Crash Course In Art History

I fun activity I created for my young students as way to learn about famous work of art . Acting up the works of art help them connect better, observe and perceive details and emotions that the works are conveying..

Egg Tempera-an Ancient Painting Technique

After learning about the spread of Islam in other subjects and visiting the Blue Mosque in Tetovo, as an addition to their knowledge  students from Level 13 in art class are learning about the old-fashion technique of painting with pigments and egg yolk. Egg tempera is an ancient medium and it has been used in Ancient Egypt, Italian Renaissance, Byzantine Art, Islamic art… It is extremely permanent and does not darken with ages. It can be used in fresco painting (painting on a  fresh plaster over a wall surface) or it can be used on a wooden surface as students from Level 13 will. Can you just imagine how many eggs were being used to decorate the walls of the Blue Mosque in Tetovo?

And now finally the complex geometric designs are done so the artworks now beautify the school's cafeteria. 

Primary and SecondaryColors

We started our color lesson with Level 7 learning about the primary and secondary colors. Primary colors are colors that cannot be created through mixing of other colors. When we mix two primary colors, we produce a secondary color. Students from level 7 worked on mixing colors using only the primary colors- first by painting overlapping circles printed with a cup, and next class, drawing an owl and painting  it by using only two primary and all the secondary colors they produce.   

  

Custom Skateboard Design

Level 12 started the year with the basics - elements and principles of design. In order to create high quality art, we need to have an understanding of color, line, shape, scale, space, texture and value which are fundamental pieces that make up any piece of work. Students were asked to use their previous knowledge of the elements and principles of art to design their own skateboard. It was fun to see all their unique designs on paper. The goal was to create a stunning, visually appealing design, that will pop out in a skate shop. Which design/skateboard would you buy?

Learning about Mondrian

In art class, students started learning about lines and primary colors. The importance of these elements of art is best demonstrated through the art of Piet Mondrian. 

Piet Mondrian, is best known for his paintings from the 1920s, where he reduced the shapes to lines and rectangles and his palette to fundamental basics pushing past references to the outside world toward pure abstraction. His use of asymmetrical balance and a simplified pictorial vocabulary were crucial in the development of modern art, and his iconic abstract works remain influential in design and familiar in popular culture to this day. Find out more about Mondrian here: http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mondrian-piet.htm

Level 3 and 4 Painting to Music

As students from Level 5, I asked preschoolers too, to listen to music carefully and find if some tones remind them of any color. I asked them to try to connect the sounds they hear with color, shape, hand movement.... They came up with some interesting interpretations. 

Kindergarten Painting to Music

Music helps us be calm, move, dance, think, feel....In art class students painted to music, following the rhythm and sounds, students choose their colors, hand movements and shapes.... They created some interesting art interpretations!

 

Light Drawing Photography

Light painting is an imaging technique that uses a moving light source to add light to an under-illuminated subject while taking a long-exposure photograph. We turned the art room in a "dark room" and started experimenting with exposure and shutter speed. Hope you like our experiments with our brand-new school camera :)

Team Work!

In this art activity, students drew each other using pastels and then painted the overlapping figures with watercolors. An important part of working in a team is to help, share, accept differences, resolve a problem together.... it was a fun and creative way to start the school year in art class!