Philosophy of Art Education

Art education is beneficial to all students, regardless of their goals and future plans. The art classroom provides a safe, nurturing environment for a multitude of learning experiences. Students can express themselves through creating art, critiquing art, and discussing art. The art discipline develops students’ skills, such as planning, while allowing for much needed self-expression. Also, art critiques help students develop a vocabulary and a proper procedure to critically comprehend, digest, and respond to visual images.

Furthermore, lessons and discussions in the art classroom can allow students to develop and understand one’s own opinions and perspective, but it also allows for students to develop and understand other points of view. Topics in the art classroom are not confined to discussion about principles and elements of art. Instead, lessons can question students about social issues, cultural issues, historical issues, etc., because art encompasses all aspects of life.

"Kirsche"

Mixed Media, 8.5"x11"

Nathan Majoros

Silhouette Lesson

Teacher: Nathan Majoros

Grade Level: Middle School

Title: Silhouette Self

Brief History and Background:

“A silhouette is a view of an object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. The term was initially applied in the 18th century to portraits or other pictorial representations cut from thin black card (“Silhouettes,” 2009).”

Standards:

9.1.8.J. - Incorporate specific uses of traditional and contemporary technologies within the design for producing, performing, and exhibiting works in the arts or the works of others.

9.1.8.D. - Demonstrate and maintain materials, equipment, and tools safely at works spaces.

Nets 5B - Exhibit a positive attitude towards the using technology that collaboration, learning, and productivity.

Nets 6B -Select and use applications effectively and productively.

Goal: Students will create a Silhouette

Objectives:

Students will learn the history of silhouettes.

Students will develop fine cutting skills.

Students will develop their incorporation of technology.

Resource Materials/Visual Aides:

-Exemplar

-Examples of traditional silhouettes

-18^th Century silhouette portraiture

-Examples of contemporary use of silhouettes

-Kara Walker, iPod Advertisement

Supplies/Materials:

-black & white paper

-tape

-scissors

-exacto knives

-glue

-computer

-printer

-software

-sharpie

Teacher Preparation:

Introduce students to silhouettes. Have them develop ideas of what represents them as a person (hair, clothes, hobbies, etc.). Have the students take a digital self-portrait, which includes their ideas of how they are represented. Remind the students to think about silhouettes, and how to represent something using the shape of it. Require the students to have a digital file with them when ready to start the lesson.

Teaching

Introduction:

“A silhouette is a view of an object or scene consisting of the outline and a featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. The term was initially applied in the 18th century to portraits or other pictorial representations cut from thin black card (“Silhouettes,” 2009).”

Today we will create our own self-portrait silhouette. Let’s think about what defines us what shapes us. By “shapes us”, I mean the outline of our form, and what makes us who we are. Using a digital photo self-portrait, we will recreate a traditional silhouette.

Directions:

1. Open self-portraits file in photoshop.
2. Convert self-portraits into black and white images.
3. Manipulate image using contrast, brightness, sharpness, etc.
4. Print self-portraits onto a letter sized paper.
5. Tape self-portraits to black paper
6. Cut the shape of the self-portrait through the printed image onto the black paper.
7. Glue the positive shape of the black paper onto the white paper.
8. (Optional) Draw or cut silhouettes of additional items to add to your piece
9. Scan the self-portrait for display on school blog.

Critique: On the third sessions, have a dialogue about what shapes people, and how shape affects silhouette.

Time Budget:

Session One

10 minutes – Introduction

30 minutes – Photoshop/Print

5 minutes – Discussion

Session Two

5 minutes - Reintroduction

15 minutes – Cutting and gluing

15 minutes – Drawing on top of image (Optional)

10 minutes – Scan image

Vocabulary:

Silhouette

Portraiture

Negative/Postive Space

Shape

Contrast

Scan

Blog

Safety Concerns: Students will be using sharp tools.

