old master drawings - Museum of Fine Arts - Florida State University

Suggestions of other Activities for Art TeachersFebruary/March2009Before and AfterGrade Level: 3-12The day the students go to the museum, pass out instruction sheets and three pieces ofillustration board per person, each the size of 3X5 cards that can fit in their pockets.Each student will pick one painting in the museum. On the first card, the student willreproduce the artwork. On the second card the student will draw what was happeningbefore the painting was painted. On the last card, the student will draw what happenedafter the painting was created. After returning to the classroom, students will write thestory of what they think is happening in the original painting and then what ishappening in the before and after paintings.Portrait CollageGrade Level: 5-12Add a twist to the “Mona Lisa Lesson Plan.” Have students bring in found objects (fromhome, nature, or even from a store) to turn their portraits into collages. Instead ofhaving students do portraits on construction paper, foam or cardboard would workbetter. This idea can utilize objects and paint or can utilize only objects and no paint.Examples will give students an idea of what is expected.Posing as an Old MasterGrade Level: 4-6Have students each choose a favorite artist from the Old Master drawings exhibition toresearch. Next the student will write a short summary on the basic facts about theartist’s life. Give each student a stretched canvas. Students will also research the useof canvas. They will discover the period it came into broad use, how it was made, andhow it was prepared by artists before painting. Students will do paintings in the styleof the artists researched.Greek-Roman MythGrade Level: 5Students will look at the Old Master drawings which focus on Greek-Roman myths.Student will talk about the stories. As a class, they will read one myth selecting scenesto draw. Let the class divide into four or five groups. Each group will discuss a differentscene and pose like characters in the myth. Before drawing, each scene will bephotographed. They will draw the scenes as a group. The final illustrations of the mythwill be presented to the class.Portrait DrawingsGrade Level: 2-12Students will look at portraits in the exhibition. They will answer the followingquestions as a group about the portraits. 1) Is there any person you want to meet? 2)What is the character of that person? 3) What did you see in the portrait that made youthink of this person’s character? 4) If you could meet and interview these people, whatwould you ask them? 5) Do you know anyone today who is like any of the people in theportraits? 6) What is the reason the Old Master artist produced these portraits? 7) Whydo we produce portraits today?Space in DrawingGrade Level: 4-12Introduce the horizon line and refer to Giovanni Francesco Grimaldi’s The Cascatelleand Jean-Honore Fragonard’s The Vaulted Garden for reference. Students will discussforeground, background, and middle ground. They will talk about the differencebetween closer objects and distant objects. Closer objects are darker and lower on thepaper or lighter and lower dependent on the drawing. Then, they will demonstrate useof the horizon line, foreground, middle ground, background, and dark and light (value)to create a sense of space by drawing trees from the class window.Lesson Plans Page 33