary Colors in Art - Blue and Orange

Complementary Colors in Art – Blue and Orange

  • Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child, 1890
  • Edgar Degas, Ballerina and Lady with Fan, 1885
  • Claude Monet, Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, Sunlight, 1892
  • Paul Klee, Ad Parnassum, 1932
  • Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait, 1889
  • Claude Monet, Impression, Sunrise, 1872
  • Fritz Bultman, Blue I, 1958
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Portrait of Oscar Wilde, 1895
  • Sandy Skoglund, Revenge of the Goldfish, 1981
  • Stuart Davis, Colonial Cubism, 1954
  • Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893
  • Arnold Böcklin, Island of the Dead, 1880

artist who use colour - Complementary Colors in Art - Purple and Yellow

Complementary Colors in Art – Purple and Yellow

  • Claude Monet, Water Lilies, 1914-1926
  • Fritz Scholder, Dream Horse G, 1986
  • Henri Matisse, The Dream, 1940
  • Pablo Picasso, Woman with Yellow Hair, 1931 (also red/green)
  • Ray Spillenger, Purple and Yellow, 1963
  • Francis Bacon, Study after Velázquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953
  • Federico Barocci, The Nativity, c. 1597
  • Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1954

The Art Curator for Kids - elements of color in art - Analogous Colors ExamplesAnalogous Colors Examples

Analogous colors are next to each other on the color wheel. They create unity in art because they are made of the same colors. Example sets of analogous colors are blue, blue-green, and green or orange, red-orange, and red.

  • Josef Albers, Homage to the Square: Soft Spoken, 1969
  • Vincent van Gogh, The Olive Trees, 1889
  • Claude Monet, The Water-Lily Pond, 1899
  • Mark Rothko, Untitled (Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red), 1949
  • Helen Frankenthaler, Freefall, 1992
  • Ed Paschke, Painted Lady, 1995
  • Giorgio de Chirico, Mystery and Melancholy of a Street, 1914
  • Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Young Girl Reading, c. 1770
  • Geertgen Tot Sint Jans, John the Baptist in the Wilderness, ca. 1490

Warm and Cool Colors in Art

Warm colors are the colors red, orange, and yellow. They are bright and pop out. They create energy and excitement in an artwork. Blue and green are cool colors. These cool colors create a calming energy in an artwork. Violet/purple can be both warm and cool depending on how much red or how much blue is in the violet.

The Art Curator for Kids - Color in Art Examples - Warm Colors in Art

Warm Colors in Art

  • Vincent van Gogh, Sunflowers, 1888
  • Paul Gauguin, Still Life with Mangoes, 1891-1896
  • Mark Rothko, Untitled (Violet, Black, Orange, Yellow on White and Red), 1949
  • Vincent van Gogh, The Night Café, 1888
  • Robert Adam, The Croome Court tapestry room, Worcestershire, 1758-67
  • Frederic Church, Cotopaxi, 1862
  • Caravaggio, The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, 1601-1602

The Art Curator for Kids - famous artists that use colour - Cool Colors in ArtCool Colors in Art

  • Claude Monet, The Artist’s Garden at Giverny, 1900
  • Winslow Homer, Fishing Boats, Key West, 1903
  • Richard Parkes Bonington, The Undercliff, 1828
  • James McNeil Whistler, Nocturne, Blue and Silver: Chelsea, 1871
  • Natalya Goncharova, Linen, 1913
  • Katsushika Hokusai, 36 Views of Mount Fuji, ca. 1829-32

The Art Curator for Kids - Color in Art Examples - Neutral Colors in ArtNeutral Colors in Art

Neutral colors are created by using white and black or are created by mixing sets of complementary colors together to make varying shades of brown. Examples of neutrals include gray, brown, tan, white, black, etc.

  • El Lissitzky, Proun 19D, c. 1922
  • Claude Monet, Sunrise (Marine), 1873
  • Georgia O’Keeffe, Black Iris, 1926
  • Camille Pissarro, Place du Théâtre Français, Paris: Rain, 1898
  • Marcel Duchamp, Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, 1912

Color Intensity in Art

Intensity refers to how saturated a color is. It is the brightness or the dullness of a color. Colors with high intensity are bright, and colors with low intensity are dull.

