I like to end my school year with an overview of art history for 2 reasons.
1. It puts the work we created into an historical perspective.
2. It's a good way to keep the studio clean and close out the year.
(I know some people organize their studies through cultures, so this same approach can be used that way as well. I have chosen to focus on this approach for this blog post and will cover cultures in another.)
I do not find value is making students memorize specific works of art, media, and dates. I focus on generalizations, historical events of the time for each major movement in art, and the visual clues within the work that let you know what style or "school" it belongs to. In an art history class, names and dates are important, but not so much in a general course. That said, there are a few key works I focus on every year that I do expect students to know: The Mona Lisa, Starry Night, The Scream, Persistence of Memory, and a few others that change from year to year.
1. It puts the work we created into an historical perspective.
2. It's a good way to keep the studio clean and close out the year.
(I know some people organize their studies through cultures, so this same approach can be used that way as well. I have chosen to focus on this approach for this blog post and will cover cultures in another.)
I do not find value is making students memorize specific works of art, media, and dates. I focus on generalizations, historical events of the time for each major movement in art, and the visual clues within the work that let you know what style or "school" it belongs to. In an art history class, names and dates are important, but not so much in a general course. That said, there are a few key works I focus on every year that I do expect students to know: The Mona Lisa, Starry Night, The Scream, Persistence of Memory, and a few others that change from year to year.
After they leave school, I don't think it's important for a student to be able to name and date "The School of Athens" by Raphael, but knowing generally about the Renaissance, and what is broadly similar about such works allows them to appreciate other Renaissance works they may come across, and make connections to other areas of study.
When I teach my elementary and introductory classes in high school I focus mainly on these major movements of art from the Renaissance through Pop art. I'll add in Fauvism, or Op Art if the occasion arises, but these 13 major schools of art cover the bulk of my coursework.
As I introduce works, I create slide shows. I'll show a work, they will sketch it, and write 3 reasons they believe it is from a specific style of art. They use their WORKBOOKS which include the text of my videos, additional information, and the flowchart below to help them narrow down selections. (You can download it with the file I posted below it.)
When I teach my elementary and introductory classes in high school I focus mainly on these major movements of art from the Renaissance through Pop art. I'll add in Fauvism, or Op Art if the occasion arises, but these 13 major schools of art cover the bulk of my coursework.
- Renaissance
- Baroque
- Rococo
- Neo-Classical
- Romanticism
- Realism
- Impressionism
- Cubism
- Expressionism
- Abstract Expressionism
- Dada
- Surrealism
- Pop Art
As I introduce works, I create slide shows. I'll show a work, they will sketch it, and write 3 reasons they believe it is from a specific style of art. They use their WORKBOOKS which include the text of my videos, additional information, and the flowchart below to help them narrow down selections. (You can download it with the file I posted below it.)
| Art History Flowchart |
When they understand the process, I have students break into teams. I continue my slide show, and this time they discuss and decide on what school of art they believe the slide show image is from. They show me their answer, and earn bonus points that will be added to their art history exam as I close out my year with them. If a team wins, each member earns 1 extra credit point on the test. We do our reviews and the game for about 4 or 5 days, and by the end they are ready for testing, and have really learned to identify what makes a work of art fit within it's genre.
Every year, I have students who come back from summer break and tell me of an amazing Baroque painting they saw while on vacation, or how an image we studies appeared in the background of a movie or TV show, and how it totally made sense! This method really does seem to stick with them for years to come! Here is one of my intro videos below:
Every year, I have students who come back from summer break and tell me of an amazing Baroque painting they saw while on vacation, or how an image we studies appeared in the background of a movie or TV show, and how it totally made sense! This method really does seem to stick with them for years to come! Here is one of my intro videos below:
For very young students, I have created THIS series of books as a fun introduction to art history but connected to animals, or international landmarks. Each book has an extra 15 page PDF download that can be used for lessons, or sub plans if an art teacher needs to be out for a day.
RSS Feed