Camille and the Sunflowers

First and second grade students have been learning about the artist Vincent van Gogh during the first quarter of the school year.

Everyone enjoyed listening to the story of Camille and the Sunflowers which is a story that illustrates the life of  van Gogh for children by the author Laurence Anholt.

Camille is a small boy who meets the artist Vincent van Gogh and brings him some sunflowers to decorate his home.

Students are introduced to the artist and to many of his famous paintings like the sunflowers and van Gogh’s landscapes of the French countryside.

Everyone enjoyed learning about the Starry Night and all of the wonderful images Vincent created thanks to the story of Camille and the Sunflowers.

Katie meets the Impressionists

Kindergarten students recently learned about the impressionist artists.

Students listened to the story of Katie Meets the Impressionists by James Mayhew.

The story opens with Katie celebrating her Grandma’s birthday by visiting an art museum.

During the visit to the museum Katie encounters five impressionist paintings: two each by Monet and Renoir and one by Degas.

Katie closes her eyes in front of one of the paintings and opens them to find she’s a guest in Monet’s The Luncheon. There she gathers flowers for a birthday bouquet to give Grandma, but they don’t fare too well on the crossing back into the museum.

Next Katie’s mission whisks her into three more works of art including Renoir’s Her First Evening Out, where she inadvertently wanders onstage during a performance by, as the artwork soon reveals, Degas’s ballet dancers.

The story is a great way for kindergarteners to be introduced to art history and art museums.

Finally students illustrated their favorite scenes from the story.

Here are some examples of the students’ illustrations.

Gallery visit

Third graders visited the Art Junction this fall to view the Charles Casto Retrospective exhibition.

Students and teachers had a great time viewing the work of local art pioneer Charles Casto.

Everyone enjoyed seeing the various examples and exhibits of the artist’s varied work from sculpture, drawings and paintings to examples of his carvings.

Students had many questions about the life of the artist who was the first art teacher at the Willard City Schools.

The third graders enjoyed seeing the art work of former students of the artist.

Some of Charles’ former students have become professional artists, such as Don Moore and Steve Axtel, while others have made art a serious pursuit or hobby.

It was a great field trip for the students to connect with local art in their community and to learn about the art history of their town.

Take the time to support the arts in your local community by visiting a gallery, museum, concert or theatrical production.  It will grow your visual perception of the world you live in!

Georgia O’Keeffe

1st and 2nd grade students have been learning about the artist Georgia O’Keeffe as they listen to the story Georgia’s Bones by Jen Bryant.

Students learned about O’Keeffe, who grew up on a Wisconsin farm. Georgia began gathering all sorts of objects — sticks and stones, flowers and bones. Although she was teased for her interest in unique shapes and sizes, young Georgia declared: “Someday, I’m going to be an artist” — and that is exactly what she became.  Jen Bryant’s story of Georgia O’Keeffe celebrates the famous artist’s fascination with natural shapes, “common objects,” and her unusual way of looking at the world. Bethanne Andersen’s fluid, graceful illustrations capture the beauty of O’Keeffe’s work and spirit.

Students also had the opportunity to view many of Georgia O’Keeffe’s images, such as Ram’s Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills, 1935.

The kids were impressed and amazed at the desert landscapes and the church painting Ranchos Church No. 1, 1929.

It was a great opportunity for students to learn about a female artist who was determined to create her own artistic legacy in a world that did not allow her much room or freedom.  I hope the students will be inspired by Georgia O’Keeffe’s independent spirit  that did not give up, much like her painting Red Poppy, 1927.

Rembrandt van Rijn

1st and 2nd grade students were introduced to the artist Rembrandt van Rijn through story and images.

Students viewed several of Rembrandt’s self-portraits and learned that he was one of the artists who made self-portraits, or, as we say today, “selfies,” popular.

Students also viewed Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch,” a group portrait of one of Amsterdam’s local militias, painted in 1642, at the height of the Dutch Golden Age.  The Night Watch is one of the most famous paintings in the world. The painting is renowned for three characteristics: its size (363 cm × 437 cm (11.91 ft × 14.34 ft)), the effective use of light and shadow , and the perception of motion in what would have traditionally been a static military portrait. The Night Watch is symmetrically divided, firstly to illustrate the union between the Dutch Protestants and the Dutch Catholics, and secondly to evoke the war effort against the Spaniards. For instance, accordingly to Rembrandt’s multilayered design, the taller Captain (in black) symbolizes the Dutch Protestant leadership, loyally supported by the Dutch Catholics (represented by the shorter Lieutenant, in yellow). Moreover, all characters of this painting were conceived to present double readings.

1st and 2nd grade students learned about Rembrandt’s young son Titus who longs to imitate his father and become a great painter. At first Rembrandt rebuffs Titus’s attempts at drawing, telling the boy he is too young to learn art. But, gradually, the master painter is won over by his son’s enthusiasm and persistence, and he begins to teach a very happy Titus the basic techniques of drawing from life.

This was  a great story for children, with illustrations that capture the atmosphere of seventeenth-century Holland and suggest some of the genius that radiates from Rembrandt’s own magnificent paintings.  Students were introduced to a great artist, viewed his work and learned of his life in this art appreciation lesson.