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Course, Subject

Art, Social Studies, The Arts (1996)

Description

In this learning experience, students will create three-dimensional black- and red-figured Greek Vessels

OBJECTIVES

• Students will be able to locate Greece on a world map using the SMART Board.

• Students will be able to define the word "Ancient."

• Students will be able to identify a variety of Greek vessels and describe their uses in Ancient Greece.

• Students will recreate a Black- and Red-Figured drawing for their Papier-mâché vase based on various "Do Now Sketches", Internet research, and visuals provided.

• Students will make a three dimensional vase recreating a Black- and Red-Figured Greek Vase using Papier-mâché, foil, and other found materials to enhance the vessel.

• Students will use tempera paint as their art medium and enhance the painting with a gloss medium finish upon completion of the painting.

• Through the use of visual aides, posted instructions, and demonstrations, students will gain an understanding of what it is they will be accomplishing for the final project.

DURATION

15 class days at 45 minutes per class period.
(The time frame varies depending on the size of the balloon used).

MATERIALS

Instructions on Papier-mâché

• Instructions on vessel sculpture
• 25 units of Papier-mâché(wallpaper paste)
• Newspaper clippings
• 7", 9", or 12" balloons
• Aluminum foil
• Masking tape
• Pre-cut carpet cardboard tubes at 1" or 2" depending on vase style
• Newspapers to cover tables
• 6 trays to put Papier-mâché at each table
• Storage bins to store art projects
• Name tags for students' balloons
• Art smocks
• Sketchbooks
• Pencils
• Tempera Paint
• Paint Brushes (various sizes)
• Greek Myths for Young Children by Heather Amory
• SMART Board, LCD Projector, laptop Computer, Internet
• Art History Books
• Ancient Greek books from school library
• Shapes of Greek Vases

WEB RESOURCES

Internet Sites for Black- and Red-Figured Greek Vases

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art
2. The British Museum
3. Images from the Toledo Museum of Art (scroll to the bottom of the page)
4. Birth of Athena on Black-Figured Vases
5. Late Black Figure Pottery
6. Hellenic Art
7. Greek Vase Shapes

STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURES

A detailed description of the procedure is available below.

SMART Board

• Utilize this SMART Board notebook during class"Do Now's", discussions, and for visuals.
• Greek Vessels Notebook
• Greek Vase.xbk
• Greek Vase.pdf

Week 1

• Classes will begin with a five to eight minute "Do Now". Students will sketch and discuss various types and shapes of Greek Vessels. "Do Nows" will be accessed by using a SMART Board, SMART Board Notebook, and the Internet. During the studio activity, the teacher will walk around making positive comments with constructive suggestions and helping students with their artwork.

Day 1

To assist in a class discussion on Greece and its Ancient Art, the teacher will utilize the SMART Board Notebook. Topics of discussion include:

• Where is Greece? (locate on the world map) Briefly discuss geography, climate, history, etc.
• We will be discussing art from Ancient Greece. What does the word "ancient" mean? What does the word "culture" mean? You have studied other ancient cultures – China and Egypt. Let’s make a timeline, place ancient Greece on the timeline and see what was going on with other cultures and their art at this time. (Students will utilize the SMART Board and place and draw a Greek Vase on a timeline, and compare it to other different high points such as the creation of the Great Wall of China, first Olympic Games, etc.)
• To discover a little of what the ancient Greeks admired, we are going to look at their art, and specifically for this lesson, their vase paintings. Explain how the only paintings that have survived these many years are paintings found on their pottery and vases.
Refer to the SMART Board Notebook on Greek Vases. Guide the students to make their own discoveries about the vases before providing background information. Have the students look at the shapes and physical characteristics of the vases and describe what they see. Define "motif" and explain how bands of motifs were used to decorate the vase. Refer to the SMART Board Notebook on examples of Greek motifs.
• What do you think was the purpose for these vases? What do you think the illustrated scenes portray in the middle of the vases? (easily understood, more prominent position.) At this point, provide the students with background information on the importance of Greek vases, as well as the myths they illustrated.
• Refer to the SMART Board Notebook on various shapes of vases and their function. Explain black- and red-figured vases. Which style is this vase? Many of the Greek vases illustrate a myth or events related to a belief in powerful gods/goddesses that interacted with human beings. Why do you think the Ancient Greeks believed in myths? (A way to understand many of the events in their natural world that they did not have answers for, etc.) Myths are fun for us today in that they involve supernatural beings with unusual powers.
• Studio Activity: Our studio activity will involve creating a three dimensional Greek vase using Papier-mâché. Read about Greek myths from books provided by the library, and decide on a scene from the myth to illustrate. You will be painting your three dimensional vase with the scene and bands of motifs. Students will discuss possible reasons for why the ancient Greeks believed in myths of powerful gods and goddesses. Students will select a Greek vase that they would like to recreate. Students will then draw their Greek vase shape.

Days 2-5

• Students will create the body of their three-dimensional structure by Papier-mâchéing over a balloon using newspaper clippings. The teacher should demonstrate to the students exactly how to Papier-mâché, making sure each clipping is overlapping the previous one. Overlapping the clippings will create a secure structure. A name tag will be required over the knot of the balloon in order to determine each student's project. The teacher should demonstrate how to attach the name tag. Students will need to apply ten to twelve layers of Papier-mâché clippings over their balloon in order for the structure to be sturdy enough to pop the balloon later on. A layer counts when the balloon has been completely covered once. Balloon structures must be dried thoroughly before popping them. The weekend would allow plenty of drying time. Students should put their balloons in a storage tray provided for each table at the end of the class period.

