The World of Art – An English Project                 

Dear Students,
In pairs, you will be doing a project in English about art. The project is based on the paintings you see on the walls, pillars and the ground as you enter Boyar High School. 
 
The amount you learn from this project, the satisfaction you get and your grade will largely be determined by the effort you invest.  So give it your best shot. 
This project is a Bagrut requirement and you may be tested on this work orally at the end of Grade XII. Be sure to have your own copy. 
Approximately 10 full class lessons will be devoted to this work. 
Follow instructions VERY carefully. Don't waste your time.
 
We hope you learn a lot of English, a lot about art, and enjoy yourself at the same time.
The project is a serious one which demands high quality work. 
We are sure you will find the task challenging and you will produce work that you are proud of.
Final date:  ________________________________. (Ask teacher)
 
Your English Teachers.

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A. Written Work
Stage 1 – Getting organized
First go outside and  carefully examine all the artwork. Using the list of artists and names of paintings in the table below, try match the painting, the artist and the name of the picture. 

Artists represented 
at school entrance	     Name of Painting
	
1.	Vincent Van Gogh	a)	The Scream	
2.	Pablo Picasso	b)	Mona Lisa	
3.	Claude Monet	c)	Persistence of memory	
4.	Salvador Dali	d)	Blue Horse (Blaues Pferd I)	
5.	Franz Marc	e)	Twelve sunflowers in a vase	
6.	Paul Gauguin	f)	Poppy field 1873	
7.	Edward Munch	g)	Woman with a mango (Vahine no te vi)	
8.	Leonardo de Vinci	h)	Dance II	
9.	Michelangelo	i)	The Creation of Adam	
10.	Henri Matisse	j)	[Untitled]	
11.	Keith Haring	k)	Portrait of Dora Maar 	
12.	?	l)	?	

When you have finished as many as you can, go back inside and go to the following Internet site:
http://www.geocities.com/jackpillemer/art.htm
You will find this art project on the net. 
Complete the chart in Stage 1 on the internet site
 
TIPS ON HOW TO DO THIS: 
Go to a search engine such as http://www.google.com/  or http://www.yahoo.com/
Type in the name of the painting and see who painted it. You can also ask people who know more than you. 
 
Stage 2 – Getting the basics
Now choose THREE pieces of art from the ones above to focus on.
Find large copies of the full paintings using art books or Internet. 
Add the year in which the painting was painted and where the original painting can be found today.
 
TIPS ON HOW TO DO THIS: 
If you find the picture in a book it will probably have this information.
If you are using the Internet, go to a search engine such as http://www.google.com/  or http://www.yahoo.com/
Write the name of the painting and the name of the artist  in quotes (e.g. "Leonardo De Vinci" "Mona Lisa" ) as your key words. 
Then try to find the date and location.

Stage 3 – Looking carefully and describing what you see. 
Choose 2 (of the 3) paintings and describe what you see in detail. You may relate to the following aspects: subject matter, composition, color/contrast, texture /brushstroke.  The reader must be able to more or less imagine the picture in his/her mind without actually seeing it, on the basis of your description. Write approximately 100 words about each.

TIPS ON HOW TO DO THIS:
Subject matter: 
describe the scene in general terms e.g. portrait of a woman/ landscape/still-life etc. Is it realistic –does it reflect reality?
Composition: 
Describe each element in the painting in terms of position, size etc. Mention what attracts the eye and if the eye is naturally pulled in one direction or another. Mention how the canvas is divided, what space is left empty. Does the picture have depth i.e. is there perspective? etc. 
Color: 
Are there generally warm or cold colors? Do any specific colors stand out? Is the picture light or dark? Are the colors true to life? Etc.
Texture/brushstroke:
 How is the paint put onto the canvass – smoothly, thickly, flatly, covering large areas, in short dabs or dots etc.?
Stage 4 – Personal Reaction                                                        
Choose ONE painting. 
Do you like the painting? Explain.
What thoughts and/or feelings do you have when looking at the paintings? Explain your reaction. Write approximately 100 words. 
NOTE: this must be done individually by each member of the group.

Stage 5 – Research:  learning about the artist. 
Write a short biography of the artist. (approximately 150 words)

Read at least TWO different biographies from books or the Internet and summarize the main points. If you find any biographical information related specifically to the picture you have chosen, include it.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THIS:
Find two sources of information about the artist that are not too detailed. Print or photocopy the sources. Read and understand the articles. 
Decide on which information you want to include from each and underline/highlight that information. 
Prepare a draft summary of the information you have decided to include.
Write the final version.
 
Stage 6 – Research:  placing the painting in its historical perspective 
Art is often categorized by Movements e.g. Impressionism, Surrealism, Cubism, Realism, Expressionism etc. Find out what art movement or movements are reflected in the picture you chose in stage 5. 

(i)	Describe the main features of the relevant art movement/s (approximately 100 words).  You must use at least two different sources of information – Art books, the Internet encyclopedias, interview a knowledgeable person. 
 
INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THIS:
Follow all the instructions above.
In addition, if you interview a knowledgeable person, take notes.

(ii)	Explain how these elements are expressed in the painting you chose. (approximately 100 words).  It may be useful to photocopy the picture and label it for this purpose. 