The Art Curator for Kids - elements of art colour - Color Intensity in Art: High Intensity

Color Intensity in Art: High Intensity

  • Pablo Picasso, The Weeping Woman, 1937
  • Andre Derain, Charing Cross Bridge, 1906
  • Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Seated Girl (Fränzi Fehrmann), 1910
  • Jim Dine, The Circus #3, 2007

Color Intensity in Art: Low Intensity examples

Color Intensity in Art: Low Intensity

  • Salima Hashmi, Poem for Zainab, 1994
  • Paul Klee, Hammamet with Its Mosque, 1914
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge The Departure of the Quadrille, 1892
  • Camille Pissarro, Place du Théâtre Français, Paris: Rain, 1898
  • Helen Frankenthaler, Mountains and Sea, 1952

Do you have a great example to teach color in art? Share it with me in the comments, and I will add it to the list!

Elements and Principles Teaching Bundle

This extraordinary bundle includes the best resources for teaching each of the elements and principles—37 worksheets/handouts, 15 lessons (with accompanying PowerPoints and Handouts), 3 ready-to-go art analysis activities, 3 art analysis videos, and 13 elements and principle PDF articles.

Buy Now


For more elements of art examples and principles of design examples, visit the following resources.



The Art Curator for Kids -Example Artworks that Show Space - The Elements and Principles of Art Series-300The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Line - The Elements and Principles of Art - 300The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis - The Elements and Principles of Art SeriesElements and Principles of Art - Artworks that Show Proportion in art and ScaleThe Art Curator for Kids - Elements and Principles of Art Series - Artworks that Show Shape - 300The Art Curator for Kids - Why I Hate the Elements and Principles But Teach Them Anyway - 300The Art Curator for Kids - How Artists Depict Space - Masterpiece Monday - John Sloan , South Beach Bathers, 1907-1908, Art Lessons for Kids - Elements of Art Lessons

Filed Under: Elements and Principles of Art
Tagged With: ando hiroshige, andre derain, arnold böcklin, camille pissarro, caravaggio, claude monet, cy twombly, ed paschke, edgar degas, edvard munch, el lissitzky, ernst ludwig kirchner, federico barocci, francis bacon, frederic church, fritz bultman, fritz glarner, fritz scholder, geertgen tot sint jans, georgia o'keeffe, giorgio de chirico, hans hofmann, helen frankenthaler, henri de toulouse-lautrec, henri matisse, jacob lawrence, james whistler, jan van eyck, jean-honore fragonard, jim dine, josef albers, kay kurt, marc chagall, marcel duchamp, mark rothko, mary cassatt, natalia goncharova, nicolas poussin, pablo picasso, paul gauguin, paul klee, piet mondrian, ray spillenger, richard parkes bonington, robert adam, roy lichtenstein, rufino tamayo, salima hashmi, sandy skoglund, stuart davis, vincent van gogh, wassily kandinsky, winslow homer

 

April 29, 2015 8 Comments

Artworks that Show Line

Inside: This is ultimate list of example artworks that show the different types of line in art for your elements and principles of art lessons. The list of types of line in art includes implied lines, diagonal lines, gesture lines, outlines, contour lines, expressive lines, and more!

I don’t know about you, but I often find myself needing to teach a lesson on one of the elements and principles of art, but it takes a bit of digging to find good examples of art that teach that particular element. To help those in that situation, I have created an elements and principles series that includes lists of example artworks you can use in your elements and principles of art lessons.

To start, I am going to focus on example artworks that use the different types of line in art.

I will add to this list of the types of line in art when I find more, so this is a good one to pin or bookmark! The horizontal picture collages do not have all the pictures from the categories, FYI.

Download the Free Elements and Principles Printable Pack


This pack of printables was designed to work in a variety of ways in your classroom when teaching the elements and principles of art. You can print and hang in your classroom as posters/anchor charts or you can cut each element and principle of art in its own individual card to use as a lesson manipulative.

Free Resource!

Elements & Principles Printable Pack

The Elements & Principles of Art are the foundation of every artwork, but teaching them can be a bore. Wake your students up and engage them with full color artworks, easy to understand definitions, and thought-provoking higher level thinking questions. This versatile resource can be hung in the classroom or used as an art manipulative.

Download

Free Resource!

Elements & Principles Printable Pack

The Elements & Principles of Art are the foundation of every artwork, but teaching them can be a bore. Wake your students up and engage them with full color artworks, easy to understand definitions, and thought-provoking higher level thinking questions. This versatile resource can be hung in the classroom or used as an art manipulative.

