Content
Area: Visual Arts
Lesson
Plan “CHANGES IN WESTERN ART: From Realism to Cubism”
Grade Level:
Middle School (6th, 7th, & 8th)
Introduction
The Millet to Matisse exhibition showcases works from the following
art movements of the late19th and early 20th centuries:
In the 1850s
Realism reacts to the subjective Romantic and idealized
Neo-Classical styles. This shift is brought about by the artists’
need to respond to the invention of photography and to reconsider
their role as “artists”. Realism portrays its subject
matter honestly: an “unidealized portrayal of reality.”
The invention of paint tubes (pig bladders used to hold oil paint)
allows the artist to go outside and paint en plein air. It also
depicts the social climate and the new democratic principles espoused
by the time. The elements art and principles of design are explored
in a new way: for example, texture as paint is applied, not just
implied.
During the1870s
Impressionism studies the effects of sunlight on color. Those
artists further expand en plein air (in plain air – painting
out of doors) painting. Their official theory was that pure, unmixed
color should be applied to the canvas to create an impression
of the subject. In that way, the actual theme of the artwork was
color. Their landscapes are painted to reflect the effect of light
on color, and often their subjects were painted several times
to illustrate the differing light at various times of the day.
The influence
of Japanese woodcut prints by Hokusai is evident in the works
of Impressionist artists Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Mary Cassatt.
Cropped, diagonal compositions add a new energy and perspective
to the arrangement of the picture plane. The harmony and order
of the Renaissance is replaced with unbalanced, dynamic points
of view.
By the 1880s
Post-Impressionism or Neo-Impressionism evolves from Impressionism
into personal, almost obsessive explorations of color and composition.
Some of these artists, like Seurat, explore the effects of one
color on another in the optical mixing of pointillism. Others,
such as VanGogh, pursue an expressive use of color and line. Cézanne
searches past color to space and differing points of view to flatten
and abstract the picture plane.
In the 1890s
the Nabis (Hebrew word for “prophets”) painters
further reflect the influence of Japanese printmaking on western
art. As with Van Gogh, they pursue a personal use of color, but
couple it with their own aims with art for a new age.
Fauvism
(meaning “Wild Beast”) comes into being in the first
years of the 20th-century, and was influenced by the Post-Impressionists
and their personal use of color and . Those artists were “invested
in the strong expressive reaction to the subjects they painted”
with its bright use of color which seemed to explode on the canvas.
Other members of the group included Derain and Vlaminck.
The creation
of the Cubism style around 1907 was greatly influenced
by Paul Cézanne’s abstraction of space by altering
the points of view by which a landscape or still life is seen.
Analytical cubism (to 1912) developed by Georges Braque and Pablo
Picasso is characterized by fragmented points of view in which
all views of an object are seen simultaneously. Synthetic cubism
fuses these disparate viewpoints and develops collage as a visual
art medium.
Objectives/Classroom
Activity:
Discover the influences of mid 19th and early 20th century art
styles: Realism, Impressionism, Post / Neo Impressionism, Fauvism,
Cubism through an analysis of styles, subject matter, and media.
Vocabulary:
- Artists:
Millet, Breton, Pissarro, Courbet, Corot, Bonvin, Fantin-Latour,
Monet, Seurat, Bastien-Lapage, Vuillard, Cassatt, Picasso, Derain,
Braque, Bonnard, VanGogh, Matisse
- Art Styles:
Realism, Impressionism, Post /Neo Impressionism, Nabis, Fauvism,
Cubism (Analytical and Synthetic)
- Subject
Matter: Landscape, portrait, still life
- Composition
- Art elements:
Space (perspective, horizon line, vanishing point), texture,
value, color (tint and shade), shape
- Principles
of design: Contrast, pattern, emphasis, proportion, movement
Time Frame:
One week
Core Content
Links: AH-M-4.1.31, AH-M-4.1.32, AH-M-4.1.34, AH-M-4.1.37,
AH-M-4.1.39, AH-M-4.2.32, AH-M-4.2.34
Guiding
Questions:
- How are
the elements of art and the principles of design used in this
painting?
- What are
the characteristics of Realism? Impressionism? Post / neo impressionism?
Fauvism? Cubism?
- How was
color used by each of these styles? Shapes?
- How would
different media, and the way one applies a medium, affect a
painting?
Materials:
- Computer
- CD rom
Millet to Matisse
Motivational
Tools and Sources:
Procedure:
Day One:
Discuss the characteristics of the aforementioned art styles featured
in the Millet to Matisse exhibition. Show examples of period
work. Then have the students discover the works on their own using
the Speed’s web brochure, having them make notes on what
they observe (subject matter, medium, use of color, composition
(organization of space).
Day Two
- Three:
Divide students into groups for each of the main styles: Realism,
Impressionism, Post /Neo Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism. Each
group researches its style, identifies the previous style and
how it influenced their style, as well as determines how their
style influences the subsequent one. Example: The Realism
art movement was a reaction to Romantic style, and its emphasis
on the depiction of “real life” inspired the Impressionist
artists.
Each member
in the group is responsible for a contributing fact on how the
style was affected by non-European cultures, inventions of the
day, cultural or political influences, the elements of art and
the principles of design examined, and identifying the main artists
and the significant contributions to the style.
Day Four:
Group presentations to the entire class on the information that
was discovered in their research.
Assessment:
You have just investigated the changes made in art style from
the Impressionists to the Fauves.
Please explain
how the Impressionist, Post-impressionist and Fauves influenced
the use of color in artwork. How did they use color differently
than artists before them?
SCORING
GUIDE
4 -
Student provides a complete detailed explanation of the influences
on color that were made by the Impressionist, Post-impressionist
and Fauves. Student clearly analyzes the ways in which the Impressionist,
Post-impressionist and Fauves used color differently than artists
before them. Student consistently uses correct art vocabulary.
Student communicates clearly and effectively with insightful use
of examples or relevant details about visual art.
3 -Student provides a general explanation of the influences
on color that were made by the Impressionist, Post-impressionist
and Fauves. Student analyzes the ways in which the Impressionist,
Post-impressionist and Fauves used color differently than artists
before them. Student describes their artwork using overall correct
art vocabulary. Student communicates effectively with use of examples
or relevant details about visual art.
2 -Student provides a mostly complete explanation of the
influences on color that were made by the Impressionist, Post-impressionist
and Fauves. Student analyzes some of the ways in which the Impressionist,
Post-impressionist and Fauves used color differently than artists
before them. Student describes their artwork using limited art
vocabulary. Student communicates on a basic level with limited
use of examples or relevant details about visual art.
1 -Student’s answer is incomplete, incorrect demonstrating
only a minimal understanding of concepts.
0 -Blank, no answer or irrelevant response.
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