Themes: Biography
I enjoy teaching with big themes because they present a challenge for students as they decide how to interpret them and the opportunity to think about how to communicate ideas visually. Plus, when themes are expansive they leave room for students to pull from their own experiences, opinions, goals, and dreams.
I introduced the theme of “Biography” to my Art 3 class after they spent a few weeks learning and practicing with gouache and oil painting. I decided to use this theme because it requires lots of thoughtful interpretation and works well for different kinds of imagery, allowing students to pick something they feel comfortable painting.
I helped students thoughtfully unpack this theme by looking at the work of Jacob Lawrence, whose Great Migration series connects to his lived experiences as a child, and Frida Khalo, with her amazing use of personal symbolism relating to her experiences and cultural identity. We also discussed Elisabeth Louise Vigée-LeBrun’s Self-Portrait, where she presents herself as a successful court painter to Marie Antoinette even as Marie was in jail in France awaiting execution, and Sergiu Ciochina’s architectural work “Home is where your heart is” (my slides are linked under the image above).
These artists and artworks were selected to show a range of styles, interpretations, periods, and approaches to painting. The more versions of success I can show the more I feel like I’m helping learners find their own style, which is one of the most important things I can do as an art teacher.
I asked students to plan by making a mindmap and thinking about how they could incorporate symbolism
The work students created for this project showed creative interpretations of the theme, including personal experiences, meaningful objects, places, and experiences. Some students made work about themselves, others chose to focus on others (real or fictional). The learning about gouache and oil that happened at the start of the unit was applied in ways that fit each artist’s style and goals, plus each student was able to make informed choices about which paint and what techniques to use. This was the first time I taught this unit and I’m happy with how it went. See some work below!
If you are looking for great professional development this summer, check out the TAB Institute at MassArt. It’s in Boston for a week this July and I’m very much looking forward to it. Information and registration are here if you want to learn more.