James Rosenquist's giant Pop-art panels included realistic renderings of well-known contemporary foods and objects, juxtaposed with famous people in the news--largely from the 1960s, '70s and '80s--and really serve as visual time capsules. In this article, eighth-graders focus on the style of James Rosenquist to create their own Pop-art panel that…

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,…

This article features the painting "View of Toledo," based on Toledo, a very old city located on a high plateau in Spain. By the time the artist El Greco painted the picture, he had lived there for 31 years. When one looks at the picture, one will see a storm approaching and will see the city as if it were lit by a flash of lightning. What main…

In this article, second-graders create a sunflower drawing using pastel techniques that produce similar effects to Vincent van Gogh's brushstrokes. They also learn how layering colors and using white to lighten colors creates depth in their flowers.

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…

Creativity--where does it come from? When nurturing creativity, it is necessary to have an open mind. By nurturing a creative mind, one finds that artists' ideas flow freely, so students need to look deeper into the artworks, the artists' lives, and what was behind the inspiration for the work. Imagining themselves as one of the artists they have…

Five- and six-year-olds know a lot about their own homes. Besides school, home is probably where they spend most of their time. But have they ever really thought about their space? Using students' knowledge of their current space will help them design new spaces and think about all the areas that surround them. In this project, students design…

"Art history? Ugh!" is often the response of high-school visual arts students when faced with an art-history assignment. With the exception of very few students who might have an affection for the historical aspects of art, getting art history into the hearts and minds of high-school students can be a challenge. In this article, the author shares…

How is the natural environment in the neighborhood representative of the larger biosphere in which people live? Studying the local birds and flora of the Pacific Northwest in the context of the local parks and ponds provided a rich opportunity for third-grade students at St. Thomas School in Medina, Washington, to explore and learn about…

An art room should be a garden of visual stimulation, born of creativity, inquiry, critical thinking and intellectual conversation--and a little collaboration is not a bad thing either! When the author unpacked the new stools for her art room at the high school, she envisioned something more beautiful than the brown masonite circles that…

In this article, the author describes a class project based on the work of contemporary American artist Red Grooms. Grooms is best known for his "sculpto-pictoramas," which are a combination of both painting and sculpture that literally pop off the page or out of the background.

In this article, the author describes a class project wherein preschoolers gained an enriched experience learning art history through engaging in various activities: (1) listening to a storybook; (2) viewing images; (3) doing movement; and (4) producing a masterpiece. The author describes how the children painted their interpretation of Mona Lisa…

Outlined are four units of study in which intermediate grade students study and reproduce the human head, using sculpture, painting, and drawing. The outline describes student objective, teaching concepts, art history emphasis, media to be used, and art activities. (RM)

This teaching guide discusses Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas (1834-1917), his paintings, and his sculpture. The guide focuses on his paintings of daily activities at the horse racetrack in Paris (France). The unit has a concise biography of Degas. It is divided into two parts: Part 1: "Paintings and Drawings" (Kimberly Jones); and Part 2:…

These student materials and teacher lesson plans focus on presenting the fundamental knowledge necessary for mastering basic drawing skills. The devises that create the illusion of reality are introduced as concepts critical to the development of accurate, high-fidelity drawing. These structured materials encourage students to learn to draw…