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johannes vermeer

December 19, 2019 10 Comments

Decoding Style: How to Teach Students to Read an Artwork

How can you tell a Rembrandt from a Vermeer? They both are from the same location and same time period, but they each have their own way of painting, and they are each categorized in art history as Northern Baroque, Rembrandt’s thick application of paint and raw emotion is easily distinguishable from Vermeer’s crisp genre paintings.

Left: Rembrant, Saint Matthew and the Angel, 1661. Right: Vermeer, The Astronomer, 1668

Putting some of their works side by side, they have many similarities but also many key differences. I love putting artworks side by side and asking students to find the differences. Teaching students how to recognize the parts of an artwork that make it unique and the choices the artist had made helps them connect with the art and trains them to see the world around them in different ways.

In my opinion, one of the most important strategies when learning from works of art is to focus on the style of the art. Style is an artist’s way of making art. It’s how we tell one artist or one art movement from another. It’s the way they apply the paint, the compositional choices they make, the colors they use, etc.

I always begin an art history course with a discussion on style, because it is something we come to again and again and again throughout the semester.

I have a free lesson that goes along with this post.

The way I teach style is through practice. I did this activity with my 7th graders last semester during a lesson on Post-Impression, and they ate it up! They loved it!

Here’s what I do. First, I put up 4 artworks on the screen – 3 are done by the same artist and one is done by a different artist. I pick artworks that are very similar with noticeable but not overt differences. For the first time, I ask students to write in their notes which one is not by the same artist, which one doesn’t fit. Then, they have to describe the why. What makes the fourth one different? This starts to train their eye to notice detail in art.

After they have the chance to reflect individual, we take a class vote–who thought it was A, or B, etc. Sometimes, one is a clear win, but other times there is some discussion. Whether they get it right or wrong, they are still spending time with art in valuable ways.

My first set I usually use is a group of pre-Raphaelite paintings. Three are done by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and the fourth is by John Millais. In this discussion, students notice the backgrounds, the textiles, the way they’re dressed, the facial features of the women, the patterns, the way the compositions are cropped, and the emotions.

The next set is a little harder than the first–three Rodin sculptures and one sculpture from Matisse. The most obvious different is the shine of the bronze, but students must dig deeper to find the answer. The Rodin ones are more realistic with detailed body features, muscles, skin, etc. The Rodins are more emotional and more raw. The Matisse is blank, more abstract, and looks more like a sculpture than the living, breathing Rodins. (You can tell I love Rodin, can’t you?)

After a few rounds of picking the different artwork, I switch things up. This time, I show 3-4 artworks by one artist and ask the students to study them carefully. They right down the stylistic characteristics they notice about the artist. For this step, I usually choose Rembrandt, because he has such a distinctive style.

We look at textures from Rembrandt, how he applied the paint thickly, his use of golds, red, and browns, the simple dark backgrounds, the raw emotion. After a few minutes of study, I switch the slide and show one Rembrandt that they haven’t seen alongside three other Northern Baroque period artists. I ask, which one is Rembrandt?

Each of the other artworks on the slide are from the same time period as Rembrandt so they have commonalities like the dark backgrounds, lit figures, similar color palette, genre scenes, etc.  Only one has the rich painterliness of Rembrandt. That is his style.

For a free copy of my lesson for this activity, click the button below.

Free PowerPoint!

How to Teach Style – Free PowerPoint Lesson

Teach students to “read” an artwork and understand the basics of style with this interactive lesson.

Download

Free PowerPoint!

How to Teach Style – Free PowerPoint Lesson

Teach students to “read” an artwork and understand the basics of style with this interactive lesson.

This post was originally published on January 2, 2017.

Filed Under: Art Connection Activities
Tagged With: auguste rodin, best of art class curator, dante gabriel rossetti, henri matisse, johannes vermeer, john millais, rembrandt

 

December 8, 2019 6 Comments

What Makes Art Good? A Lesson and Explanation of Art Theories

Art Theories-What Makes Art Good 700x1000

Inside: An explanation of four popular art theories and how each of them defines what makes a work of art good.

