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Major Goals and Aims Target Students Standards Addressed
Major Goals and Aims
Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin’s meeting in Paris marked the
beginning of one of the most talked about artistic friendships in the history of
art. It was a relationship in which hope and disappointment, camaraderie and
rivalry, admiration and jealousy constantly alternated and which captivated both
artists emotionally and artistically until their death.
The Art Institute of Chicago and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, coordinated an exhibition entitled: Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South, which ran from September 22, 2001 – January 13, 2002. The exhibition examines the personal and professional history of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) and Paul Gauguin (1848-1903). Their mutual admiration, rivalrous friendship, extended professional dialogue, and brief period of collaboration in Arles in 1888 constitute one of the most dramatically revealing sagas in the history of Modern art. The story of two artists who lived, and battled, with each other in the struggle to realize their potential is at once familiar and untold.
To further enhance my student’s understanding of the Impressionist movement in art history, this unit now follows “Painting Waterlilies & Sunflowers: A Walk in an Impressionist Garden with Monet and Van Gogh”. Students are now provided the opportunity to make the connection between Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, who among the leading figures were van Gogh and Gauguin. To further promote their understanding of the creation of the Modern Art movement, students are now able to see van Gogh in a different light, as he is compared with Paul Gauguin.
My aims are as follows:
1. Students will explore the Post-Impressionist period in art history.
2. Students will investigate the Post-Impressionist artists Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin.
3. Students will analyze and appreciate the unique painting style of Post-Impressionists.
4. Students will analyze and interpret van Gogh’s “Gauguins Chair” and van Gogh’s “Van Gogh’s Chair.”
5. Students will explore web sites about these artists and compare and contrast their works.
6. Students will have a virtual visit through the web of “Van Gogh and Gauguin: The Studio of the South.”
7. Students will create a 3-dimensional chair in the style of a famous modern artist.
8. Students will interpret and appreciate the unique paintings style of each of these artists and how they influenced the development of “Modern Art.”
Through the use of technology and the Internet, students are given the opportunity to visit the art collection of famous museums without leaving their bedroom! By exploring http://vangoghgauguin.nl students are provided a wealth of knowledge on the history of van Gogh and Gauguin as well as viewing a collection of their most important works.
By viewing images on the web, classroom posters and book photos, students become familiar with the artwork of van Gogh as he traveled to the South of France, and Gauguin’s work when he met with him there for a short time. They learn to interpret and appreciate the unique painting style of each of these artists, as well as compare and contrast their works. They learn to appreciate their influence on modern art, as we know it today. Artists were no longer bound by strict rules. They were now able to express themselves using new methods and materials. These two opinionated avant-garde artists came together in the South of France, and in late 1888 in Arles, produced works that helped set the stage for much of what we know today as modern art.
With this in mind, students will briefly view slides of famous modern art works by Picasso, Klee, Dubuffet, Close, Johns, Pollock, O’Keeffe, & Warhol, to name a few. Choosing a modern artist whose work appeals to them, the students will create a 3-dimensional cardboard “chair”, which will be painted in that artist’s style.
- K-12
- After school classes
- Community organization groups
- Scouting
- Senior citizen groups
- College level courses
The class meets for four forty-minute periods per week in the art classroom. This unit can usually be completed in one month. Library visits and computer lab visits aid in the exploration of these artists. Students have Internet access at home, which lends itself to my assigning homework to gather additional research and background information at home.
The Arts:
Standard 1. Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts.
Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation in the visual arts.
Standard 2. Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources.
Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in the arts.
Standard 3. Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art.
Students will respond critically to a variety of works in the arts, connecting the individual work to other works and to aspects of human endeavor and thought.
Standard 4. Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts.
Students will develop an understanding of the personal and cultural forces that shape artistic communication and how the arts in turn shape the diverse cultures of past and present society.
English Language Arts:
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
Standard 2. Language for Literary Response and Expression.
Students will read, write, listen and speak for literary response and expression.
Standard 3. Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation.
Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Technology:
Standard 5. Technology. Students will apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.