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THIS:
In this section you must show the connection – if it exists in the painting - between the art movement (theory) and the painting (practice). For example you will have sentences like this one:
The Impressionists generally chose outside landscapes. This is true of the painting XXXX. The artist chose a field of flowers as his subject.

Stage 7 – Creative work                                              

(For students working in pairs, each student prepares his/her own creative work)
Choose ONE of the following tasks.

Paint a picture which reflects the style of the painting you have chosen. 
Describe how it reflects that style and what you learned/understood by doing it. (Explanation must be approximately 150 words.)
Or 
Write a short story in which one of the four paintings (you chose in the beginning) is one of the scenes/characters in that story. (Approximately 300 words)
Or
Write a poem/song (at least 20 lines) inspired by on one of the four paintings (you chose in the beginning). Explain the poem and its connection to the painting. (approximately 150 words)

Stage 8 – giving credit by preparing a bibliography
Prepare a bibliography including ALL your sources of information. 

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO DO THIS:
The bibliography must be on a separate page and must include at least 4 sources of information.
It must be in alphabetical order.  See example below
 (Encyclopedia)            - Britannica Encyclopedia, Volume 16, pages 74-79
 (Book)                        -  Green, J.  The History of Art. Oxford Press, 1993, page 24-27
 (Internet site)           - Hines B. Picasso – the artist and the man 
                                       www.bostoncollege.edu.org/picasso.htm  4/10/03
(Interview)                  - Notes from an interview with Mr. David Solomon, 2/10/03   

Stage 9 – Getting it all together for presentation
Include ALL the following in this order
1.	Cover page (with your name, class and project title.)
2.	Contents page (what can be found on each page)
3.	Names, artists, dates and locations of 3 pieces of art you chose in Stage 1 and Stage 2.
4.	Descriptions in detail of 2 of the paintings you chose in Stage 3. 
5.	Your personal reaction to the painting in Stage 4
6.	A biography (research) of the artist in Stage 5
7.	Discussion of the art movement/s your painting represents (research) in Stage 6(i)
8.	Discussion of your painting in relation to the art movement/s in Stage 6(ii)
9.	Your creative work from Stage 7
10.	 A bibliography as described in Stage 8
11.	A photocopy of all your sources. 
12.	The assessment/checklist page

Name _____________________  Class: __________    Date _________  
Assessment Criteria
Items to be included in final work	Point value – For teacher to fill in	
Cover page 
(with your name, class and project title.)	1   
	
Contents page 
(what can be found on each page)	1   2
	
Names, artists, dates and locations 
of 3 pieces of art in Stage 1 and Stage 2.	1   2   3
	
Descriptions in detail of 2 of the paintings 
you chose in Stage 3. (2X 100 words)	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10	
Your personal reaction to one painting 
in Stage 4 (100 words)	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  12	
A biography (research) of the artist
 in Stage 5 (150 words)	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  12	
Discussion of the art movement/s 
 (research) in Stage 6(i) (150 words)	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  12	
Discussion of your painting in relation to 
the art movement/s in Stage 6(ii) (100 words)	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10
	
Your creative work 
from Stage 7	1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  12	
 A Bibliography 
as described in Stage 8	1   2   3   
	
A photocopy of all your sources. 
	1   2
	
The Assessment/checklist page with the checklist filled out.	1
	
	Total score     
                      -------------
                            100	
 
 Checklist for all writing
•	I have read the task clearly and understood what I have to do.
•	I have made sure that all writing, printing, filing etc. is from left to right. 
•	I have checked the grammar – especially the verbs.
•	I have checked the punctuation – especially capital letters, periods and commas.
•	I have checked the spelling - using a dictionary, a spell checker etc.
•	I have used connectors to make my writing clear to the reader
•	I have divided my work into paragraphs – each dealing with a separate subject.
•	I have left a line between paragraphs
•	I have read the final version TWICE and I'm convinced that I have done my best!
•	I have my own copy of the project so if anything I hand in gets lost, I'm OK.

NAME __________ Signature ______         NAME __________ Signature ______

Page of Useful Information

You may consult the following people for help:
Art teachers
Anat Barel 
Tzippie Vital 
Lisa Shalom 

Resource Center staff
Reta Slomon 
Nava Haruvi 
Raya Shurani

Teachers
Yehudit Hirshberg
 
Sites:

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/	General: Artist in alphabetical order and art movements	
http://www.sanford-artedventures.com/study/study.html	General: Simple and brief
The site will also help you with the terms you need to describe a painting	
http://www.yahooligans.com/arts_and_entertainment/art/Art_History/	General: List of sites for students on many aspects of art	
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/ARTHLinks.html	General: A very detailed list of links	
http://gardenofpraise.com/art17.htm	Leonardo de Vinci and the 
Mona Lisa 	
http://www.eduweb.com/pintura/index.html	Fun:  simple webquest game that teaches the basics about some of the artists on the list. Fun!	
http://66.113.241.131/master_act_color.htm	Fun: Keith Haring – No information, but fun 	
http://library.thinkquest.org/C005545/english/dream/freud.htm	Information on Freud and Dreams – an approach that influenced Surrealists.	

B. Oral Presentation of Art project
Details to follow…