7/8th Grade Project
If your student is in seventh or eighth grade here at HFA you may have already heard from them about their upcoming art presentation. By now your child should be researching for the presentation due on March 4th. Below is a copy of the project instructions sheet. Please feel free to e-mial me with any questions regarding this project.
7th and 8th Grade Art Project
Presentation Due: March 4th
7th Grade
This semester, 7th graders will be studying an artist of their choice. This project will have two parts:
1. You will give a presentation on the artist you have chosen.
2. You will choose one or two of the artist’s works to copy in class. You may either draw or paint them.
You should choose two potential artists to focus on and two art works by each to copy. I will meet with you individually to discuss which artist you should select and which of the art works you should copy. You should have this information ready to show me by February 2nd.
Here is a list of artists to consider, though you may choose another artist:
William-Adolph Bouguereau
Albert Bierstadt (America 1830-1902)
William Blake (English 1757-1827)
William Bradford (American 1823-1892)
Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin (French 1699-1779)
Michelangelo Caravaggio (Italian 1571-1610)
Mary Cassatt (American 1844-1926)
Edgar Degas (French 1834-1917)
Rudolf Ernst (Austrian 1854-1932)
Caspar David Friedrich (German 1774-1840)
Jean-Leon Gerome (French 1824-1904)
Vincent van Gogh (Dutch 1853-1890)
El Greco (Greek 1541-1614)
Winslow Homer (American 1836-1910)
Edward Hopper (American 1882-1967)
Leonardo da Vinci (Italian 1452-1519)
Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italy 1475-1564)
Claude Monet (French 1840-1926)
Maxfield Parish (American 1870-1966)
Nicolas Poussin (French 1594-1665)
Rembrandt Dutch 1606-1669
Norman Rockwell American 1894-1978
John Singer Sargent American 1856-1925
Johannes Vermeer Netherlands 1632-1675
John William Waterhouse English 1849-1917
Once you have chosen your artist and the art work/s you wish to copy, you should begin to put together your presentation. Your presentation should consist of three parts:
Introduction: Who is your artist? When did he or she live? In what artistic period did your artist create his or her work? (Example: Monet was an impressionist.) What characteristics place your artist’s work in that period?
Body: Describe your artist’s life. Which of his or her works of art are considered most important?
Conclusion: Explain why you chose the artist you did and what about his or her art work interested you most.
Your presentation will be graded based on: Composure: Your ability to speak clearly and confidently to the class. Content: The facts you present should be accurate and clearly explained to the class. Details: Your presentation should follow all of the criteria listed above.
Your presentation should be 3-5 minutes long. You may use note cards while giving your presentation. Please have pictures of the art works that you discuss so that you may show the class some of your artist’s work. You must have at least three nicely printed pictures to show your classmates.
Your presentation should be ready to present by March 4th at the beginning of class. If you need help or advice, please talk with me during class, or e-mail your questions to jjohnson@hfamn.org.
Eighth Grade
You may choose to do the project assigned to the 7th graders, or you may choose a topic with a different focus.
For example, you may give a presentation on Leonardo da Vinci, on the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, or on the different styles of armor used in the Middle Ages. You may also take a philosophic approach and address questions such as the following:
Why is art valuable to individuals and to society?
What role does art play in the Catholic Church?
What makes a work of art good or bad?
God made us in his image as creators. What type of creator is God calling us to be?
In addition to giving a presentation, you will be creating an in-class art project. You will have significant freedom to choose the medium and subject on which to focus.
For example, you may want to focus on painting landscapes with watercolors. Here are the media you may choose to use:
Pencil, pen, colored pencils, pastels, watercolor, oil paint, acrylic paint, photography.
You are free to use any of these, but I suggest you use one with which you have at least a little experience. Otherwise, you may find you do not care for it when it is too late to choose a different medium.
Your presentation should be 3 to 5 minutes long. By February 2nd, you should choose two potential paper topics and three potential media/subject projects for your in-class work. You should number these in order of your preference. I will meet with you individually to discuss which of your choices will work best.
Your paper is due on March 4th. If you have any questions or concerns, you may speak to me in class or email me at jjohnson@hfamn.org.