Once more, after quite a few years of doing so, I taught Van Gogh in September. His contribution to our understanding of form and function in art is unparallelled.
Just today I looked a very long time at a drawing of his:
What strikes me about this is the variety of mark, the movement, the depth and how wonderfully he captures the garden by the side of the house. I can feel a sandy soil-even the time of year is revealed as the sun burns down ripening the crop. I had classes where the teachers encouraged using texture-the variety of marks-here is a drawing by Van Gogh that demonstrates a purpose to such technique. I wish they'd shown us why with this work. Daryl Grey, who taught me, did similar things in her work-and this reminds me of her drawing. The activity in the garden, the place Saint Francis said he would be tending if the world was coming to its end, it takes stilling your life to know of such a place, knowing a garden, to appreciate the movement he's captured here. I find a great comfort in this world he has concocted, or represented. Step inside. Van Gogh stilled time. And I have stepped inside. He has much to say to our children. My class was fascinated by their first study of a painter.
We looked at his sunflowers. Besides all the wonderful math they contain-sunflowers are something the children know. This painting I put up on the promethean board:
And then I introduced oil pastels with a very short lesson on their mark. It helped the room was about 87 to 90 degrees so the pastels melted easily.
Then the children made their works. Outstanding:
I hope that the beauty of these works can be appreciated.
Don McLean I'm listening. I hope other's can see the worth of art. Now I understand.
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