Week 2

• Classes will begin with a five to eight minute "Do Now" sketch and discussion on Greek Vases. "Do Now's" will be accessed by using a SMART Board, SMART Board Notebook, and the Internet. During the studio activity, the teacher walks around making positive comments with constructive suggestions and helping students with their artwork.

Day 1

• Students will sketch a design they would like to see painted on their three dimensional vase. Students will pop their balloons, and place their name tag into the hollowed out part of the balloon structure. The teacher should demonstrate with scissors how to cut below the knot of the balloon to release the air.
• Students will then add their cardboard tube base using masking tape. The teacher will demonstrate how to attach the base using masking tape. Students need to step away from their project when doing this in order to determine if the balloon is vertical, and not leaning to one side or the other. The students can help each other do this! Students can apply masking tape to the base and the balloon with eight 6" pieces of masking tape spaced equally apart. Students will then seam with masking tape horizontally where the base and the balloon meet together.

Day 2

• Students will make the opening of the vase wider using scissors. The teacher should demonstrate how to make the opening of the mouth larger. To determine the opening circumference, I demonstrate that you should be able to get a tennis ball through the mouth for an Oinochoe or Lekythos-style vase, a grapefruit for the Hydria, Amphora and Psykter-sytle vases, and a melon for the Kraters-style vase (see "Shapes of Greek Vases" handout above.
• Students will then enhance their mouth openings with aluminum foil. The teacher should demonstrate how to form the foil around the circular opening and tape it. Students will need to tape over the foil with eight 6" long pieces of masking tape spaced equally apart. Students should then seam again with masking tape horizontally where the foil and the balloon meet together.

Day 3

• Students will determine what type of handles they will need, and use aluminum foil to create them. The teacher will demonstrate how to form the handles and attach them to the vase using masking tape. Foil should be secured well with masking tape, using about eight 6" pieces of masking tape for each handle.

Days 4 and 5

• Students will Papier-mâché 2 layers over all aluminum foil and masking tape. The teacher should demonstrate how to Papier-mâché over the foil. Students should Papier-mâché the balloon area first and then do the handles and rim. The handles and rim are difficult to Papier-mâché, but it can be done easily by using long paper clippings. If the clippings are long enough, they will wrap over the foil and over themselves again.

Week 3

• Classes will begin with a five to eight minute"Do Now"sketching and studying the paintings on the Ancient Greek Vessels."Do Now's"will be accessed by using a SMART Board, SMART Board Notebook, and the Internet. During the studio activity, the teacher walks around making positive comments with constructive suggestions and helping students with their artwork.

Day 1

• Students will sketch their design that they created in their sketchbook onto their balloon/vase using a pencil.
• The teacher will approve the design and the student will trace over their designs with a permanent marker.

Days 2-4

• Students will cover their table with newspapers, and put on an art smock. Students will then get two different size paint brushes and a water cup. The teacher will pour the tempera paint into the students paint palette.
• Students will paint their designs using warm colors (yellow, orange, red, white) first and then cool colors (green, blue, purple, black). Mixing colors is permitted, under the supervision of the teacher. Students may need help getting the color they desire. Students can paint the gloss medium when their painting is dry.

Day 5

• Students will have 5-8 minutes for last minute paint touch ups.
• Students will complete a rubric/evaluation form.
• Students will then place all the vases on a table in the center of the room for a group critique.
• Students will then display their work as a group in the building.

Assessment/Rubric

• Students will complete a Papier-mâché Greek vase.

• Students will complete a rubric/self reflection form about their artwork using complete sentences.

• Students will participate in daily discussions about Greek Art using appropriate vocabulary words from the Elements of Art and Principles of Design.

• Students will present and explain their Greek vase during a class critique, and display their artwork in the building as a group.

• During the group critique, classmates will be encouraged to ask questions and make positive comments – (For Example...“I like...because...")

• ART PROJECT EVALUATION.doc

Vocabulary

Elements of Art and Principles of Design

• Line
• Shape
• Color
• Balance (Symmetrical, Asymmetrical)
• Pattern/Repetition

Terms Related to Greek Vessels

 

• Ancient - referring to a time long past, before the end of the Roman Empire, A.D. 476.

• Culture - referring to a group of people with common beliefs and habits usually carried over from one generation to the next.

• Admiration – honoring something held with great respect and wonder.

• Myth – legendary story usually concerned with supernatural creatures that relate to world creation or events occurring in nature.

• Amphora – a large clay vessel with two handles used for storing liquids.

• Motif – a design element used repeatedly.

• Black-figured vase – black paint (made of clay, ash and water) is used to paint figures and motifs over an earthenware pot. After firing the positive space is black and the background (negative space) is an orange/red color of the fired earthenware.

• Red-figured vase – the background, (negative space) is painted black and the figures and motifs (positive space) are not painted and remain an orange/red color after firing.

 

SMART Board

This instructional content was intended for use with a SMART Board. The .xbk file below can only be opened with SMART Notebook software. To download this free software from the SMART Technologies website, please click here.

• Greek Vessels Notebook
• Greek Vase.xbk
• Greek Vase.pdf

Author

Janet Coyle, Enlarged City School District of Middletown

Related Academic Standards

New York State

ARTS.VA.I.1.1.A Students produce a collection of art works, in a variety of mediums, based on a range of individual and collective experiences.

ARTS.VA.I.1.1.B Students know and use a variety of sources for developing and conveying ideas, images, themes, symbols, and events in their creation of art.

ARTS.VA.I.1.1.C Students use the elements and principles of art to communicate specific meanings to others in their art work.

ARTS.VA.I.1.1.D Students during the creative process, reflect on the effectiveness of selected mediums or techniques to convey intended meanings.

ARTS.VA.I.1.1.E Students identify and use, in individual and group experiences, some of the roles and means for designing, producing, and exhibiting art works and discuss ways to improve them.

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