Lesson for May 21 and 22: Islamic and Buddhist Art

For May 21 and 22, please do the following:

1. Watch my introductory comments below.

2. Watch two videos about Islamic art (here and here) and one video about Buddhist art (here).

3. Answer the questions posted here.

Lesson for May 13 and 14: Renaissance Art Scavenger Hunt

For May 13 and 14, please do the following...

1. Enjoy looking at the beautiful Renaissance paintings below. For each painting, I've included a link that will enable you to examine it more closely (either on Google Arts & Culture or another website).

2. Please answer the scavenger hunt questions about the paintings, here.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, by Caravaggio (explore the painting here)

The Harvesters, by Pieter Bruegel (explore the painting here)

The Adoration of the Magi, by Botticelli (explore the painting here)

The School of Athens, by Raphael (explore the painting here)

Ginevra de Benci, by Leonardo da Vinci (explore the painting here)

La Primavera, by Botticelli (explore the painting here)

The Creation of Adam, by Michelangelo (explore the painting here)

1. One of the characteristics of Renaissance art is the realistic depiction of human movement. Describe a way that a person is moving in one of the paintings that is especially realistic. Which painting did you choose? Which body part(s) is/are moving? How does the painter make the movement look real?

2. Renaissance artists were known for their use of vivid colors. In this set of paintings, can you find something that is turquoise? What is it? 

(If you are not sure about the definition of "turquoise," please look up the definition before answering this question!)

3. Look at the painting La Primavera. Why does the subject matter of this painting show that it was made during the Renaissance, rather than during the Middle Ages?

(If you cannot figure out the answer for this question, you should review your chart titled "Characteristics of Medieval Versus Renaissance Art," located in Google Drive)

4. How many Romanesque arches are there in The School of Athens?

5. In The Adoration of the Magi, how many animals are there?

6. In La Primavera, what kind of fruit is growing on the trees?

7. Some Renaissance artists believed that the human body is "God's masterpiece." In these paintings, which of the humans do you think is painted best? What are two details about this person that makes him/her especially well-done?

8. Look at the painting The Harvesters. Why does the subject matter of this painting show that it was made during the Renaissance, rather than from the Middle Ages?

9. In the painting by Caravaggio, what do you think Saint Catherine is going to do with her sword?

10. In this set of paintings, can you find a piece of jewelry? Which painting is the jewelry located in, and what kind of jewelry is it?

11. Renaissance artists were known for their use of vivid colors. In this set of paintings, can you find something that is vermilion? What is it?

(If you are not sure about the definition of "vermilion," please look up the definition before answering this question!)

Lesson for May 7 and 8

For May 7 and 8, please do the following...

1. Watch the video posted below.

2. Read about the beginning of the Renaissance, here.

3. Answer the questions about the reading that are posted here.

Your Observations About the Paintings of St. Francis

Sebastian L.: In the medieval painting everything is completely out of proportion, while in the Renaissance painting everything is in proportion.

Porter: St. Francis is the same size as the mountain.

Juliet: In the medieval painting, it looks a little like St. Francis is a giant!

(Fantastic observation by Sebastian, Porter and Juliet -- for an example of the lack of proportion in the medieval painting, look at the closeup showing the tree compared with St. Francis)

Sebastian C.: The painting style of Saint Francis in the Desert is much more realistic than The Stigmatization of Saint Francis. For example, the colors have many more shades to show depth and texture, and every strand of hair has been painted with a single brush stroke.

In my opinion, it looks as if Saint Francis in the Desert shows us what was happening before Saint Francis was stigmatized, and the other painting shows what was happening during the stigmatization. For instance, in Saint Francis in the Desert, if you look very closely, you can see the beginnings of the stigmata on his hands.

(Wow. That is some sophisticated analysis, Sebastian. I love it!)

Henry: The colors on the first picture are much more earthy, unlike the second picture whose colors are incredibly realistic.

Noah: The second painting is very detailed and has the beautiful blue sky and the shapes of all the rocks.

Caroline: In Saint Francis in the Desert, I noticed that St. Francis looks like he is talking to someone, but it doesn’t look like anyone is there. Maybe it has a meaning, like you may not be able to see god but he’s always there.

Durland: In the first painting, you can see the person in the air. In the second painting, you can’t see anyone, but St. Francis is still looking up, and I think there is someone there, even if we can’t see it.

Grace W.: In The Stigmatization of St. Francis, it shows god in the painting. In St. Francis in the Desert, God is not shown in the painting, but it implies that St. Francis is looking at him.

Fantastic point by Caroline, Durland and Grace. Some art historians believe that Bellini (the painter) believed that God manifests himself in nature, which is why Bellini painted the bright light in the portion of the sky where Francis is looking.

 Finally, during a dreary Tuesday, I hope that Chaney's and Alex A.'s beautiful photography will bring some light into your life.

Lesson for May 1 and 4: Paintings of St. Francis

Thank you to Hunter for sharing her beautiful painting of the Greenbrier.

I love the variety of brushstrokes, the mix of colors (the red in the foreground and blue in the background, offset by the gray of the building), and the skillful use of perspective. 

This painting makes me feel calm and content.

For May 1 and 4, please do the following...

1. Watch the two videos, posted below.

2. Read the chart comparing medieval and Renaissance art, then use the chart as you study the paintings of St. Francis. The chart is saved in your Drive and is titled "Characteristics of Medieval and Renaissance Art."

