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II. Hang the Art
Collect the student products from the Aesthetic Awareness Work Sheet. Hang only those that have "followed the rules" on your class room walls. Leave space to the left of each piece.
III. Gallery Viewing
Once you have hung your gallery of "art" pieces, each student becomes a patron. Provide students with three sticky dots (Avery sells colorful labels of stick-on dots that
work well) and allow them to select their favorites. Their dots are to be placed on the wall to the left of their chosen piece. Caution students to choose their own favorite, attempting to avoid being influenced by peer
choices or insider knowledge of who the artist might be.
IV. Become Accustomed to the Art
Once all the dots are positioned, allow a few days for students to see each other's choices and "live
with" the art on your walls.
V. Class Discussion
Run a class discussion (or have the students run their own) during which students talk about the favorites. What was the paradigm of art for
this product? What made some stand out over others? Show the students' products who did not follow the paradigm. Let them talk about why they chose to "break the rules." Generate a list of the
attributes considered by different students in judging the favorites. The discussion should be open-ended. Flag terminology from students who offer specific aspects of art nomenclature and put these words on the board
(e.g., perspective, composition, balance, etc.).
VI. Further Discussion Questions
It is important to understand that there are no absolute values in the analysis of artistic merit. Each generation of artists working within a particular medium (e.g., painting, drama, poetry) are products
of their own time—they do not create art in a vacuum. Most new generations of artists either build on established traditions or rebel against the perceived constraints of these traditions.
1. Ask students to
consider the "rules" for other artistic strands. What are the rules for good music, drama, dance, sculpture, etc.? What affects the rules and influences the artists? What causes the rules to change?
2. Lead students to an understanding of the lack of absolute values in art. Use references to Thea Kronborg as an example of a person in pursuit of an artistic endeavor. What were the aspects of her
character that made her unique? What obstacles did she need to struggle against to achieve her position as an artist in her society?
3. What is the position of the artist in society? Why does man create?
4. What are some of the values of the current paradigm for music? poetry? drama? painting?
5. What judgements and negative reactions were sparked by Thea's artistry in Moonstone among the
people who knew Thea?
6. What sacrifice did Thea make for her art?
7. What sacrifices must contemporary artists make for their chosen field?
Assessment
Return the art pieces to the students with your grade on the back. Keep four or five of the favorites and move these to prominent display at the front of the room. While you may
wish to give extra credit to the "favorites," your general criteria for grading the pieces should consider each student's performance in:
- Following the rules
- Giving thought to an original, creative effort
- Participating in the hands-on creation of an art piece
- Discussing the judgment of the artistic renderings
- Analyzing the art paradigm used in the in-class activity
- Connecting to the literary piece through discussion and/or research activity
- Using effective discussion skills
- Using effective writing/research/summary skills
Research Extension Activity
Assign students to complete the following assignment:
1. Select one area of the fine arts that interests you. (e.g., music, painting, dance, sculpture,
drama, poetry, etc.)
2. Narrow your topic to a particular time period in the development of that artistic genre. (e.g., Dance—the post-moderns)
3. Research the artists of the period, the style, the influences, the paradigm for judgment.
4. Summarize your findings and present them in an interesting manner. Use samples of your favorite artistic products
of the time.
Other Literary Connections
This lesson may be applied to other literary works such as:
Cry To Heaven by Anne Rice
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
A Portrait of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
Pygmalion by G. Bernard Shaw
Terpsichore in Sneakers by Sally Banes
Gail Lindenberg is a Humanities/English teacher at Nogales High School in La Puente, California. |
