Unit 2 Prehistoric Art
If Art is not needed for survival then why create?
line and shape
Unit Overview
❖ It may be difficult to understand why prehistoric people created art. Students will contemplate reasons that could have inspired these images.
❖ Students will be given the facts gained from the archaeologist investigation of these sites.
❖ Students will gain understanding of how ancient items are dated, included these paintings.
❖ Students will explore the daily concerns of the prehistoric people.
❖ Students will explore the elements of line and color.
Unit Summary
In 1948 the caves a Lascaux were discovered by some young boys out in a field playing ball. Their ball fell disappeared down a small hole in the land. They lower one of the boys to retrieve the ball.
What they discovered still astonishes the world today. How could people considered to be so primitive create such masterpieces? The sense of awe has only increased with each new discovery. The oldest cave painting were discovered in the 1990’s dating from 30,000 BCE. 360 caves with images have thus far been discovered in Europe with comparable site discovered around the globe.
Prehistoric prehuman beings definitely had a story to tell and the skill to render these images in ways that still amaze the viewer.
“We have invented nothing new.” Picasso
Click on this podium icon for a link to the slides to use with students.
Student
Examples
Vocabulary:
Paleolithic period: The Historical period believed to have lasted from 30,000 B.C.E to 10,000 B.C.E
megaliths: A large monument created from huge stone slabs.
Stonehenge:
sketch: A quick drawing that captures the appearance or action of a place or situation.
line: An element of art that refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point.
dimension: The amount of space an object takes up in one direction.
outline: The line around the outer edge of a figure or an object that shows the overall shape of the person or object.
implied lines: A series of points that the viewers eyes automatically connects.
ground: The empty spaces between the shapes or forms.
shape: A shape or form is a positive shape.
crosshatching: A drawing technique of using sets of crisscrossing, parallel and overlapping lines to create areas of differing degrees of darkness.
A Bison painting in Spain dated to 11,000 B.C. World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo.
Focus/Guiding Questions:
What were the purposes of art during ancient times?
How do archaeologists use artifacts to inform them about ancient cultures?
Foundation Question:
What are the general characteristics of art work from different ancient cultures?
Student Learning Objectives for Lesson:
Gain understanding that as far back as humans have existed they have expressed themselves through art.
Student Learning Goals:
Students will use critical thinking skills to speculate about early human life. They will create hypothesis about why the cave art was created.
Targeted CaliforniaContent Standards:
Prof. VA: Cr 1.2: Artists and designers shape artistic investigations, following or breaking with traditions in pursuit of creative art making goals.
Anchor standard: Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Prof. VA:Re 7.1: Hypothesize ways in which art influences perception and understanding of human experiences.
Prof.VA:Re7.2: Visual imagery influences understanding of and responses to the world..
Anchor standard:Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Prof.VA:Cn10 Relate artists ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical content to deepen understanding.
Targeted National Standards: VA:Re.7.2la: Analyze how one’s understanding of the world is affected by experiencing visual imagery.
Reading a Painting
Yellow-Red-Blue
1925
Russia
oil on canvas
Wassily Kandinsky
Inquiry Question:
How do you feel when looking at this painting. Does it make you think about anything?
http://www.theartstory.org/artist-kandinsky-wassily.htm
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
* Use critical-thinking skills for various contexts to develop, refine, and reflect on an artistic theme.
* Use divergent thinking, abstract reasoning, and various processes to demonstrate imaginative or innovative solutions for art problems.
* Analyze the capacity of the visual arts to fulfill aesthetic needs through artwork and utilitarian objects.
VA.912.S.1.3 Interpret and reflect on cultural and historical events to create art.
Targeted ESE Standards:
* Demonstrate comprehension and use of the system that combines language components in functional and socially appropriate communication across educational settings.
C-Palms Florida Standards
Unit Assessments
Formative Assessment:
Individual conferences and sketchbook check for:
prehistoric notes and images
Daily Jumpstart practices.
line draw tuning the samisen & fish
illustrate the principles of design
Line drawing cow
contour drawing hand
Summative Assessment:
Reading of Yellow-Red-Blue
Zentangle practice original
Unit project:
Cave like drawing that tells a story
Yellow-Red-Blue
1925
Wassily Kandinsky
oil on canvas
Georges Pompidou Center
Paris, France
Student Sample
of reading a
painting