Examples of Types of Line in Art

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks the Show Types of Line in Art - General

Artworks that Show Line, General

  • Richard Long, A Line Made by Walking, 1967
  • Richard Long, Cornish Slate Line, 1990
  • Frank Stella, Jarama II, 1982
  • Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke, 1965
  • Charles Sheeler, Classic Landscape, 1931
  • Joan Miró, The Farm, 1921–1922
  • Rembrandt van Rijn, Two Studies Of A Bird Of Paradise, 1630
  • John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks the Show Types of Line in Art - Horizontal and Vertical Lines in ArtHorizontal and Vertical Lines in Art

  • Stonehenge, ca. 2600-2000 B.C.E.
  • Ancient Greece, The Parthenon, 447-438 B.C.E.
  • Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, 1936-7
  • Piet Mondrian, Composition in Red, Blue, and Yellow, 1937-42
  • Byzantine, Justinian and his Attendants, Basilica di San Vitale, 547 C.E

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks the Show Types of Line in Art - Diagonal Lines in ArtDiagonal Lines in Artworks

  • Edgar Degas, Blue Dancers, c. 1899
  • Gustave Caillebotte, Le Pont de L’Europe, 1881-1882
  • Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holofernes, 1614–20
  • Franz Marc, Fate of the Animals, 1913
  • Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, 1600-1601
  • Francisco Goya, The Forge, c. 1817
  • Rembrandt van Rijn, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, known as the ‘Night Watch’, 1642

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks the Show Types of Line in Art - Contour Lines and OutlinesContour Lines and/or Outlines

  • Leonardo da Vinci, Self-Portrait, c. 1512
  • Paul Signac, Still Life with Pitcher, 1919
  • Carl Krull, Olmec Drawings and Scroll Drawings
  • Yoruba artist, Shrine Head, 12th-14th century
  • Andy Warhol, Red Lenin, 1987
  • Amedeo Modigliani, Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz, 1916

Gesture Lines examples artwork

Gesture Lines, Lines that Show Movement

  • Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767
  • Utagawa Hiroshige, The Whirlpools of Awa: Naruto Rapids, ca. 1853
  • Giacomo Balla, Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (Leash in Motion), 1912
  • Natalia Goncharova, The Cyclist, 1913
  • Henri Matisse, Dance (I), 1909
  • Marino Marini, Miracle (Miracolo), 1952
  • Jacob Lawrence, Harriet Tubman Series, No. 4, 1939-40
  • Keith Haring, Untitled, 1985

Implied Lines artwork examples

Lines that Help Guide The Viewer’s Eye through the Picture and/or Implied Lines

  • Marc Chagall, I and the Village, 1911
  • Georges de La Tour, The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs, late 1620s
  • Frederic Remington, Dash for the Timber, 1889
  • Suzanne Caporael, Seeing Things: Rain, 1990
  • Fernando Botero, The Musicians, 1991
  • Grant Wood, Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939

expressive lines artwork examples

Lines that Show Feeling/Emotion, Expressive Lines

  • Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889
  • Mark Di Suvero, Are Years What? (for Marianne Moore), 1967
  • Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1984
  • Egon Schiele, Portrait of Paris von Gütersloh, 1918
  • Odilon Redon, Death: “My irony surpasses all others!”, 1889
  • Jackson Pollock, Lavender Mist No. 1, 1950

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks the Show Line - Repetition and PatternRepetition of Line, Pattern Using Line, Decorative Line

  • Henri Matisse, Purple Robe and Anemones, 1937
  • Berenice Abbott, El, Second and Third Avenue Lines from the portfolio Retrospective, 1982
  • Aubrey Beardsley, The Peacock Skirt, 1893
  • Albrecht Dürer, The Rhinoceros, 1515
  • Benin, Memorial head, 1550-1650
  • Richard Anuszkiewicz, Deep Magenta Square, 1978

The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks the Show Line - Lines in ArchitectureLines in Architecture

  • Frank Lloyd Wright, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NYC
  • Frank O. Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
  • Stonehenge, ca. 2600-2000 B.C.E.
  • Ancient Greece, The Parthenon, 447-438 B.C.E.
  • Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater, 1936-1937