3. Answer the questions about the two paintings. The questions are located at the bottom of the document.

Two Paintings of Mary

Earlier this week, you studied two paintings of Mary and Jesus:

• Cimabue's Maesta of Santa Trinita (an example of a medieval painting)
• Raphael's Alba Madonna (an example of a Renaissance painting)

We will use these two paintings as our introduction to the Renaissance.  We will discuss similarities and differences between the two paintings, and we will start to learn about the way that art can help us understand people's ideas about religion.

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Here are a few of your excellent observations from Monday's assignment:

Maesta of Santa Trinita, by Cimabue

Daniel and Sebastian L.: Jesus and Mary are sitting on a beautifully carved golden throne. In the Bible story, weren't Mary and Joseph poor? And isn't Mary supposed to be humble?

Sebastian L., Jacob, and Daniel: Mary looks so sad, and everyone looks solemn and serious (even sour and grumpy). Why?

Alex A.: Jesus has a man face but a baby body!

Henry, Pete and Grace W.: The main colors of the painting are gold, brown, and coppery red. Maybe the gold represents that God is divine, or maybe the gold is showing that Mary is a queen?

Ginny: The artist used a lot of gold, and I think he did that because gold is kind of the color of power and importance.

Sam: The majority of the colors are tan and brown, which makes it look like the painting was baked!

Kate R., Landon and Charlie: Mary and Jesus are disproportionate to the angels and the men at the bottom. (1) It's almost like the artist is showing Mary as the mother of all the other people in the painting. (2) Since Baby Jesus is almost as big as the men at the bottom, this probably shows the power he has.

Hadley: Jesus has special line designs on his halo, while the other people have circular designs.

Ellie, Grace E., Emily and Jayden: All of the angels have the same face. They are all alike, without any individual character or personality.

Ella and Dante: I think the people at the bottom are the prophets or priests who predicted Jesus's birth. I think that because they are holding scrolls, and they used to write the Bible in scrolls. I don't know the language that's used on the scrolls.

The Alba Madonna, by Raphael

Cort, Durland and Grace E.: Mary is holding a book. Is it the Bible? Did the real Mary know how to read?

Carson: Mary and Jesus are gazing at the other baby, instead of looking at you.

Hunter: The whole family is looking at the cross, so they probably know that the cross means something.

Katie, Dante and Pete: Jesus is holding a skinny gold cross, but he is just a baby and I thought that’s how he died. So why is he holding it? Does Jesus already know that he's going to be crucified?

Carter K., Noah, Palmer and Keegan: There are so many realistic details in this painting. The clothing looks so realistic (the wrinkles are amazing!).

Ashton: In the first picture, Mary has more angels surrounding her giving her more of a regal look. And in the second picture, Mary at a first glance seems normal because you can’t see the halos.

Olivia T.: Jesus doesn't have any clothes on.

Caroline R.: It is hard to see but there is a tiny halo around baby Jesus’s head -- maybe because he is young and new to Christianity? (Ari noticed that the baby on the left also has a very faint halo!)

Aubreigh, Kate C. and Davis W.: Mary is sitting on a tree stump. Porter: Her "throne" is made of rocks or wood. Ashton: Right: she seems to be sitting on a throne of wood.

Oscar, Carter K., Palmer and Chaney: Mary and the children are sitting outdoors in this painting, with a farm, mountains, and beautiful fields in the background. It's a much more natural painting.

Carter M., Stuart, Chapin, Keira, Hadley and Davis O.: This painting is very colorful; plus, the colors in this painting are bright, vibrant, and vivid. Mary's blue robe and pink shirt really stand out; her blue robe matches the blues of the sky and the flowers next to her feet. Her shoes remind me of the sandals known as Chacos!

Juliet: The colors in this painting make it seem more sweet and delicate, while in the other painting it looks a little more harsh and powerful.

Kate R.: The colors that the artist used most frequently in this painting are blue and brown. These colors allow Mary to seem like she is more human and not crazy high up.

Phoebe: The artist used the color blue frequently, maybe because blue symbolizes peace, being calm, and trust.

Ellie, Charlie, Sam and Aubreigh: This painting is an unusual shape. Why did Raphael choose to make this a circular painting? Molly: This painting looks like it's in a telescope, because there is a circle and it's zoomed in!

Miller: In the background there are horses (they are very small but I zoomed in and they are clearer).

Sebastian C.: On Mary's left (over her shoulder), there are two people standing in the trees!

Great work by Emily, Axel, Charlie, Sebastian L., Miller, Kate R., Davis O., Keira and Porter, who identified the boy on the left as John the Baptist!

Lesson for April 27 and 28: Introduction to Religious Art

A big thanks to Alex A. for sharing his beautiful photos. I love the speckled turtle, and Alex's close-ups of the pink and white flowers are captivating!

For April 27 and 28, please do the following:

1. Enjoy today's delightful Musical Monday selection, here. Two of your classmates recommended Idina Menzel's hit song from Frozen 2. Send Mr. Richmond an email if think you know which classmates are inspired by Elsa's charisma and bravery!

2. Watch my introductory video, below.

3. Study the two paintings of Mary (while learning how to use the Google Arts and Culture website!); then impress me with your awesome observations by answering the questions on the Google document titled "Comparing Two Paintings of Mary." The document is shared in your Drive.