Art Appreciation Through Projects and Stories
Our house is bursting with creativity and tons of art supplies this year.
We kicked off our year with several Mixed Media projects from the Art of Fall and we have continued to create new masterpieces each season.
Recently, I incorporated art appreciation into our studies so that my kids learn to recognize and appreciate the work of well-known master artists.
Of course, I didn’t want to stop creating our own masterpieces so I decided to find a way to incorporate both art appreciation and art creation.
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Over the past decade of homeschooling, our family has dabbled in many books, ideas, and websites for art appreciation. This year, I found a great combination of activities for an educational, creative, and enjoyable experience.
I decided to combine our Art Appreciation courses from the Masterpiece Society art Studio with the Artist story pack from Around the World Stories.
The Artist story pack includes creative, original, and educational stories about Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Michelangelo, Georgia O’Keefe, and Kandinsky.
The Art Appreciation Course: Complete Set One includes a biography and three art activities for each of the following artists: Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and O’Keefe.
Stories about the masters combined with creative art projects imitating the masters. What a perfect combination.
Four artists are included in both the Around the World Story Artist Pack and Art Appreciation Courses, Volume One: Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and O’Keefe. I decided we would begin our journey looking at these four artists.
Art Appreciation: Sample Schedule
Week One
Monday: We read the Mike Venezia book for the artist (see below) and we listen to the story from the Around the World Story Artist Pack.
Tuesday or Wednesday: We choose an art project by the artist from our Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation Course. We watch the beginning of the Masterpiece Society video over breakfast because it is chock full of great information about the painting. Later that day we complete the project in the video.
Thursday or Friday: We repeat the routine from Tuesday for a new project by the same artist.
Week Two
Monday: We complete the final project by the same artist.
Tuesday: An artist inspired teatime with picture books about the artist (suggestions below)
Wednesday – Friday: We enjoy extension ideas suggested on the Around the World Artist Story page.
Art Appreciation: Claude Monet
We kicked off this idea with a story about Claude Monet. In this delightful tale, Davy and Marigold are playing in their uncle’s garden when a unique piece of gum transports one of them to Claude Monet’s garden. We meet Claude Monet and visit his gardens during this fictional, yet educational tale.
The Way to the Water Lilies introduced us art anhistorical facts about impressionism, the garden Monet created, and the public’s initial reactions to Monet’s artwork.
After learning about Monet in the story, we created three pieces of artwork based on three of his famous pieces using the lessons in our Masterpiece Studio Art Appreciation Course: Japanese Footbridge; Waterlilies, Red; and Impression, Sunrise.
Of course, we also enjoyed several books from the library because I adore creative art appreciation books.
- Claude Monet by Mike Venezia (Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists Series) – My favorite series for art appreciation.
- The Magical Garden of Claude Monet by Laurence Anholt
- Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Christina Bjork
- Where is the Frog by Geraldine Elschner
- Monet Paints a Day by Julie Danneberg
Art Appreciation: Vincent Van Gogh
This week we are studying Vincent Van Gogh following the same plan. We began with the story, The Vanishing Sunflowers, from Around the World Stories. In this tale, Davy and Marigold must use the time traveler’s gum once again to convince Vincent Van Gogh to return to his dream of becoming an artist.
Now we are painting three of Vincent’s masterpieces: Sunflowers, Starry Night, and The Reaper.
And yes, we have read several great books about Vincent Van Gogh from the library:
- Vincent Can’t Sleep by Barb Rosenstock
- Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt
- Vincent’s Colors by Vincent Van Gogh
- Vincent Van Gogh by Mike Venezia (Getting to know the World’s Greatest Artists)
We have two more artists in our story pack that coordinate with our Art Appreciation Courses: Michelangelo and Kandinsky.
Once we finish then we’ll continue with the stories in our Artist story pack. The Around the World Stories website has lots of ideas for us to extend the learning after we listen to the story. In fact, there is a Pinterest board filled with project ideas for Kandinsky.
Then we’ll finish the last two artists in our Art Appreciation Course One Set. We will learn about their lives with the biography information included in the course. And I’ll fill in with books from the library, of course.
LOVE ART COURSES? – Check out my Review of the Masterpiece Society Annual Membership
Clearly, either course is good on its own but together, the Artist Story Pack and the Art Appreciation Course: Set One have worked well together.
Want to see our projects and hear my thoughts?
Facebook Live: Art Appreciation
Art Appreciation: Get Started
Buy the Artist Story Pack for creative, original, and informative stories.
Buy the Masterpiece Society Art Appreciation, Complete Set One for art projects and biographical information.
They work well together, but either one can be used on its own. Decide which is best for your family.
RELATED POSTS:
Around the World Stories Review
Mixed Media Workshop: The Art of Fall
Masterpiece Society Annual Membership Review
Seashore Video Art Course
She believes that creativity, laughter, and fun are the backbone for engaging and inspiring homeschools. You can find her encouragement and tips on this blog, Mary Hanna Wilson.
She is an enneagram 7 and an extrovert. She enjoys traveling, tea (iced or hot), good conversations, and books. You can connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
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Mary, I’ve just been combing through all the art activities on thatartistwoman.com and she has a bunch that are based on the work of various artists, including a couple Kandinsky projects.