Lines in Sculpture artwork examples

Lines in Sculpture

  • Kenneth Snelson, Needle Tower, 1968
  • Songye, Mask (kifwebe), 19th century AD
  • Mark Di Suvero, Are Years What? (for Marianne Moore), 1967
  • Benin, Memorial head, 1550-1650
  • Yoruba artist, Shrine Head, 12th-14th century
  • Marino Marini, Miracle (Miracolo), 1952

Lines that Show Texture and/or Shading

  • Vincent van Gogh, Garden of Flowers, 1888
  • Rembrandt Van Rijn, The Three Crosses, 1653
  • Käthe Kollwitz, Self Portrait, 1921

Lines that Show Space and/or Linear Perspective

  • Gustave Caillebotte, The Floor Scrapers, 1875
  • Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, 1498
  • Pietro Perugino, Christ Giving the Keys to St. Peter, 1481–1482
  • Dorothea Lange, The Road West, 1938

Lines the Show Emphasis

  • Grant Wood, Parson Weems’ Fable, 1939
  • Francisco Goya, Third of May, 1808
  • Jonathan Borofsky, Walking to the Sky, 2004
  • Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper, 1494-99
  • Richard Anuszkiewicz, Deep Magenta Square, 1978
  • Rembrandt van Rijn, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, known as the ‘Night Watch’, 1642
  • See more artworks that show emphasis.

Elements and Principles Teaching Bundle

This extraordinary bundle includes the best resources for teaching each of the elements and principles—37 worksheets/handouts, 15 lessons (with accompanying PowerPoints and Handouts), 3 ready-to-go art analysis activities, 3 art analysis videos, and 13 elements and principle PDF articles.

Buy Now


There you have it! The best types of line in art examples for your elements and principles of art lessons. Want more elements and principles of art teacher resources? Check out the below posts.

The Art Curator for Kids -Example Artworks that Show Space - The Elements and Principles of Art Series-300The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Line - The Elements and Principles of Art - 300The Art Curator for Kids - Example Artworks that Show Emphasis - The Elements and Principles of Art SeriesElements and Principles of Art - Artworks that Show Proportion in art and ScaleThe Art Curator for Kids - Elements and Principles of Art Series - Artworks that Show Shape - 300The Art Curator for Kids - Why I Hate the Elements and Principles But Teach Them Anyway - 300The Art Curator for Kids - How Artists Depict Space - Masterpiece Monday - John Sloan , South Beach Bathers, 1907-1908, Art Lessons for Kids - Elements of Art Lessons

Photo Credits:

  • Stonehenge, Diego Delso
  • Parthenon, Steve Swayne
  • Laocoön and His Sons, LivioAndronico
  • Needle Tower, Onderwijsgek

Filed Under: Elements and Principles of Art
Tagged With: albrecht dürer, amedeo modigliani, andy warhol, artemisia gentileschi, aubrey beardsley, basquiat, caravaggio, carl krull, charles sheeler, dorothea lange, edgar degas, egon schiele, emile nolde, fernando botero, francisco goya, frank gehry, frank lloyd wright, frank stella, franz marc, frederic remington, georges de la tour, giacomo balla, gian lorenzo bernini, grant wood, gustave caillebotte, henri matisse, jackson pollock, jacob lawrence, jean-honore fragonard, joan miro, john singer sargent, jonathan borofsky, kathe kollwitz, keith haring, kenneth snelson, leonardo da vinci, marc chagall, marino marini, mark di suvero, natalia goncharova, odilon redon, paul signac, piet mondrian, pietro perugino, rembrandt, richard long, roy lichtenstein, sandro botticelli, suzanne caporael, théodore géricault, utagawa hiroshige, vincent van gogh

 

January 6, 2015 19 Comments

A Year of Art Appreciation for Kids: 52 Artworks your Child Should Know

I have compiled for you a massive list of artworks for you to look at with your kids this year. I picked one artwork for each week of the year, and I tried to pick the best of the best. If you haven’t been showing art to your kids, this is a great list to start with! Just sit down and talk about a new artwork each week for a few minutes.

Please note, this post includes Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

How to Talk about Art with Your Kids

Here are some posts from Art Class Curator for tips at looking at art with your kids.

