it's a starry night

The work of Vincent Van Gogh was our inspiration this week. At the beginning of class we viewed this video of his work and also a PowerPoint presentation sharing information about his short life. Did you know that Van Gogh did not learn to paint until his late twenties and he died at the age of 37? He only sold one work of art in his lifetime. Today, his work is very recognizable and he is a favorite for many. I have many of his prints hanging in my home.



We used our fingers to paint this week! The assignment was to imitate the brushstrokes of Van Gogh and to use bright colors like those seen in his later work. It was interesting to watch my classmates find it difficult to let go and use their fingers. For so long we have practiced controlled, neat art, so it was fun to be able to experiment and use our fingers to apply the paint to the paper. We were to be sure to include a foreground, middle-ground, and background to create our landscape scene.
Following the activity we were asked to write about our painting. I like this idea because it allows students to reflect on their work. Here is the caption for my painting:
"My scene is from a small city that overlooks a large park area. The buildings in the foreground are closest to the viewer who may be standing on a balcony. The open area of grass in the middle ground is the city park that is cherished by the community. The shapes in the background are more homes on the edge of town. The sky from the beautiful sunrise."

I really like the idea of having an artist of the week in my classroom. I see great value in students knowing the name of famous artwork and a few interesting facts about the creator. An extension activity for this project would be for students to create a running book of the artist of the week. They can include images of famous artwork by that artist, interesting information, a portrait, and perhaps artwork of their own that imitates the artist. The class could also create a collaborative book of the artists that are covered.

Have a creative day!
Marissa