Discussion of a painting and a political cartoon by Honor Daumier helps students to understand the changing social conditions of 19th-century Paris. The group then writes their own captions for the cartoon based on visual information such as a character's gesture or stance. By looking at ways that artists interpret their world through observation and imagination, students learn how painters can be role models for expanding self-awareness and valuing diverse viewpoints. Students examine ways that artists capture the moment, motion, and mood of performances, including a circus sideshow by Honor Daumier , a ballet rehearsal by Edgar Degas , and a bullfight by Pablo Picasso . Primary sources from 19th-century music to artists' preliminary sketches and quotes are utilized to offer students insights into the creative process.
Students also examine how all artists rely on practice and persistence to develop a skill.
Connections to the performing arts are made through gallery activities that include poetry writing and problem solving in memory games and pantomime. The group compares rhythm in both music and painting by listening to a selection composed by Nicol Paganini while looking at a painting by Eug ne Delacroix of this famous violinist in concert. By reading contemporary accounts of Paganini's performances, students make inferences about the links between written description, music, and the visual arts. Welcoming the young visitor to the museum experience Designed for grades 1-5 Art at Home is a general introduction to an art museum. Creatively experiencing art, the group writes an imaginative story inspired by Albert Pinkham Ryder's Moonlit Cove, and creates a poem about Arthur Dove's paintings, through the process of brainstorming and drafting.