I. Introduction to Paintings
Overview
Through this series of lessons students will become able to describe a painting using the description phase of object analysis. They will, with the teacher's help, repeat the process with one or more paintings from each of the periods to be examined: Pre-Impressionism, Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Especially in the beginning, students should be provided with questions which will guide them through their description. The questions begin in a simple manner in order to build confidence in their ability to describe art and also to review and build upon basic French vocabulary. Of course, the questions in subsequent lessons increase in difficulty, as does their knowledge and comfort with the process and vocabulary. Students will also learn about the respective painters who created the works presented. Of the paintings listed below, this sample lesson uses On the Beach, Trouville. The paintings used were selected for their ability to reflect culture, to clearly evidence the transition from before, to and after Impressionism and their presence in the Yale Art Gallery in New Haven. Those not at the Yale Art Gallery are Gare Saint Lazare by Monet and the two by Cassatt.
With this lesson series, as with the others to follow, teachers of more advanced French language classes may choose to supply necessary vocabulary and present all or part of each lesson in French. As a guide to the French teacher, the questions for the three stages of object analysis appear in both English and French.
Materials
Overhead transparencies of painting(s)
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Le Grand Pont
, Gustave Courbet
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Hunter on Horseback Recovering the Trail
, Gustave Courbet
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On the Beach, Trouville
, Claude Monet
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Gare Saint-Lazare
, Claude Monet
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The Child's Bath
, Mary Cassatt
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Breakfast in Bed
, Mary Cassatt
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Corner in Voyer d'Argenson Park
, Vincent Van Gogh
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Night Café
, Vincent Van Gogh
Overhead projector
Biographical information on each artist
Video:
The French Impressionists
Objectives
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1. Students will have an understanding of Impressionism
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2. Students will know the names of selected Impressionist artists and their paintings
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3. Students will be able to use Prown's method of object analysis to see culture through art
Procedure
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1. Project overhead transparency of
On the Beach, Trouville
. State that the painting is by Claude Monet but do not give any further information about the painting or Monet. Any additional information given at this point could "cloud" the students' description and make it subjective. Explain to students that they will be doing an objective analysis of a painting: simply stating what can be observed in the painting itself.
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2. Guide students through description using the following questions as prompts. The questions/responses may be done whole group, small group or individual and either oral or written.
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A. Substantial Analysis
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1. What is the approximate size of the painting?
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Combien mesure le tableau?
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(Teacher will provide this information when not in front of the actual painting.)
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2. Is it an oil painting, watercolor, etc.?
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Est-ce une peinture à l'huile ou à l'eau, etc.?
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B. Content
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1. What is the location that you see? Describe what you see in the scenery: beach, clouds, etc.
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Où se passe la scène? Décrivez la scène: la plage, les nuages, etc.
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2. How many people do you see?
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Combien de personnes y a-t-il?
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3. Describe each person, what are they doing? What are they wearing?
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Décrivez les personnes: ce qu'elles font? Comment est-ce qu'elles sont habillées?
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4. What else do you see in the picture?
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Qu'est-ce que vous voyez d'autre dans le tableau?
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C. Formal analysis
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1. What horizontal lines do you see? Vertical? Diagonal?
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Est-ce qu'il y a des lignes horizontales, verticales, diagonales?
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2. What geometric shapes do you see? Triangles, rectangles, squares, circles?
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Y a-t-il des formes géometriques? Triangles, rectangles, carrés, circles?
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3. What curved lines do you see?
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Y a-t-il des lignes curbés?
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4. Where is the light source?
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Où se trouve la source de la lumière?
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5. What is/are the brightest spot/s?
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Quels sont les points les plus lumineux?
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6. What colors are used? Is there a dominant color? What is it?
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Quelles sont les couleurs utilisées? Y a-t-il une couleur dominante? Laquelle?
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7. What textures are evident?
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Quelles sont les matières et leurs textures? (Comment est-ce qu'elles sont au touché?)
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3. Distribute biographical information on Monet. Depending on the time available just the brief biographical overview provided earlier could be used or more in-depth readings may be gleaned from either the teacher or student reading lists. Read and discuss biographical information and also include additional information on Impressionism as an art form.
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"Impressionist painting was noteworthy for its rejection of Romanticism and its whole-hearted plunge into contemporary life. The Impressionists turned…towards images of leisure and entertainment."(10)
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"Impressionist painters attempted to portray the light and mood of a scene by using bright colors and small, rapid brushstrokes."(11)
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"Impressionism…devoted to capturing effects of light out of doors…"(12)
4. Show video on the Impressionist painters: The French Impressionists. Discuss the Impressionist movement. Look for similarities and differences in the styles of the Impressionists presented in the video.
II. Reflections of a Culture
Overview
In this series of lessons students will move beyond an objective description to deduction and speculation. A study of this history of the time will provide insight and background.
Materials
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Overhead transparencies of painting(s)
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Overhead projector
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Handouts on historical perspective and time line
Objectives
1. Students will be able to use Prown's method of object analysis to see culture through art
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2. Students will be familiar with the history of the latter half of 19th century France
Procedure
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1. Distribute handout on historical perspective and time line. Read and discuss with particular focus on time period covering Monet. Additional information can certainly be added specific to the time period of the painting presented.
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2. Present overhead transparency of On the Beach, Trouville. Guide the student through the process of deduction using the following questions as prompts.