Art Theories-What Makes Art Good 700x1000

 

What makes an artwork good?

When it adheres to design principles?
If it looks true to life?
Should it turn our worldview upside down?
Must it fill us with emotions?

The issue of what makes an artwork good has probably been debated since the first splotch of pigment touched a cave wall.  It is nearly impossible to define what art is, so when we start discussing what makes an artwork impressive or worthy or good, we wade into complicated waters. Ask a group of students whether an individual artwork is good or not and you’re likely to get conflicting answers. Ask them what makes an artwork good or not and you’ll get as many answers as students you question.

Many art theories have emerged to encompass the wide variety of ideas and opinions about what art is and what it should do. The search for one art theory to rule them all may be futile, but there are arguments to be made on all sides, and everyone has a favorite.

Art Theory: Formalism

What Makes Art Good? A Lesson and Explanation of Art Theories
Wassily Kandinsky, Squares with Concentric Circles, 1913

 

Formalism dictates that art is good when it effectively uses the elements of art and principles of design. A formalist will concentrate solely on how an artwork looks–color, line, shape, and texture. The story being told and any historical or social context behind the artwork has no bearing on whether it is considered successful. The composition is all that matters. While artists have always used the elements and principles of art, formalism really came into being with modern art and the rise of abstract and expressionist works since those pieces put special emphasis on using line, shape, and color to create a pleasing composition.

Art Theory: Imitationalism / Mimetic

What Makes Art Good? A Lesson and Explanation of Art Theories
Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid, 1658

 

The imitationalism or mimetic theory of art claims that artwork is best when it imitates life. We’ve all experienced seeing an artwork from a distance and mistaking it for the real thing, rather than a replica. Those pieces are prized under imitationalism. The most realistic, the better.

In Vermeer’s The Milkmaid, we see the creamy milk pouring from the jug. It’s easy to imagine the splashing sound it makes hitting the bottom of the container. The texture of the baskets and the woman’s clothing look real enough to reach out and touch. The play of light and shadows match what comes through our own windows. We don’t have to make any mental leaps to imagine the scene unfolding right in front of us. Mimetic artworks are instantly recognizable because of their devotion to reality.

Art Theory: Instrumentalism

What Makes Art Good? A Lesson and Explanation of Art Theories
John Heartfield, Have no fear–He’s a Vegetarian, 1936

 

An instrumentalist is not concerned with composition, only context. Through the lens of instrumentalism, the best artworks are those that convey a message or shape how we see the world. Unlike other art theories, instrumentalism says that art is good when it functions as a tool to influence or change society.

The artwork above no doubt drew a visceral reaction the moment you saw it. Did your eyes flick to the title? Were you trying to figure out what the artist was trying to say? Now imagine that you saw this artwork before World War II. As Hitler rose to power, many saw him as a harmless politician, though some knew otherwise. In this piece, Heartfield was using his art as an instrument, sounding an alarm for anyone who thought Hitler was nothing to fear.

Art Theory: Emotionalism

What Makes Art Good? A Lesson and Explanation of Art Theories
Franz Marc, Fate of the Animals, 1913

 

The emotionalism theory places emphasis on the expressive qualities of an artwork. The communication between artwork and viewer is crucial. If the art is able to elicit a feeling from the audience, then the artist has created an excellent piece. Emotionalism is unique among art theories because it is not concerned with how an observer is attracted. Varying components of an artwork can captivate different viewers, but it only matters that the artist was able to evoke a mood or idea, regardless of composition, context, or narrative.

Read more about Fate of the Animals on Art Class Curator.

Art Theories Lesson

To teach about art theories in a quick art and aesthetics lesson, I start out with a warm-up discussion question, what makes art an artwork good? I like this question because it gets students thinking more about what goes into the creation of a work of art and that art is more than just making something look pretty.

Then, I divide the students into groups and each group gets one of the above artworks with the following writing prompts:

  • Make a list of questions you might ask yourself about this art.
  • What makes this artwork good?

