www.KINDERART.com
Printer-Friendly Page

 

share   comment   contribute   print

Objectives:

• The students will identify and apply painting skills used by Vincent Van Gogh

What You Need:

• Van Gogh prints:
  • Starry Night (link to ArtChive)

  • Self Portrait (link to ArtChive)

  • Irises (link to ArtChive)

• white painting paper
• tempera paints
• brushes (large and small)
• water containers
• Pre Writing Chart (see end of lesson for details)

What You Do:

1. Start this lesson by looking at Starry Night.

2. Ask your students to describe the painting and its main ideas.

3. Focus on the wind. Ask your students how Van Gogh used brush strokes to make the wind (swirls etc.) Point out that the swirls are made with small brush strokes and many different shades of blue.

4. Then move to a demonstration of how to paint like Van Gogh.

5. On the top 2/3 of the paper paint dark blue swirls and then fill in the rest of the sky with white. Emphasize allowing the paint to mix on the paper, Van Gogh did that.

6. End the sky by adding small brush strokes over the larger swirls. This gives the impression of many small strokes.

7. To close your lesson, ask the students to identify the same skills (small strokes, swirls, mixing colors) in one of the other prints.

8. On the second day of this lesson focus on the background on Starry Night. Have the children tell you what they see and then demonstrate how to paint like Van Gogh. I like to focus on the mountains and the town.

9. On the third day, I like to change my focus to the Irises. We finish this painting by describing how the irises are made and painting irises in the foreground of our paintings. The results are beautiful. This lesson is highly successful in elementary grades.

1. Van Gogh's skill
2. How I used the skill
3. Where I used the skill.

- H. Bachman

Artist Bio:

During his life, Van Gogh lived in various locations including Brussels, The Hague, Antwerp and Drenthe and in his travels, taught himself to draw and paint, in addition to taking the occasional art lesson. He moved to Paris at age 33 to live with his brother Theo (who was working in a gallery), and it was there that he came into contact with the work of the Impressionists.

Where before his work was dark in color with heavy forms and subject matter depicting peasants at work in the fields, in Paris, Van Gogh's paintings began to take on a somewhat Impressionistic feel. Flowers, portraits, self portraits and images of Paris appeared in his work. He went to Arles (later joined by fellow artist Paul Gauguin) at the age of 35 and upon arriving painted landscapes and portraits full of vivid colors and passionate feelings. In the years following 1888, he spent time in an insane asylum and eventually - at the age of 37 - took his own life. It was during the months approaching his death that Van Gogh created some of the most vibrant, expressive paintings known to man. In all, he produced an enormous volume of work - much of which was left in the care of his brother Theo's son.

►More Painting Lessons

Recommended Books: