Moody Van Gogh: Impressionism Art
In 1850 Paris, France—Oh, Van Gogh – you moody man
The Basics:
After a simple search at the local library, I found dozens of great resources and ideas to teach about this passionate and notable artist. The basics just include a good resource or two, an art project and extras if you want. It’s easy and fun. Let the creativity bloom.
- Read a few funny things about the artist – something memorable (Van Gogh had part of his ear missing!)
- Play music or video to teach the basics in a colorful, fun and relaxing way
- Pick an activity/art project that teaches skills without realizing it
- Gather your materials: Materials are cheap and not hard to find – watercolors, library books and paper
Books & Materials:
- Starry Night song
- Van Gogh Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists by Mike Venezia
- Vincent Can’t Sleep – Van Gogh Paints the Night Sky by Barb Rosenstock
- Art materials – watercolors, cardstock, music
What We Did:
- Read about him (see books listed below)
- Listened to Vincent song (see link below)
- Watercolor tutorial and use of paintbrush techniques
- Explaining key terms of paint style thick paint – impasto and impressionism
- Helpful Resource I used was Play Ideas Blog who inspired me
I enjoyed watching the boys take (quite literally) the meaning of “impressionism”. They each took their own impression of the Starry Night and made their picture as they viewed the painting. One child saw more hills, the other saw the yellow stars in the sky, another saw the darkness and brooding nature of Van Gogh in the painting. It was enjoyable and a great, simple learning experience. At the end of it all, my eldest son said he actually liked it, even though he thought his painting wasn’t that good. I told him art is creative. There isn’t a right or wrong in art – just paint and he did.
