"Blue Vase" by Cezanne

 "Blue Vase" by Paul Cezanne

       Paul Cézanne was born on the 19th of January 1839 and died on the 22nd of October 1906. He was a French artist and Post-Impressionist painter whose work laid the foundations of the transition from the 19th-century conception of artistic endeavor to a new and radically different world of art in the 20th century. Cézanne's often repetitive, exploratory brushstrokes are highly characteristic and clearly recognizable. He used planes of color and small brushstrokes that build up to form complex fields. The paintings convey Cézanne's intense study of his subjects.

       Cézanne is said to have formed the bridge between late 19th-century Impressionism and the early 20th century's new line of artistic inquiry, Cubism. Both Matisse and Picasso are said to have remarked that Cézanne "is the father of us all."

"The Gates of The Cemetary" by Marc Chagall

"The Gates of The Cemetery"
by Marc Chagall, painted in 1917, oil on canvas

 

      "With World War I raging through Europe, Chagall stayed on in Russia after his marriage to Bella, instead of taking his bride back to Paris. He was called up for military service right after the wedding, but ended up in a rear echelon job in Petrograd where he continued to paint in off-duty hours. In 1917, the year Russia was torn by revolution, Chagall returned to Vitebsk as Minister of Art for the town, and founded a school. During this period he painted a number of landscapes that demonstrated his technical virtuosity in this genre. It is not surprising that in such troubled times Chagall should have been deeply concerned again with death, and that among the landscapes are paintings of cemeteries. In this picture of the cemetery gates, the angular geometry of his Paris work is back in full force, only now, instead of being used arbitrarily as abstract design, it bears resemblance to rays of light -dancing in atmosphere, bounding off reflecting surfaces, and casting long shadows. The Hebrew characters on the gate remind us that while Chagall was a teen-age art student in Petrograd, he had also worked briefly in a sign painter's shop." Abrams

       Marc Zakharovich Chagall was a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin. An early modernist, he was associated with several major artistic styles and created works in virtually every artistic format, including painting, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramic, tapestries and fine art prints. Read more...

"Boum Boum Bird saying its prayer at the onion skin head" by Joan Miro'

"Boum Boum Bird saying it's prayer at the onion skin head" by Joan Miro'.

       MIRO, Joan Born in Montroig, Catalonia, Spain, April 20, 1893. Studied at the School of Fine Arts and the Gali Academy in Barcelona. Had his first exhibition at Dalmau's in Barcelona in 1918, at which time he appeared to have been influenced by Van Gogh. Arrived in Paris in 19 19. Met Picasso and painted a series of Cubist still lifes. Had his first Paris exhibition at the Galerie Licorne in 1921. An anarchist, opposed to all rules and tradition, he discovered a kinship with the Surrealists. In 1924 he signed his first Surrealist picture "Terre Labouree," and, in 1925, participated in the exhibition of this group at the Galerie Pierre. Since then he has been considered one of the foremost representatives of Surrealism. With Max Ernst, he designed decors for the Ballets Russes production of Romeo and Juliette, and in 1 93 1 he did dehors for Jeux d'Enfants for the Ballets de Monte Carlo. In 1937 he painted a large mural for the Spanish Pavilion of the International Exposition in Paris. Forced by the war to return to Catalonia in 1940, he continued to paint, took up lithography, and collaborated with Artigas in the production of ceramics. He returned to France in 1944, and has since divided his time between Paris and Barcelona. He visited the United States in 1947 and executed a large mural for the Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati. Miro is represented in most of the museums of modern art throughout the world.

"Matador" by Buffet

"Matador" by Buffet

       Buffet was born in Paris, France, and studied art there at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (National School of the Fine Arts) and worked in the studio of the painter Eugène Narbonne. Among his classmates were Maurice Boitel and Louis Vuillermoz.

       Sustained by the picture-dealer Maurice Garnier, Buffet produced religious pieces, landscapes, portraits and still lifes. In 1946, he had his first painting shown, a self-portrait, at the Salon des Moins de Trente Ans at the Galerie Beaux-Arts. He had at least one major exhibition every year. Buffet illustrated "Les Chants de Maldoror" written by Comte de Lautréamont in 1952. In 1955, he was awarded the first prize by the magazine Connaissance des arts, which named the 10 best post-war artists. In 1958, at the age of 30, the first retrospective of his work was held at the Galerie Charpentier.

       On 12 December 1958, Buffet married the writer and actress Annabel Schwob. His daughter Virginie was born in 1962, and later, daughter Danielle in 1963. His son Nicolas, was born in 1973, the same year that he was named "Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur".

       At the request of the French postal administration in 1978, he designed a stamp depicting the Institut et le Pont des Arts – on this occasion the Post Museum arranged a retrospective of his works. He created more than 8,000 paintings and many prints as well. 

"The Muse Inspires the Poet" by Rousseau

"The Muse Inspires the Poet" by Henri Rousseau.

       The above painting is of Guillaume Apollinaire and Marie Laurencin. Guillaume Apollinaire was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent.