  • How to Look at Art with your Children
  • How to Look at Art with Toddlers and Preschoolers
  • Charlotte Mason Picture Study: An Easy Way to Introduce Art to your Kids

Art Appreciation for Kids

Instead of dividing by week, I divided by time period. Regrettably, this list does not include non-western art or contemporary art. For more awesome non-western art, check out my Art Around the World series. Each entry below includes a link to find the picture.

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - Ancient to Classical Art

Ancient to Classical Art

  • Prehistoric, Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf), c. 28,000-25,000 B.C.E (On ACFK, 5 Artworks to Promote Introspection) (Buy replica on Amazon)
  • Sumer, the Standard of Ur, about 2600-2400 B.C.E. (Book about this artwork)
  • The Law Code of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, c. 1750 B.C.E (Book about Hammurabi’s Code)
  • Ancient Egyptian, Palette of King Narmer, c. 3000-2920 B.C.E.
  • Myron (Ancient Greek), Discus-thrower (Discobolus), Roman copy of a bronze original of the 5th century BC (Book about this artwork)
  • Hellenistic Greek, Laocoön and His Sons, early first century C.E.
  • Ancient Roman, Augustus of Primaporta, first century, C.E.
  • Ancient Roman, The Alexander Mosaic, ca. 100 BC (Poster of this artwork)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - Medieval to Renaissance Art

Medieval and Renaissance Art

  • Byzantine, Justinian and his Attendants, Basilica di San Vitale, 547 C.E
  • Gothic, Chartres Cathedral (Book about Chartres)
  • Jan and Hubert van Eyk, Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Ghent Altarpiece), 1432 (Book about the Nazi theft of this artwork)
  • Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1482-85 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Leonardo da Vinci, Last Supper, 1498 (Print of this artwork on wood)
  • Michelangelo Buonarroti, Sistene Chapel Ceiling, 1508-12 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • Raphael, School of Athens, 1509-11 (Coffee mug of this artwork)
  • Michelangelo Buonarroti, Slaves or Prisoners, ca. 1520-23



the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - 17th-18th Century Art

17th-18th Century Art

  • Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1614-20 (On ACFK, Masterpiece Monday) (Novel about the Artist)
  • Gianlorenzo Bernini, Apollo and Daphne, 1622-25 (Replica of this sculpture)
  • Judith Leyster, Self-Portrait, c. 1630
  • Rembrandt, Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh, known as the Night Watch, 1642 (Canvas print of this artwork)
  • Diego Velázquez, Las Meninas, 1656 (On ACFK, 20 Great Artworks to Look at with Young Kids) (Poster of this artwork)
  • Jean-Honoré Fragonard, The Swing, 1767 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Jacques-Louis David, Oath of the Horatii, 1785 (Poster of this artwork)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - 19th Century Art

19th-Century Art

  • Francisco Goya, Third of May, 1808 (Mouse pad of this artwork)
  • Eugène Delacroix, July 28: Liberty Leading the People, 1830 (Poster of this artwork)
  • William Turner, Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On), 1840 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Claude Monet, Les Nymphéas (The Water Lilies), 1840-1926 (Monet magnets)
  • Jean-François Millet, L’Angélus, c. 1857-1859
  • Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, 1884 (Coffee mug of this artwork)
  • Auguste Rodin, The Burghers of Calais, 1884-95 (Coffee mug of this artwork)
  • Paul Gauguin, Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?, 1897-98
  • Vincent van Gogh, The Starry Night, 1889 (On ACFK, 5 Exciting Art History Projects for Kids that Made me Say “WOW!”) (Umbrella of this artwork)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - Modern Art

Modern and Contemporary Art

  • Henri Matisse, Harmony in Red/La Desserte, 1908 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1910 (Inflatable Scream Doll)
  • Franz Marc, Fate of the Animals, 1913 (On ACFK, Art Spotlight: Franz Marc’s Fate of the Animals)
  • Marc Chagall, I and the Village, 1911 (On ACFK, 5 Artworks Your Children will Love) (Poster of this artwork)
  • Wassily Kandinsky, Panel for Edwin R. Campbell No. 4, 1914
  • Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory, 1931 (Melting clock)
  • Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939 (On ACFK, 5 Artworks to Intrigue Your High Schooler) (Poster of this artwork)
  • Jackson Pollock, One: Number 31, 1950, 1950 (Book about this artwork)
  • Francis Bacon, Study after Velazquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, 1953 (On ACFK, Art Around the World in 30 Days – Ireland)
  • Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962 (Converse shoes of this artwork)
  • Robert Rauschenberg, Skyway, 1964
  • Andy Goldsworthy, Fall Leaves (On ACFK, 5 Exciting Art History Projects for Kids that Made me Say “WOW!”) (Book about this artist)