After they’ve explored their assigned artwork, we discuss their ideas to the class and I tell them about each of the art theories.

Curated Connections Library Members: Access the PowerPoint and Worksheet for this activity at this link. 

What do you think makes an artwork good?

This post was originally published on June 7, 2018.

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Get the Full Lesson!

This Lesson is in The Curated Connections Library!

Find the full lesson from this post along with hundreds of other art teaching resources and trainings in the Curated Connections Library. Click here for more information about how to join or enter your email below for a free SPARKworks lesson from the membership!

Filed Under: Art Connection Activities
Tagged With: best of art class curator, franz marc, johannes vermeer, john heartfield, wassily kandinsky

 

December 30, 2018 20 Comments

Complete the Picture: An Easy Art Appreciation Game and Printable

Inside: Students use creativity in this art appreciation game for kids with a free art appreciation printable. Students are shown a small piece and draw the rest.

Recently, I was looking at the Prado Museum website researching links for my year of art appreciation post. I found a little thumbnail sketch of the painting, and I thought it was so cool. I was smitten by it and needed to know what it was right away. I clicked on the image and nothing happened. WHAT?! So I then started clicking around on the Prado Museum website, but I couldn’t find it. This picture is like nothing I have ever seen before, so I didn’t even know where to start looking on the site.

Here is the thumbnail. Isn’t it so intriguing? Doesn’t it just make you want to know more?

jhbglk

I ended up having to use the snipping tool to pull the picture from the site. Then, I did a reverse Google image search for the picture. That’s when I discovered that this was The Straw Manikin by Francisco Goya. The final painting didn’t look like what I expected but that was what was so fun about the process.

The Art Curator for Kids - Francisco Goya - The Straw Manikin
Francisco Goya, The Straw Manikin, 1791-92

Delightful.

That little puzzle piece made my brain go so many places, and it made me think of lots of different art appreciation game s I could do with students with small clips of paintings like that. I could show a small bit of the painting and then have to student guess what the rest of the painting looks like or give the student a small portion of the painting and have them draw what the rest might look like. This activity is not new to the world, but it was fun to experience it out in the wild for myself.

I used to work at a history museum in downtown Dallas, and we would do something similar with historic photographs. We photocopied them and cut them into pieces and distributed the different quadrants to different groups of students. The students had to figure out clues from the photos. It taught them to look closely and notice things they might not have seen had they been given the full photograph originally.

I decided to make you a printable of this painting and others that work with the activity.

Art Appreciation Game Instructions and Printable

You print it and give it to the student, and ask them to draw the scene around it, or just discuss what they notice and what they predict for the rest of the painting. After they complete the art appreciation game, show the full painting and discuss.

I used these paintings for this activity in the printable.

  • Francisco Goya, The Straw Manikin, 1791-92
  • Johannes Vermeer, The Milkmaid, c. 1658
  • Vincent van Gogh, Bedroom in Arles, 1888
  • Leonardo da Vinci, Lady with an Ermine, 1489-90
  • Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, Gojō Bridge, an Episode from the Life of Yoshitsune, 1881
  • Unknown, Rahula,16th century

Free PDF!

Complete the Picture

Ready-to-go Art Appreciation Activity

This is a great activity to have on hand in your classroom. Just print it and give it to your student or the whole class. They draw the scene around a small portion of the artwork. Or, just discuss what they notice in the portion and have them predict what will be in the rest of the painting. When they’re done, show them the full (included) artwork and discuss!

Download

Free PDF!

Complete the Picture

Ready-to-go Art Appreciation Activity

This is a great activity to have on hand in your classroom. Just print it and give it to your student or the whole class. They draw the scene around a small portion of the artwork. Or, just discuss what they notice in the portion and have them predict what will be in the rest of the painting. When they’re done, show them the full (included) artwork and discuss!

Filed Under: Art Connection Activities, Downloads and Resources
Tagged With: francisco goya, johannes vermeer, leonardo da vinci, sandro botticelli, vincent van gogh

 

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