       Apollinaire is considered one of the foremost poets of the early 20th century, as well as one of the most impassioned defenders of Cubism and a forefather of Surrealism. He is credited with coining the term "cubism" in 1911 to describe the emerging art movement and the term "surrealism" in 1917 to describe the works of Erik Satie. The term Orphism (1912) is also his. Apollinaire wrote one of the earliest Surrealist literary works, the play The Breasts of Tiresias (1917), which became the basis for the 1947 opera Les mamelles de Tirésias.

african masks from recycled materials: milk jug construction

Title: African Masks From Recycled Materials: Milk Jug Construction

Topic: recycling, African culture

Goals and Objectives:

• Students will make three-dimensional masks representing elements and principles of design used by African indigenous cultures.
• Students will use recycled materials to construct an original mask.
• Students will conduct research in the library or computer lab.

GLEs:

STRAND I: Product/Performance

3. Communicate ideas about subject matter and themes in artworks created for various purposes

A. High School Level I

·      Create original artworks using non-objective, architecture and anatomy subject matters.

STRAND IV: Interdisciplinary Connections (IC)

1. Explain connections between visual art and performing arts

A. High School Level I

·      Connect meanings of elements in art with terms in music, theatre, or dance

STRAND III: Artistic Perceptions (AP)

2. Analyze and evaluate art using art vocabulary

A. Art Criticism: High School Level I: With one artwork:

• describe artwork;
• analyze the use of elements and principles in the work;
• Interpret the meaning of the work (subject, theme, symbolism, message communicated);
• Judge the work from various perspectives:
• Showing a real or idealized image of life (Imitationalism)
• Expressing feelings (Emotionalism/ Expressionism)
• Emphasis on elements and principles (Formalism)
• Serving a purpose in the society or culture (Functionalism)

STRAND II: Elements and Principles (EP)

2. Select and use principles of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork

E. Unity: High School Level I

·      Explain how elements and principles create unity in artworks

STRAND II: Elements and Principles (EP)

2. Select and use principles of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork

F. Proportion: High School Level I

·      Identify and use realistic facial proportions

STRAND II: Elements and Principles (EP)

2. Select and use principles of art for their effect in communicating ideas through artwork

B. Emphasis: High School Level I

·      Identify and create emphasis (focal point) through contrast and convergence

Grade: 9^th – 12^th

Length of Class Period: 55 minutes

Frequency of Class Period: five days a week

Time Needed: six class periods

Facility & Equipment Requirements:

• One computer lap top
• Room with good lighting
• Large tables, approximately ten, each seating four students
• Two sinks
• Dry erase board
• Drying racks
•  Cabinets for storage
• Projector for viewing computer video, CDs and DVDs

Materials Per Student:

• empty clean milk jug
• sharp scissors
• masking tape
• newsprint
• white school glue
• paint
  

Vocabulary/Terminology:

• Indigenous - are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory.
• Tribe - A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.
• Mask - a protective covering worn over the face
• Culture - the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group

Health & Safety Concerns: There are no health and safety concerns for this project.

Cleanup Time & Strategy: Students will be instructed to put away art materials neatly in their containers, clean off their tables, and recycle their trash two minutes prior to dismissal.

Assessment: A formal assessment/grading rubric sheet from your specific high school should be filled out per student.

all articles and lesson plans are copyrighted 2018 by Grimm

High School age students work on their own mask designs.

craft papier-mâché puzzle cones

       I made these puzzle cones to gift to a very special little person. With these simple parts she can mix and match her favorite ice cream flavors: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, lemon, blue berry, rocky road, chocolate chip mint and butter pecan. 

Supply List:

• paper mache pulp
• plastic cones
• masking tape
• variety of acrylic paints
• acrylic spray sealer
• brown paper bags
• a brown permanent felt tip marker
• one-piece wooden clothes pins
• newsprint
• white school glue or Elmer's wood glue

Step-by-Step Directions:

1. Wrap both the inside and outside of your plastic cone pieces with masking tape.
2. Squeeze a generous amount of glue into the inside bottom of each cone and stuff newsprint around an inserted clothes pin. You clothes pins need to stick outside of each cone approximately two inches. Let the form dry over night. (see picture below)
3. Cover the entire cone shape and pin sticking out with layers of glue and brown paper bag stripes. Let the forms dry overnight.
4. Crush and shape the scoops of ice cream from newsprint around the tops of the clothes pins. 
5. Mask both the inside hole and the outside ice cream scoop shapes.
6. Using a bit of glue and paper line the interior holes with a dryer finished paper surface and let these shapes dry overnight.
7. Now cover the outside surface of the ice cream scoops with paper mache pulp, following the instructions that come with that art modeling material. Let the scoops dry overnight. It may take longer than 24 hours for these surfaces to dry thoroughly.
8. I drew diamond shapes onto my paper cones using a permanent ink pen, but you can use paint if you prefer.
9. Paint your ice cream scoops to imitate what ever flavor of ice cream you prefer.
10. After the surfaces are dry, seal these with a clear acrylic spray.

"Wrap both the inside and outside of your plastic cone pieces with masking tape."

"Crush and shape the scoops of ice cream from newsprint around the tops of the clothes pins. and
Mask both the inside hole and the outside ice cream scoop shapes."

The finished puzzle cones are ready for a little girl and her friends to play with!

Draw ice cream treats.