STANDARDS

Lexile: 990L

Core Art Standards:

VA1: Generate artistic work.

VA5: Develop artistic work.

VA7: Analyze artistic work.

CCSS Anchor Standards:

R2: Determine central themes.

R3: Analyze ideas.

R7: Integrate and evaluate content in diverse media.

Essential Question: What conditions, attitudes, and behaviors support creativity and innovative thinking?

Enduring Understanding: Creativity and innovative thinking are essential life skills that can be developed.

Vocabulary: abstract, background, color, cool, foreground, horizon, hues, Impressionists, juxtaposes, light, natural light, optical color mixing, picture plane, pigment, shadows, silhouette, symbols, warm

Materials: Computer or interactive whiteboard, “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” skills sheet. Preload the video “What You Need to Know About Color” on your computer or interactive whiteboard.

Lesson: Working En Plein Air

Use with “Bright Beginnings."

Objective: Students will develop a basic understanding of Claude Monet’s life and exploration of light.

PREPARATION:

Print copies of the “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” Skill Builder Activity Sheet.

PROCEDURE:

As a class, read “Bright Beginnings.” Invite students to observe the artworks.
Ask: How does Claude Monet work with light in the featured paintings? (In Garden at Sainte-Adresse, Monet paints bold hues and long shadows showing the time of day; in Camille Monet (1847-1879) on a Garden Bench, he juxtaposes light and shadow as symbols of life and death, and employs optical color mixing; in San Giorgio Maggiore by Twilight, he uses a more abstract technique, capturing the sunset in both warm and cool colors.)
View the video “What You Need to Know About Color.” Ask: What does this video add to your understanding of Monet’s work? (Answers may mention the relationship between light wavelengths and color, and the relationships among colors on the color wheel.)
Have students record their findings in their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” Skill Builder Activity Sheets.

DISCUSSION:

How did painting en plein air affect Monet’s artmaking? (By painting en plein air, Monet was able to capture the effects of natural light.)
Explain how Monet uses optical color mixing in Camille Monet (1847-1879) on a Garden Bench. (Monet places dabs of blue and yellow paint next to one another. The viewer’s eye mixes these colors, creating a greenish hue.)
What do you notice about how Monet works with light in the painting on the cover? (Answers will vary but should refer to the artwork and text.

REMOTE LEARNING:

Write a paragraph about Monet’s commitment to the idea that “light is color.” How do his paintings reflect this concept? How does he use color in different ways to capture light?
Experiment with optical color mixing. You can use traditional art supplies or found materials, such as colorful magazines or paper scraps. Juxtapose a variety of colors, experimenting with complementary and analogous colors, and observe the results.
Take your art en plein air. Bring whatever art materials you have to an outdoor location or place yourself next to a window. Sketch, draw, or paint what you see around you. What do you notice about color and light? How is this kind of artmaking different from what you create indoors?