About Working on the Work The WOW Refrigerator

Key Concepts for Learning:

• Biography of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh and his expressionistic painting style.
• Definition of and components of a landscape painting.
• Painting techniques which included mixing, brush control, balancing colors, etc.

Lesson Design:

This was a fourth grade painting project. We began with a discussion of the life of Vincent van Gogh. We divided into small groups to discuss and identify specific components of his landscape paintings, such as the horizon line and perspective through size differences. We then sketched our own landscape, remembering to include foreground, middle ground and background. We painted with tempera point and stressed painting the largest areas first. We continued to paint and progressively added details with smaller brushes. We completed our works after we received critiques from three classmates.

Student Quotes:

"I think that Van Gogh painted his moods. You can see it with his colors and lines."

"I wonder if he ever knew how famous he would become."

"My painting doesn't look like his, but I felt like him when I painted it. My hand moved fast across the sky and now it looks like a storm."