Art Exposes

Art Exposes are required semester projects that fourth and fifth year foreign language students will put together for credit. The unit will introduce students to art forms of specific artists. Each student will choose a particular artist of the foreign language s/he is studying and present the information with a slide show using software such as PowerPoint and submit a two page paper in the foreign language.

Instructional Plan Title: Art Exposes

Keywords: Impressionism, joie de vivre, fiesta, Hispanic art

Curriculum Area: Spanish and French Foreign Languge

Grade Level: Fourth and Fifth Year French and Spanish Classes

Appropriate Group Size: This is a whole group activity. It would work with any class size.

Time Expected to Complete Instructional Plan: Ten days

Instructional Objectives:

  1. Learn how to identify specific artists' work.
  2. Visually present their project through the use of PowerPoint.
  3. Write a two-page biography based on the life of the artist they have chosen.
  4. Share their exposes with their classmates in the foreign language.
  5. Research art through the Internet and write about selected artists.
  6. Produce an original picture which depicts the same media, color, style, theme, etc of the artist they are studying and explain their work of art to the class.
  7. After a field trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, analyze two pictures.

Indiana State Proficiencies: Foreign Language
3.2 Students acquire information and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its culture.
4.2 Students demonstrate an understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the culture's studies and their own.
5.1 Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.

Materials and Resources:

  1. Images: Grove Dictionary of Art Online and Corbis Images (Accessed through IUPUI University Library Community Project at http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/imls)
  2. Internet
  3. Field trip to the Indianapolis Museum of Art
  4. PowerPoint
  5. Hispanic Artists: Pablo Picasso, Diego Velazquez, Diego Rivera, Francisco de Goya, Siquieros, Salvador Dali, El Greco, Frida Kahlo, Luzan Tiepolo, Francisco Bayeu, Luis Melendez, Lorenzo Tiepoldo
  6. French Artists: Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne, Marc Chagall, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vicent Van Gogh, Francois Boucher, Jean Honore, Fragonard, Henri Matisse, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Honore Daumier, Camille Pissarro

Preparation:

  1. The purpose of this project is to familiarize French and Spanish students with Hispanic and French Impressionistic art, therefore plan for computer use.
  2. Put together a slide show of some of the major works of some of the most famous artists.
  3. Compile list or artists students may choose for their project.
  4. Make preparations for field trip to Indianapolis Museum of Art.
  5. Supply drawing paper, markers, crayons for freehand pictures.
  6. Ask art teacher to help with art activity.

Student Instructions:
Day One: Show slide show of fine art images. Ask students to comment on what they see and what they like about each image. Distribute list of artists students may choose for research.
Day Two - Day Three: Computer use: Students visit Web sites and select four to six images of their chosen artist. Begin research on life of artist.
Day Four: Field trip to Indianapolis Museum of Art
Day Five - Day Six: Students work on PowerPoint presentation and foreign language paper.
Day Seven: Create their own work or art in style of chosen artist. SKILL NOT IMPORTANT
Day Eight - Ten: Students present slide show to the class in the foreign language, and also turn in their two-page biography of their artist in the foreign language.

Student Assessment:

  1. Did the student discuss in detail the style of the artist?
  2. Has the student displayed similarities to other artists of this same time?
  3. Did the student talk about artist's techniques i.e. brush strokes, color, lighting, etc.?
  4. Did the student discuss themes of paintings and how they apply to artist's personal life?
  5. Does the student satisfactorily expound on the artist's personal life?
  6. Is the student able to communicate fluently in foreign language during oral presentation?
  7. Does the student use appropriate writing skills in foreign language?

Expansion/Interdisciplinary Connections: : The PowerPoint presentations can be displayed during Open House or school/community festivals. Have the students keep a journal while they work on the project.

Teacher Notes: Be careful with some of the artwork that students choose to make sure it is appropriate for school activities. The kids love to recreate a picture of their artist. The school art teacher can be of extreme help with the drawing activity.