Post, "Andrea Baldeck" Museum Visit, '<i>Closely Observing</i> Drawing'

Post, "Andrea Baldeck" Museum Visit, 'Closely Observing' Drawing
Lorraine Ricciardi

Lesson Title:	Post, "Andrea Baldeck" Museum Visit, 'Closely Observing' Drawing

Grade Level:	6th

PA. Standards for the Arts and Humanities

9.1.8 Visual Arts	Know and use the elements and principles of each art form to create works in the humanities. -Elements; Line, space, form/shape, value -Principles; Balance, contrast, emphasis/focal point, proportion/scale, repetition Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in the arts. Draw Identify and use comprehensive vocabulary with in each of the art forms Explain works of others within each art form through exhibition. Demonstrate and maintain materials, equipment and tools safely at work. Analyze the use of materials. Explain issues of cleanliness related to the arts. Demonstrate methods for storing materials in the arts. Know where arts events, exhibitions occur and how to gain admission

9.2.8 Historical and Cultural Contexts	Analyze a work of art from its historical and cultural perspective. Identify, explain and analyze common themes, forms and techniques from works in the arts.

9.3.8 Critical Response	Know and use the critical process of the examination of works in the arts and humanities. Analyze and interpret characteristics of works in the arts within each art form. Evaluate works in the arts and humanities using a complex vocabulary of critical response. Interpret and use various types of critical analysis in the arts and humanities. Contextual criticism Formal Criticism Intuitive Criticism Apply the process of criticism to identify characteristics among works in arts.
9.4.8 Aesthetic Response:	Describe to what purpose philosophical ideas generated by artists can be conveyed through works of arts and humanities.

Objectives

Knowledge:	Cognitive. Students learn that black and white line drawings and photography can be used to study nature and see its beauty through close observation.

Skill:	Psychomotor. The students learn how to draw from nature by Closely Observing details to make an organic abstract drawing.

Attitude:	Affective. The students learn to appreciate the world seen more closely, see beauty through the simplest of objects in nature, without prejudging or blanket observations. (e.g. 'I see a flower.')

Prepare Ahead:	Trip to see "Andrea Baldecks" Closely Observed show followed by a discussion on aesthetics in nature, done in previous classes. 12 x 18 white drawing paper Drawing pencils and erasers Branches with leaves from a tree, plants or flowers for each table Projector with a slide of a sunflower and a poster of a flower Tissue with a rectangle cut into it Posters of "Andrea Baldeck's" work Closely Observed collection.

Prior Knowledge:	Students know how to create line drawings using appropriate drawing utensils and basic drawing skills. They have taken a trip to see "Andrea Baldeck's" Closely Observed collection of photographs with notes from trip.

Motivation

Questions Leading Students to Discovery:	Good morning everyone. Last week we visited the Moore College of Art and Design's gallery featuring the work of "Andrea Baldeck". Tell me what media did she use? Yes Sara photography, what pallet did she use? You are right, black and white photography. What was her subject matter? Awesome, Sara, leaves, plants, flowers and seed pods, so you can say things from what? Yes, nature. You can see I have some large leaves and sunflowers. I'm going to put a branch of leaves and a flower on each table and while today's helpers hand out paper and pencils please study the arrangement of leafs and sunflowers on your table but DO NOT TOUCH the arrangement (I have written this on the board) or you will mess it up for the rest of your table. (After paper and supplies are handed out) I want you to examine the veins, the textures and patterns of the flower. What shapes do you see? What do you see? Jon, what do you see? The petals on the flower are oval. Your are right, can everyone see that, what else? Great, Jordon you are right, the seeds in the middle make a pattern and it's in the shape of a circle. Jordon you are very observant. I can see the patterns. Raise your hand if you can see the seed patterns. Any more patterns? The stem has what kind of pattern? Yes, it's a stripe pattern. What about textures, who can see textures? Jon, yes the seeds have both a pattern and its textured. What kind of texture do the seeds have? Jon. Bumpy, it's bumpy and ruff. Great, what else? Yes, Vicky. The petals are smooth and the pod under the flower is a little hairy and sticky. You are all getting so much better at this. How about the leaves? Yes Albert, the leaves have veins that run up the middle. Is it symmetrical or do the veins alternate from the middle? Sara. They alternate don't they. If they were symmetrical what would the veins do? Yes, they would mirror each other.

Demonstration:	On the board are two posters from the collection Closely Observed by "Andrea Baldeck", which we saw last week. I want you to see like an artist would, at the detail of this sunflower. Pick one small area that is interesting to you. Look for contrasting textures, shapes or patterns, but I don't want it to look exactly like a flower. (I write this on the board), Only draw the small detailed area you picked. (Standing at the poster of the flower I'll put the tracing paper, with the small opening cut into it (6x12), onto the poster. Than enlarge that section on the white board by drawing with marker, quickly.) Remember the exhibit and what we discussed and critiqued. Remember the composition of photographs. Why did she crop her photographs the way she did? See how I made the pod of the flower into something abstract but still organic. By "Closely Observing" it and enlarging just a section it becomes abstract. (Using a projector, a slide of a sunflower is projected and enlarged onto a white board. This makes it easy to trace a small section into the rectangle I drawn onto the white board, making it into an abstract drawing). 'Who would like to trace the lines inside the rectangle?' Sara, trace the lines. Thank you Sara, great job. See how abstract that looks and its hard to tell if it's a flower or not but it still looks very organic. We are looking and studying nature like a botanist would. Art and science can sometimes over lap and both help us see the world clearly.

Visual Aids:	Projector with slide of flower, Posters of "Andrea Baldeck's" "Closely Observed" collection and white board for tracing.

Reference to Art History:	Contemporary Artist "Andrea Baldeck"

Exemplars:	Photographs

Activity:	Students will draw a still life of a sunflower, stems and leaves by Closely Observing a section and enlarging that section to make a detailed, organic, abstract drawing by observation.

Supplies:	12 x 18 white drawing papers Drawing pencils and erasers Branches with leaves from a tree, plants or flowers for each table Projector with a slide of a sunflower Tissue with a rectangle cut into it Posters of "Andrea Baldeck's" work from the "Closely Observed" collection. A poster of a flower

Vocabulary:	Abstract, organic, contemporary

Assessment Strategy

Students will write a short essay on the question "What about photography makes it an art form?" using notes taken from museum visit in their art journals. They will have a brief discussion/critic on what principles of art were used in there drawings before writing assessment starts.

Correlated Lessons

What art lesson will follow? The next art lesson would be taking the drawings a step further by using black paint and a brush to emphasis the textures, shapes and patterns of their organic drawings.

Interdisciplinary Domains

Science and botany. Have students look up and identify the parts of a flower to increase knowledge and vocabulary of the subject being studied.

Closure

Have students discuss weather drawing and photography can help in appreciating the world of nature. Which students best represented the idea of "Andrea Baldecks" black and white photography Closely Observing of the natural world? Can drawing and observing from nature, produce modern organic abstract drawings?

Reflections

What will I do differently; what areas went well/what will I strengthen and how? The students will see a connection between art and photography, and drawing and science.