For this weeks project, our Arts Methods Professor introduced us to Vincent Van Gogh, and the history of his life and work. We were introduced to his childhood, his family, inspirations and then his career.
Also, she gave us some fascinating facts about his life, such as how he cut off his own ear, and spent some time in an insane asylum. We learned how he hadn't started his painting career until his late twenties, and how he died in his late thirties.
To help understand and remember his work, we did two master studies of Starry Night, in different ways.
The first one was a tissue paper and varnish collage on construction paper, were we used our own creativity to create a starry night of our own. After the varnished tissue paper dried, we used another piece of construction paper to cut out a silhouette of our ideal city. We then decorated with metallic sharpie and oil pastels. I think it was very fun and interesting. I think it is a great project to inspire students to really make some wonderful things, appreciate Van Gogh's work.
Tissue Paper, Tempera Varnish,metallic sharpie, oil pastels.
The other project we did was a simple, but very fun finger painting. The assignment was to use the same techniques that Van Gogh used for his starry night. We didn't have to do a master study, just had to show foreground, middle ground, and background. We used a waxed paper, and primary colored tempura paint. After tapping the paper down, we used our fingers to select the colors we wanted, and mixed right on the wax paper. Another stipulation was we needed to incorporate some sort of element from the original, such as the line pattern. It was very fun; somewhat messy, but very enjoyable. Very liberating to just get messy for a change. I chose to do a study of Starry Night, and was actually pleased with the out come, given the limited pallet I was given.
An extension exercise I would use these for would be a project like "soul of the artist", where I would have my students bring in an old shoe, and paint it with the same techniques the artist they choose, or I had presented. I would have them include one recognizable art work on one side of the shoe, and then two aspects of their lives, such as what inspired them, or a major incident or tribulation they went through.
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