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A. Sensory engagement
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1. If you were looking through a window at this scene, what is closest to you and at what distance? What then is the distance of the other objects/people?
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Si vous regardez la scène à travers une fenítre quel est l'objet le plus proche et à quelle distance? ¿ quelle distance se trouve d'autres objets, personnes?
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2. Imagine you also are in this painting at the beach. What do you hear, smell, and feel (in a tactile sense only, i.e.: wind)?
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Imaginez que vous faites partie de la scène sur la plage: qu'est-ce que vous entendez, sentez, touchez?
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B. Intellectual engagement
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1. What is the time of day, season of the year?
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¿ quelle moment de la journée sommes-nous? Quelle est la saison?
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2. What happened just before the moment you see?
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Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé juste avant cette scène?
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3. What do you think will happen next?
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Que se passera-t-il juste après?
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C. Emotional response
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1. What are the individual people feeling and thinking?
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¿ votre avis, quels sont les sentiments des gens sur scène? ¿ quoi pensent-ils?
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2. What is your reaction to the painting?
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Quelle est votre réaction à ce tableau?
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3. How does it make you feel?
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Quels sont vos sentiments quand vous regardez cette peinture?
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3. Finish the process of object analysis by guiding students through the stage of speculation. Inform students that this stage is subjective, that they are now free to explore their thoughts and questions about the painting. This is the stage that will allow them to discover the culture behind the painting.
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1. What does a leisure beach scene say to you about the culture of the time?
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Qu'invoque cette scène de repos à la plage sur la culture de cette periode?
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2. What do the pictured individuals think about their right to leisure time activities?
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Que pensent les individus sur la scène de leur droit au repos/leurs passe-temps?
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3. Do you perceive any political overtones in the painting? Why or why not?
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Est-ce qu'il y a une tendence politique evidente dans cette peinture?
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4. What does the clothing reveal about the perceptions of "fun in the sun" for these people? Would they be comfortable viewing a contemporary beach scene?
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Que révèlent les vetíments sur la perception de ces gens en ce qui concerne leur joie de vivre? Est-ce qu'ils seraient confortables devant une scène contemporaine à la plage?
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5. What questions do you have that could be answered by further research?
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Est-ce que vous avez des questions dont les reponses pouraient ítre trouvées en faisant plus de recherche?
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4. When the last selected painting has been covered, follow with a review of all transparencies. Ask students to compare and contrast art styles. Discuss with them the stylistic changes from Courbet to Monet and Cassatt to Van Gogh. Take this one step further and guide them to a comparison on stylistic changes to historical changes.
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5. Conclude this lesson series with a field trip to the Yale Art Gallery. Arrange ahead of time with the gallery which paintings are to be shown to the students. They will convey this information to a docent who will work with the students during their visit. In addition to the paintings used in the above lessons, make a point to view
Port Donnant, Belle Isle
, by Claude Monet. This will be the painting students will copy in the next lesson series.
III. Impressionists in Training
Overview
In this final lesson series, students themselves will become impressionist painters. Just as the artists in this unit trained by copying the masters, so too will my students copy and paint a work by Monet. Painting the Impressionist Landscape, Lois Griffel, is invaluable reading for the teacher. If time allows her method should be followed step by step. This lesson is a shortened process relying on advance preparation and study by the teacher. The teacher should first practice the process of painting an impressionist landscape. Both funds and time will determine whether to use oils or pastels.
Materials
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Painting the Impressionist Landscape, Lois Griffel
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Overhead transparency of Port Donnant, Belle Isle
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Overhead transparencies or prints of other paintings from this series by Monet
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Pencils
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Blank sheets of white paper
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Palettes, one per student
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Palette paper
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Oil Paints
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Palette knives, one per student
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9" x 12" masonite boards, one per student
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Pastels (If pastels are used in place of oil paints, the palettes, palette paper and palette knives are not needed.)
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Photographs of an outdoor area by the school taken at different times of the day, in different atmospheric conditions.
Objectives
1. Students will create their own Impressionist work of art
Procedure
1. Present prints or overhead transparencies of several of the series of cliff scenes done by Monet at Belle Isle (Belle Ile). Stress the awareness of light, the changes from picture to picture with the time of day and atmospheric conditions. Explain that impressionists worked on multiple canvases as light effects/impressions changed during the day, often returning to the same spot at the same time to finish on another day. Show photographs that have been taken at a location by the school. Point out the changes in light conditions and the resultant effect on color.
2. Project transparency of
Port Donnant, Belle Isle
and have students practice outlining the visible shapes onto paper until they are comfortable with this step. Then have them lightly sketch these simple shapes of Monet's composition onto their board.
3. Choose the underlying color for each mass, fill in each large general shape with one color. Do not outline, do not be concerned about edges. Try not to mix colors at this point. Use as little white paint as possible and no black.
4. Apply a second layer of color strokes to define form. Use very soft varied edges. Do not use black to tint for shade. Look for color; consider the object's complementary color for shading.
5. The last set of color strokes will be used to finish the painting. Fill in colors leaving small areas of the first and second layerings to achieve the active play of colors. Check for subtle nuances, warm and cool colors.
6. As a separate project, students may use their acquired Impressionist techniques to either copy an additional Impressionist painting or do a plein-air/open-air painting of their own.
