STANDARDS

Lexile: 1000L

Core Art Standards:

VA2: Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.

VA3: Refine and complete artistic work.

VA5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and works for presentation.

CCSS Anchor Standards:

R1: Make inferences and cite textual evidence.

R4: Interpret words and phrases.

R5: Analyze text structure.

Essential Question: How does refining artwork affect its meaning to the viewer?

Enduring Understanding: Artists, curators, and others consider a variety of factors and methods, including evolving technology, when preparing and refining artwork for display and/or when deciding if and how to preserve and protect it.

Vocabulary: complementary, contrasting, mood, print, series

Materials: Computer or interactive whiteboard, “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” skills sheet from Lesson Plan 1.

Lesson: Visual Analysis

Use with “Monet’s Bridge."

Objective: Students will analyze Monet’s use of light in one of his most iconic series.

PREPARATION:

Review students’ notes from their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” Skill Builder Activity Sheets.

PROCEDURE:

Invite students to take turns reading the article aloud. Pause after each section and have students take notes about their observations of the featured artwork.
Draw attention to the different times of day and different types of light each painting represents.
Ask: How does Monet work with light in these paintings? (Painting en plein air, Monet captures scenes from his garden at different times throughout the day. He uses different techniques to portray light depending on the time of day and the type of light.)
Have students record their findings on their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” Skill Builder Activity Sheets.

DISCUSSION:

How did painting en plein air affect Monet’s artmaking? (By painting en plein air, Monet was able to capture the effects of natural light.)
Explain how Monet uses optical color mixing in Camille Monet (1847-1879) on a Garden Bench. (Monet places dabs of blue and yellow paint next to one another. The viewer’s eye mixes these colors, creating a greenish hue.)
What do you notice about how Monet works with light in the painting on the cover? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artwork and text.)

REMOTE LEARNING:

Write a paragraph about Monet’s commitment to the idea that “light is color.” How do his paintings reflect this concept? How does he use color in different ways to capture light?
Experiment with optical color mixing. You can use traditional art supplies or found materials, such as colorful magazines or paper scraps. Juxtapose a variety of colors, experimenting with complementary and analogous colors, and observe the results.
Take your art en plein air. Bring whatever art materials you have to an outdoor location or place yourself next to a window. Sketch, draw, or paint what you see around you. What do you notice about color and light? How is this kind of artmaking different from what you create indoors?