Lesson 1 - Art Flash Card Lessons - the online version.

Back in the day I used to teach art history to grades k-8.

Each week we would add a new Master Artist to our list to study.

I would show an image of one of their paintings, say the name of the painting, the name of the artist and then have the students repeat it back to me.

We would discuss the key features of that artist's style. At each class we would run through the list of flash cards, saying together aloud the artists name and the name of the piece. At the end of which time we would add a new artist "Flash Card" and discuss his/her work.  Usually after a brief talk about the artist, the class challenge would be select one of their painting or sculptures and try to reproduce it. I usually gave them a selection of three choices from that artist.

By the end of each school year, each student was able to accurately identify 80 masterworks and the artist who created them.

My daughter recently mentioned that, while she was quarantining, she would like to revisit these
"Art Cards" and refresh her memory.  Well they are buried in a rubbermaid tote in my garage right now, and I can't go hunt for them, but I figured I could recreate for her, an online version.

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So today, being DAY 1 we will start with : Edgar Degas

"Waiting"

"Dress Rehearsal On Stage"

"Blue Dancers"

"Absinthe Drinker"

Edgar Degas: 
He is most known for his paintings of Ballerinas, although there are other subjects he painted such hunting, opera scenes (he was a HUGE opera fan) and other scenes from daily life.
But mostly Ballerinas.

Please Read his bio found here - Edgar Degas

So for practice what we do is look at each picture.  Each time you do, say aloud:

"Edgar Degas

He Painted Ballerinas"

For older students who have supplies on hand, you may wish to attempt to reproduce one of his images.  If you have no paint supplies, you may wish to simply sketch this image.

What is most important in reproducing master works is not that you create an exact replica, but do your best at truly seeing what is happening, and where on the page things are happening, and practice training your eye to see.

It is impossible to recreate exactly.  In the same way the everyone has different writing styles / penmanship, so it is with art.  Next week we will examine this very thing between two famous friends: Claude Monet and his good friend Pierre August Renoir.