For our next art lesson, the class reproduces a painting.
An image of the painting is divided into a grid and cut into rectangles. Each student receives a pieces of the painting, which they duplicated onto a larger grid. The students don't know what the original painting was; they only get to see their little bit. It's a lesson of details, proportions, and using a grid to enlarge an image. Then, on the last day of class, we reassemble the pieces into a large version of the painting. Since the class hasn't seen the painting, there can be some lovely surprises in this big reveal.
But, finding the original painting is a big task.
You need a painting that is colorful, and has some texture,
but not too much. It needs to have details, but
still be reproducible. Firm lines are nice, Impressionists would be really difficult for this project. And, it needs to not be recognizable. You don't want the class glancing at a 2" square and saying, "Oh look. The Mona Lisa".
And density of content. This image needs to have stuff going on all over the place. No big areas of white or sky. Landscapes are difficult. I don't want to hand a student a piece of paper that is white with a blade of grass in one corner. Where is the fun in that?
Then. There is the issue of subject matter.
This is a public school. These are 5th graders.
No alcohol. No drugs. No overt religion.
No gore. No sex. No nudity.
Having a student go home and say:
"Oh Mom, that thing I drew in Parent Led Art?
It was half of a guy named David's scrotum." Is not a conversation I want to have to explain.
And, as I look at more and more art trying to find something suitable, I have realized that artists? They think about sex, violence, drink, or religion. Michelangelo? Look closely there's a breast or a nude dude hanging out in the background. Perhaps I need a lovely still-life.