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Spring Semester 2000, Vol. 11, no. 1 Lesson II: Looking at Sculpture Rationale In
order to get students thinking about the
Statue of Liberty as an artwork, students will analyze the
Statue of Liberty and other sculptures based on art elements such as
shape, line, color, scale, and style.
They will examine how those elements affect their interpretations
of the statue as a sculpture. They will compare their interpretations with those of other
students. Students will
discover the variety of ways a viewer can look at an artwork by seeing and
hearing the other, equally valid interpretations of their classmates.
Students will expand their perspective of the statue from an
historical monument to a work of art. Overview In
this lesson students will investigate the
Statue of Liberty, as well as other statues throughout history, from a
formal perspective. They will
begin with a quick, 5-word interpretation of each statue, followed by an
examination of how formal art elements affect that interpretation.
Students will consider what components must exist for something to
become an artwork, and question why some objects are and some objects are
not considered art. They will
discover that other people interpret art in different, but equally well
founded ways. The activities
in this lesson include elements of art criticism, art history, and
aesthetics. Suggestions for
art production and other activities are provided in Extensions. Objectives Students
will:
Materials
and Resources Materials
Reproductions
Resources
Planning
and Preparation
Vocabulary Line:
an element of art that refers to the continuous mark made on some surface
by a moving point. It can define a space, create an outline or contour,
define a silhouette, create patterns, create movement, or create the
illusion of mass or volume. It may be two-dimensional (as with pencil on
paper) three-dimensional (wire/sculptural) or implied (the edge of a shape
or form). Monument:
a building, pillar, stone, or the like, erected to preserve the
remembrance of a person, event, action, etc.; as the Washington monument;
the Bunker Hill monument; a tomb with memorial inscriptions. Scale:
scale in an image, artwork, or sculpture acts to show relations between
objects. Rather than measuring weight, however, visual scale deals with
apparent relative size of objects. Sculpture:
the art of carving, cutting, or hewing wood, stone, metal, etc., into
statues, ornaments, etc., or into figures of people, or other things
whether in plastic or hard materials; carved work modeled of, or cut upon,
wood, stone, metal, etc. Shape:
an element of art, it is an enclosed space defined and determined by other
art elements
such as line, color, value, and texture.
Statue:
the likeness of a living being, animal, or other object sculptured or
modeled in some solid substance, as marble, bronze, or wax. Style:
an artist's characteristic manner of expression; works of art by different artists
may have certain features in common; have a group style. Symbol/Symbolism:
a visible sign or representation of an idea; anything which suggests an
idea, quality, or another thing by resemblance or by convention; a
representation; a type; a figure; as, the lion is the symbol of courage;
the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience. Instruction In
this activity, students will look at the
Statue of Liberty not only as an historical monument, but as an
artwork. They will view the
statue in comparison to other sculptures, and interpret all of the pieces
based on their use of shape, line, color, scale, and style.
Hand out the worksheets before you show the sculptures. Begin by
showing each of the sculptures in succession, including the Statue of Liberty, and ask the students to quickly answer the first
question on the worksheet for each sculpture you show them.
After they have written down the artist?s names, the title of the
sculptures, and the date of the sculptures, along with 5 words to describe
how they feel about each sculpture, encourage the students to share their
answers. This can be done
either by having each of them read their responses aloud, or by putting
them in small discussion groups. Students
should be allowed to question each other?s responses, asking why and how
certain interpretations evolved. After
students share their responses, examine each sculpture slowly.
The students may fill out their worksheets as a class through
discussion, or you may give them time to fill out the worksheets on their
own after a short discussion about each sculpture.
Make sure the students fill out a worksheet for each sculpture you
discuss. Once
the class has examined each sculpture, ask the students to consider how
their interpretations changed once they looked closely at the formal
elements of the sculptures. Extensions/Interdisciplinary
Connections Art
Production: After
the students have filled out all of their worksheets, ask them to make two
drawings of each sculpture. The
first will be a drawing based on what they see.
The second will be a drawing in which they alter at least 2 of the
art elements discussed in class. adapted from SOS! |