I feel it's important when teaching children about art to make the artists and their works accessible. That's why I typically pick pieces and artists that children can go see in person and when it comes to Impressionism I always like to use Monet. His work is easily accessible, you can find a Monet in many museums and copies of his work in any Target, Walmart, etc. etc.
As we learn about Monet and begin our studies in Impressionism and Post impressionism we'll be doing some simple paintings while listening to some Impressionist era music. Keep reading to find out more.
materials:
tempera paint
cornstarch
paint brushes
large white paper
Debussy on Spotify
map of Europe
colored pencil
images of Monet's work and one of Monet
get to work:
1. As always we'll begin with our history lesson. I like to start with the map, and recap where we've been (Egypt, Greece, Rome) and then ask them again which continent we're looking at. This time we'll color in France where Monet is from. Next we discuss Monet, who he was and what he did. (I try to keep this short since my students are still in preschool, but feel free to get out the books and elaborate).
Background on Monet: Monet was born about 175 years ago in France. He was a painter and painted in what is called Impressionist style. In fact Impressionism is named after one of his paintings, Impression Sunrise. Impressionism is a type of painting where the artist wasn't concerned with something being perfect, the lines didn't have to be straight, the colors could blend together, using short, quick strokes that often layered on top of one another. Another thing Impressionist thought about was lighting. Think about how the sun moves across the sky and at different parts of the day the light shines on your school or home in different ways. Impressionist loved to paint the different ways light and shadow were cast on buildings or in fields or on people.
2. Once you've given a brief intro be sure to show them a few pieces of Monet's work. Ask them what they notice about this painting. Is it perfect? Are the colors smudged a bit? What time of day do you think it is?
3. Before you get to work I suggest thickening your tempera paint with a pinch of cornstarch and water (just a little), to make it more oil paint like. Use real oil paints if you choose, but because I'm working with young children, I prefer using a mock oil paint that's non-toxic.
4. Now it's time to get to work. If it's nice enough outside, I suggest you gather up your materials and head out. If not, perhaps set up a few photographs of landscapes or have the children pose for each other's painting. (For extra ambiance you can play Impression era music like Debussy).
What I love about this project is the various ways that the same scene turned out. I asked each child to paint a small portion of our school's yard and the works above are their interpretations of this:
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