the Art Curator for Kids - Art Appreciation for Kids - American

American Art

  • John Singleton Copley, Watson and the Shark, 1778  (On ACFK: Charlotte Mason Picture Study: John Singleton Copley)
  • Thomas Moran, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, 1872 (Jigsaw puzzle of this artwork)
  • John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Frederic Remington, A Dash for the Timber, 1889 (Poster of this artwork)
  • Grant Wood, American Gothic, 1930 (Children’s book about this artist)
  • Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, 1940-41 (Children’s book about this series)
  • Edward Hopper, Nighthawks, 1942 (Poster of this artwork)

Whew! This is quite a list. It was hard to choose, and I know I left out some great artworks. Keep reading on Art Class Curator to learn more about teaching art to kids.

More Art Class Curator on Pinterest:

Follow Cindy @ The Art Class Curator’s boards on Pinterest.

Filed Under: Art Appreciation Activities
Tagged With: andy goldsworthy, andy warhol, artemisia gentileschi, auguste rodin, claude monet, diego velazquez, edvard munch, edward hopper, eugene delacroix, francis bacon, francisco goya, franz marc, frederic remington, frida kahlo, georges seurat, gian lorenzo bernini, grant wood, henri matisse, jackson pollock, jacob lawrence, jacques-louis david, jan van eyck, jean-francois millet, jean-honore fragonard, john singer sargent, john singleton copley, judith leyster, leonardo da vinci, marc chagall, michelangelo, pablo picasso, paul gauguin, raphael, rembrandt, robert rauschenberg, salvador dali, sandro botticelli, thomas moran, vincent van gogh, wassily kandinsky, william turner

 

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Cindy Ingram, the creator of Art Class Curator and The Curated Connections Library

I’m on a mission to revolutionize education with the power of life-changing art connections. Art is not “extra”. Art is essential. We are empowering teachers to bridge the gap between art making and art connection, kindling a passion for art that will transform generations.

More About Me

Free Worksheets!

Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Download

Free Worksheets!

Art Appreciation Worksheets

In this free bundle of art worksheets, you receive six ready-to-use art worksheets with looking activities designed to work with almost any work of art.

Enrollment in Curated Connections Library is currently open for enrollment. Click here for more information or to join. If you are purchasing for a school or school district, head over here for more information.

Check Out What’s New In The Shop

SPARK Elementary Distance Learning Curriculum
SPARK Hybrid Learning Art Curriculum
Artwork of the Week Lesson: Yayoi Kusama, My Heart is Dancing Into the Universe
Artwork of the Week Lesson: Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Nataraja)

More Products

Have You Listened to the Latest Podcast Episode?

Art is Everything: Our Classroom is Not a Bubble

More Episodes

Testimonials

I like how this program, unlike other art class resource membership programs, feels authentic. It's like art matters more here, and not fancy flash-in-the-pan trendiness. The goal of Art Class Curator seemed to be helping kids develop a lifelong love and art appreciation versus "Hey, look. I painted this fish."
Erin A.
Your questions are helping me to delve into much deeper learning, and my students are getting better at discussion-and then, making connections in their own work. Art Class Curator is awesome!
Denise W.
Interestingly, my lower performing classes really get engaged in these [lessons] and come away with some profound thoughts!
Melissa G.
I had the most amazing 6th grade class today. They were jumping out of their seats with hands raised just to respond and give input. It was as if I was waving candy in front of them! They saw more and more and the ideas and interpretations unfolded. So cool!!! This is what makes teaching art so wonderful – thank you!!
Caroline G.
I just wanted to thank you for the invaluable resource you have through Art Class Curator. Not only do you have thought provoking activities and discussion prompts, but it saves me so much time in preparing things for myself! I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface with your site.
Maryjane F.

Get Art Inspiration To Your Inbox!

Enter your email address to get regular art inspiration to your inbox
plus a BUNDLE OF 6 FREE WORKSHEETS!
We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe.

Copyright © 2021 Ignite Art, LLC DBA Art Class Curator •  All rights reserved  •  Privacy Policy  •  Terms of Service  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs