The Limbourg Brothers… and the 1st of May

by with No Comment ArtManuscriptsStudent Activities

The Limbourg Brothers are among my favorite artists! The month of May in “Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry,” the manuscript, is another favorite.

A merry group of horse-riding men and women, wearing their finest garments, May wreaths on their heads, attended by servants and entertained by musicians, this group of elegant aristocrats depicts, according to the Limbourg brothers, a May pageant. In the center of the composition, a young woman, maybe Joan II, Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne, on a white horse, is dressed in a rich traditional green garment, known at the time as “ livrée de Mai.” In front of her, with his back to the viewer, is the Duc de Berry, impressive in his gold-embroidered blue robe, is depicted turning and talking to his bride-to-be.

Paul Limbourg, the probable painter of this page, organized his composition in three levels. The Duke’s entourage occupies the first level displaying vibrant colors, subtle movement and wealth. The second level, a deep, green forest, along with two indications of shrubbery in the very front of the picture, creates an alcove of tranquility, serenity and a sense of safety for the group of aristocrats to continue. Finally, the third level, rendered in lapis lazuli blue, indicates the possible location of this event. The rooftops of Hôtel de Neslé, the Conciergerie and the Tour de l’Horloge in the Isle de la Cité tell us we are in Paris, it’s the 1st of May and it’s time to celebrate!

Herman, Paul, and Johan Limbourg, c. 1385 – 1416

Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, the month of May page, c. 1412-1416, manuscript illumination on vellum, 30 cm in height by 21.5 cm, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France

For more information, please check http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/tres-riches-heures-duc-de-berry.htmhttps://artsandculture.google.com/asset/tr%C3%A8s-riches-heures-du-duc-de-berry-mois-de-mai/VgFhrcA2WNZh6A and https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/tr%C3%A8s-riches-heures-du-duc-de-berry-mois-de-mai/VgFhrcA2WNZh6A

For a Student Activity Worksheet … Click HERE!

For a Picture (Wikimedia Public Domain) … Click HERE!

Teaching with Vincent Van Gogh

by with No Comment ArtLesson PlansPowerpointsStudent Activities
Grade 3 students inspired by Van Gogh and his Sunflowers!

“Teaching with Vincent Van Gogh” is a set of student activities and worksheets inspired by the great Dutch artist everyone admires.

When the globally acclaimed “Van Gogh Alive – The Experience” exhibition made its way to Thessaloniki, I prepared my students for an organized Educational Trip.

“Make no mistake – this is no ordinary art exhibition. From start to finish, visitors will be surrounded by a powerful and vibrant symphony of light, colour, and sound that will compel them to leave the world behind and immerse themselves in what has been called an ‘unforgettable’ multi-sensory experience. Van Gogh’s masterpieces come to life as visitors experience the sensation of walking right into their paintings – a feeling that is simultaneously enchanting, entertaining and educational.”

“Teaching with Vincent Van Gogh” Activities

If you are interested in Teaching with Vincent van Gogh, I put together a List of Student Activities, from Museums in the US and Europe (the great Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam) that, hopefully, justifies my name “teachercurator”. Some of these Activities were used by colleagues of mine, in our different school Departments.

For Van Gogh Lesson Plans and Activities … Click HERE!

For my PP on Van Gogh … Click HERE!

For WAC (Write Across the Ciciculum) Activity on Adjectives … Click HERE!

For a PP of “Sunflowers” student work … Click HERE!

For a PP on the Roulin Family … Click HERE!

For the “Do you know Vincent” Activity Worksheet and PP … Click HERE! and HERE!

Bibliography

https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/group-and-school-visits/schools/lessons-and-teaching-materials

The Art of Portraiture during the Byzantine Period

by with No Comment ArtByzantiumStudent Activities

The Art of Portraiture during the Byzantine Period is an interesting topic to explore! Portraits have been a popular subject among artists and patrons throughout the ages. From ancient Egyptian renderings on Tomb walls at Saqqara, in Egypt, to Rembrandt’s Self-Portraits and the abstracted works of Pablo Picasso, artists have depicted all kinds of portraits and in a wide variety of ways.

For Byzantine Art, the representation of the human face is important, yet very specific rules need to be followed, so as to depict it correctly. Byzantine Portraits embody a spiritual presence and the eyes play the role of the protagonist! Thus, eyes are affectionately called … the windows of the soul!

“The Art of Portraiture during the Byzantine Period” is an Activity I use in my Grade 7 Art History Class on Byzantium. Students enjoy comparing the three different portraits, discussing similarities and differences and thus, drawing conclusions.

Living in Thessaloniki, Greece, a city with 15 Byzantine UNESCO Monuments of Cultural Heritage, exploring the Art of the Byzantine Period is imperative!!!

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/456

Student Activity

This is a Project that requires four parts: 1. A nicely written title 2.      Colored copies of the three Byzantine Portraits, correctly identified 3. Answers to assigned Questions 4. An Art Project

For more on “The Art of Portraiture during the Byzantine Period” Activity… Click HERE!

Heracles and the Lion of Nemea

by with No Comment ArtHeraclesLesson PlansMythologyPowerpointsStudent Activities

My students love nothing more than a good Greek Myth like Heracles and the Lion of Nemea!!!

Myths are such fascinating stories. They were created at a time, so far away from our fast-paced, cosmopolitan, technologically savvy world, and yet, they are still relevant in helping shape modern thinking. Myths talk about duty, penance, responsibility, love, exploration, sacrifice, originality, imagination, creativity, effort,  humility, industry, curiosity, character, kindness, strength, success, resilience, arrogance, spirit ….

They can still advise us on the faults of political arrogance (Theseus and the Minautor), global warming (Phaethon and the Chariot of the Sun), the power of creativity (the Wings of Daedalus), penance not punishment (the Labours of Hercules), exploration (Jason and the Argonauts) …

For years now I have found myself relying on Greek Mythology like Heracles and the Lion of Nemea so as to enrich my curriculum. From Grade 1 to all Grades of High School, my students get a taste of these fascinating stories, “reading” them, in ways appropriate for their level.

As a result, students are 100% engaged, and teaching is so gratifying!

Use it to introduce ideas like Mythology, Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome, Art, Social Studies, Language Arts, Visual Arts

Heracles and the Lion of Nemea Lesson Plan Analysis

Essential Questions

Do ancient Greek myths help students a glimpse of what people thought in the past, what they considered important and how their morals worked?

Do ancient Greek myths contribute to the classic and modern understanding of life?

Goals

To help students connect the past with the present

Assist students learn about mythology from works of art

Enduring Understanding

Ancient Greek myths are narratives, formative or reflective, of social order or values.

Ancient Greek myths serve as a warning for people on how they should and should not be.

Steps to Success – Heracles and the Lion of Nemea

  1. The Power of Music

Start your Lesson with a song from the “Lion King”

The Lion King – Circle of LifeIntroduction to the Lesson – Heracles and the Lion of Nemea – No more than 2 minutes.

2. Review of the Essential Questions

Do ancient Greek myths give students a glimpse of how people thought in the past, what they considered important and how their morals worked?

Do ancient Greek myths contribute to the classic and modern understanding of life?

3. Visual Learning – “7 Roar…some Lion Facts”

Show students the PP “teachercurator” has prepared, discuss Lion Facts and thus prepare students for the Lion of Nemea story … Click HERE

4. The Power of Story-Telling – Get your students to your classrooms’ coziest area, then sit them down and tell them the story of Hercules and the Lion of Nemea. It is important for them to “feel” and “live” the Myth. So, my advice is not to read the myth, even from the finest book. Use your dramatic voice and “act” it out, captivating your students’ imagination.

5. Practice Visual Learning

6. Be Inquisitive

Discuss each picture – ask students the questions “teachercurator” prepared for you. For the PP in Hercules and the Lion of Nemea … Click HERE

For the QandA the “teachercurator” has prepared … Click HERE!

7. Review Enduring Understanding

Ancient Greek myths are narratives, formative or reflective, of social order or values.

Overall Ancient Greek myths serve as a warning to people on how they should and should not be.


Heracles and the Lion of Nemea Assessment Activities

This is what my Grade 1 students created for the Hercules and the Lion of Nemea Lesson. I downloaded and used an “Internet” free Lion mask, I cut different colored strips of paper, asked students to paint Lion’s face, glue the strips … and VOILA!

https://www.huggies.com.au/kids-activities/role-play/lion-mask

Printable Animal Masks: Lion Mask

For a WAC (Writing Across the Curriculum) Activity … Click HERE!

There are so many more amazing Activities on the Internet!!! … just explore what suits you and your students, best!

School Classrooms Since Antiquity

by with No Comment ArtLesson PlansPowerpointsStudent Activities
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Funerary_relief_found_in_Neumagen_near_Trier,_a_teacher_with_three_discipuli,_around_180-185_AD,_Rheinisches_Landesmuseum_Trier,_Germany_(29656302165).jpg
https://vici.org/image.php?id=7242

A few years back, while preparing an introductory Lesson Plan for my Grade 1 School Classroom Unit, I came across this wonderful Gallo-Roman sculptural relief of the 2nd century AD. I instantly connected to the standing young student, the “late” arrival to the Classroom. I immediately felt the need to share it with my students. As a result, “School Classrooms Since Antiquity” developed.

Use “School Classrooms Since Antiquity” in order to introduce ideas like Education, School, Classroom, Heroes, Mythology, Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome, Art, Social Studies, Language Arts, Visual Arts

“School Classrooms” Lesson Plan

Essential Question

Compared to antiquity, how similar or how different is Education and subsequently, School Classrooms, today?

Goals

To help students understand the importance of Education

Assisting students to connect the past with the present

To help students learn about education from works of art

Enduring Understanding

Education is the process of helping students acquire knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits.

Steps to Success

Introduction to the Lesson -Essential Question: Compared to antiquity, how similar or how different is Education, and subsequently School Classrooms, today?

Visual Learning – Part 1, “My Classroom … then”: Show students the PowerPoint  “teachercurator” has prepared and at the same time… Click HERE!

Be Inquisitive – Questions and Answers: Discuss each picture and then ask students the questions “teachercurator” prepared for you. For the QandA, please… Click HERE!

Goals: 1. To help students understand the importance of education. 2. Assisting students to connect the past with the present. 3. To help students learn about education from works of art.

Visual Learning – Part 2, “Classrooms … now”: Show students the “33 Eye-Opening Pictures Of Classrooms Around The World” so you can discuss them. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/gabrielsanchez/this-is-what-going-to-school-looks-like-around-the-world

Be Inquisitive: Guide students to Comparisons between the past and the present. Compare pictures to their own classroom. Furthermore, discuss with students what they like/dislike in each picture and what they would like to have in their own classroom. Be creative!!!

Enduring Understanding: Education is the process of helping students acquire knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits.

Assessment Activity: Music was a very important component of Ancient Greek Education and students were expected to learn how to play musical instruments. Inspired by the 2nd and 3rd Slides, have students do the Getty Museum “Classy Cardboard Lyre” Art Activity because it is easy, exciting, creative, fun, and educational! https://www.getty.edu/education/teachers/classroom_resources/tips_tools/downloads/aa_cardboard_lyre.pdf