The Fayum mummy portraits from ancient Greco-Roman Egypt are exceptional in that they are the only surviving classical (ancient Greek and Roman) panel paintings from antiquity and are antecedents of Byzantine icons. Moreover, they hold important implications for art educators regarding multicultural education. They spotlight an exemplary pathway…

Drawing on her wealth of experience and expertise in using visual sources in the classroom, in this article Jane Card explores how a single painting, a portrait of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay and her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray, might form the basis for a sequence of lessons. Arguing that although highly accessible, images are not…

Fauvism is a style of painting based on the use of intensely vivid colors that were not natural to the faces, landscapes and objects being painted. It was how artists expressed themselves during the first decade of the 20th century, and lasted only a short time. The artists were called "les Fauves," which means "the wild beasts." In this article,…

When he painted a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II (1552-1612), Giuseppe Arcimboldo used his imagination, and portrayed him as "Vertumnus," the Roman god of vegetation and the seasons. It's fun to find the different fruits, vegetables and flowers he used: pea-pod eyelids, a gourd for the forehead. Court painters of the time usually…

Bright, shining gold, so daring and intense. Patterns reflecting the spirit of the portrait's subject, wisps of a look that intrigue the viewer. Something sultry in the eye, something shimmering on the lip... these are the works of Gustav Klimt. Klimt was Vienna's golden boy of painting. Through his use of pattern and the mosaic qualities in his…

How "could" one borrow a view? The works of artist, Ray Kass (b. 1944) are as much, if not more, about the experience and process of perception and art-making as they are about the final objects he creates. Kass is notorious for not solely his art making, but also for his thinking. He thinks, he writes, he teaches, he discusses, he organizes…

"Appreciation" of the arts grows most abundantly when students immerse themselves in the making of art. In this article, the author describes how she made eighth graders appreciate some of the big names from the art of the past.

Instructional strategies based on a portrait painting of Francisco Goya introduce primary grade students to the idea that portraits are pictures of people. Students also develop an awareness that the visual vocabulary of color, shape, line, texture, and the quality of brushstrokes can communicate feelings and ideas. (RM)

Instructional strategies based on a portrait painting of Jean-Baptiste Oudry familiarize intermediate grade students with the techniques of portraiture and introduce the characteristics of eighteenth-century French rococo painting. (RM)

The instructional strategies suggested use a work of one of Mexico's most celebrated political history painters, David Siqueiros, to introduce junior high students to formal qualities in portraiture and contemporary Mexican art history. (RM)

Instructional strategies introduce students in grades 10-12 to the stylistic characteristics and portraiture technique of Mary Cassatt and help them understand Cassatt's relationship to work of other Impressionist painters. (RM)

Images of people can serve several purposes in works of art. Individuals have had their likenesses embellished or altered for political, social, or religious purposes. Or, images of individuals have been employed by other people to fit their needs. This Learning Packet, designed for use with grade levels 1-8, addresses three themes: (1)"People as…

Orra White Hitchcock (1796-1863) was an artist and a teacher who integrated major changes for young ladies in her school's art program. She grew up in Massachusetts and from a very young age she exhibited an interest in the visual arts and natural sciences. After completing her education, she choose to become a teacher of exact sciences and fine…

Focuses on the use of the art technique called watergraph in which students use watercolor to paint over photographs. Provides three examples of how teachers used this process with their students, including creating self portraits inspired by the work of Edgar Degas. (CMK)

Focuses on the facial expression in the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci. Offers background information on da Vinci as well as learning activities for students. Includes a reproduction of the "Mona Lisa" and information about the painting. (CMK)