Bibliography/References:

Silhouettes. Wikipedia. Retrieved (2009, October 18) from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silhouettes

Art:21 - Kara Walker

http://www.pbs.org/art21/artists/walker/index.html

The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morello

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsAhX42pMRg&feature=related

Slash: Paper Under the Knife

http://collections.madmuseum.org/html/exhibitions/485.html

A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly textual. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and convey information. Posters may be used for many purposes, and they are a frequent tool of advertisers (particularly of events, musicians and films), propagandists, protestors and other groups trying to communicate a message. (“Poster”, 2009, para. 1)

Posters are everywhere, and they are conveying messages to you. Today posters are generally used as advertisements for products and services, and they can be seen everywhere. However, artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Peter Doig have used posters in a slightly different way. Both artists have used posters to convey messages to the public, and both artists’ posters have used posters to advertise an event or place. Yet, Toulouse-Lautrec helped establish the poster as an art form, and Peter Doig paints posters to self-promote a local Trinidad event, the StudioFilmClub.

Although both artists are using posters as a medium to transmit information, they can also be considered works of art. The idea of a poster being a work of art seems somewhat unfamiliar, especially when most posters are considered a commodity. Ironically, even reproductions of art appear on posters, yet they are still a commodity and not the actual work of art.

Artists:

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

In the late 19^th Century, Toulouse-Lautrec was an artist and poster maker. At a young age, Toulouse-Lautrec received an injury that did not heal properly, leaving him with a physical disability. “Physically unable to participate in most of the activities typically enjoyed by men of his age, Toulouse-Lautrec immersed himself in his art. (“Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec”, 2009, para. 4)”

Living in Paris, Toulouse-Lautrec became influenced by the bohemian lifestyle, and often portraying it in his artwork. The famous Moulin Rouge commissioned Toulouse-Lautrec to make posters. These posters and Toulouse-Lautrec’s work show people dancing and engaging in bohemian social activities. Depicting scenes of the night, his work has very bold and vibrant colors and type.

Jane Avril, 1899,

Lithograph, 22 1/16"x14 3/16",

by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, 1891,

Lithograph, 191x117 cm,

by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Peter Doig

Peter Doig is an accomplished contemporary painter. Living in Trinidad, he creates abstracted and surreal-like landscape images. “In 2007, a painting of Doig's, entitled White Canoe, sold at Sotheby's for $11.3 million, then an auction record for a living European artist. (“Peter Doig”, 2009, para. 7)”

Although Doig’s artwork is captivating and renowned, I’m going to focus on his film club. StudioFilmClub was started because Doig wanted to screen movies, usually classics, that the local people of Trinidad did not have easy access to. With the help of Che Lovlace, Doig selects and screens films weekly. However, Doig almost always creates a weekly poster to promote StudioFilmClub. Although Doig has thought of these posters as disposable, they are in their own right works of art.

Black Orpheus, 2001, Oil on Paper

18.3"x18.7", by Peter Doig

The World of Apu, 2005, Oil on Paper

33.2"x23.5", by Peter Doig

Discussion:

Who uses posters? What do they use them for?

How do posters convey information? How do they grab our attention?

What have Toulouse-Lautrec and Doig used their posters for? How is it different from other posters?

When did posters begin to be considered works of art?

Where was the place most often depicted in Toulouse-Lautrec’s posters?

Activity:

Self-Promo Poster

1. Brainstorm about activities or events in your life (Athletics, clubs, social events, etc.).
2. Decide on one that you want to promote via a poster.
3. Begin by sketching images or words that you think will convey your message.
4. You have several options of executing your poster: printmaking, painting & drawing, digitally, or a combination. Think about creating a hand-produced image, then designing the type using a computer.
5. If you wish to go the traditional route, painting & drawing or printmaking, begin laying out your poster on a large sheet (at least 18x24). Think about how poster makers make eye-catching posters (contrast, color, bold type, etc.).
6. With printmaking, a linoleum block print would be easiest. Transfer your layout onto one large block or several small blocks. Hint* text needs to be backwards on the block in order to print the right way.
7. With Painting & Drawing, go ahead and begin painting if you are satisfied with your layout. Remember how to create an eye-catching poster.
8. With either of these routes, you can scan the layout, or even final product, and overlay images, colors, and text using Adobe InDesign or Illustrator.
9. Display and discuss the final projects. Which ones are eye-catching? Which ones convey the message they intended?

References:

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. (2009, October 26). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:16, October 30^th, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henri_de_Toulouse- Lautrec&oldid=322130709

Peter Doig. (2009, September 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:50, October 30^th, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.phptitle=Peter_Doig&oldid=316482681

Poster. (2009, October 24). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 22:01, October 30th, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poster&oldid=321751225

WebQuest

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