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Grade: 4-6

Age: 8-10

Activity Summary:

Objectives:

• Students will learn about Monet and Impressionism
• Students will learn about negative space
• Students will develop ability to use materials
• Students will develop imagination and creativity
• Students will develop ability to mix colors on a palette

Vocabulary:

What You Need:

• White heavy stock poster board 10x10 or larger
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• Sponges
• Green, yellow, blue, pink, purple, white tempera paint
• Paper plates for palettes
• Clean up material
• Any visuals which include Monet's Waterlilies and the Bridge or Gardens at Giverny (see list below)
• Book and/or video of Linnea in Monet's Garden

What You Do:

1. Show students Monet's paintings and emphasize how they look fuzzy up close but realistic from a distance.
2. Discuss Impressionism and explain that the students are going to paint an Impressionistic garden.
3. Demonstrate by taking a long piece of tape and cutting it into needed sizes to create a bridge, stairway, trellis, fence, or what ever you decide is going to be part of your garden.
4. Create your idea by sticking the tape on your paper in the shape of an object (bridge, stairway, etc.)
5. Using sponges, create sky, grass, water, trees, flowers etc. by dabbing the colors on to your paper.
6. Be sure to paint over the tape, too. No white paper should show.
7. When dry, carefully pull the tape off of the painting.
8. It should appear that your objects are painted in white and your garden blooms around it.
9. From far away the painting will appear more realistic. Close-up it will appear as splotches of paint.

About Claude Monet:

Claude Monet was a French painter whose 1872 painting, "Impression Sunrise" (which depicted sunlight dancing and shimmering on water), gave the name to the entire Impressionist movement. Monet felt that nature knows no black or white and nature knows no line. These beliefs resulted in this artist creating beautifully colorful and energetic pieces of work. The leading member of the Impressionists, Claude Monet captured the spontaneity of nature's wonderful light. He was also incredibly prolific and today many museums (and private collectors) possess his work.

About Impressionism:

Impressionism (the word) came from a painting by a fellow named Claude Monet. The painting was titled, "Impression Sunrise" and it depicted (among other things) sunlight dancing and shimmering on water. The movement lasted from around 1870 to 1910 and included artists such as Monet, Degas and Pissarro. Light, surface, color and capturing fast fleeting moments... that's what Impressionism was all about. Hard to believe that in the late 1800's, many folks hated the stuff, given all the impressionists art calendars we see today...

Recommended Books:

VIDEO: Linnea in Monet's Garden
An animated story about a young girl who visits the painter Monet and looks at the actual places that inspired many of his works as they emerge in live action from the animation.
Monet and the Impressionists for Kids
by Carol Sabbeth
Their Lives and Ideas and 21 Activities

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