Artists are often particularly keen observers and precise recorders of the physical conditions of the natural world. As a result, paintings can be good resources for learning about ecology. Teachers can use this lesson to examine with students the interrelationship of geography, natural resources, and climate and their effects on daily life. It also addresses the roles students can take in caring for the environment. Students will look at paintings that represent cool temperate, warm temperate, and tropical climates.
In this lesson students will: Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards; Identify natural resources found in particular geographic areas; Discuss ways in which climate, natural resources, and geography affect daily life; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in their representations of the natural world; Make personal connections to the theme by discussing ways they can be environmental stewards.

The visual narratives and abstractions of this preeminent African American artist explore the places where he lived and worked: the rural South, Pittsburgh, Harlem, and the Caribbean. Bearden's central themes: religion, jazz and blues, history, literature, and the realities of black life he endured throughout his remarkable career in watercolors, oils, and especially collages and photomontages from the 1940s through the 1980s.

In these lessons students will explore the paintings of Horace Pippin and Wayne Thiebaud and the mobiles of Alexander Calder to discover and practice math and visual art concepts. Background and biographical information about the work of art and artist, guided looking with class discussion, and activities with worksheets using mathematical formulas and studio art provide the framework for each lesson.

This video "Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909Đ1929: When Art Danced with Music" celebrates one of the most dazzling cultural enterprises of the twentieth century. The Ballets Russes, established in 1909 by the indefatigable impresario Serge Diaghilev, revolutionized the art of ballet. Combining Russian and Western traditions with a healthy dose of modernism, the company thrilled and shocked audiences with its powerful fusion of choreography, music, design and dance. Though it was based in Paris, the company toured throughout Europe, the United States and South America. Its influence continues to be felt today. A 28-minute video is available to watch online. A 58-minute version is available to borrow.

This program surveys two centuries of art and culture in the city now known as Tokyo. Ceramics, screens, textiles, prints, paintings, and armor are among the materials discussed.

The goal of this unit is to introduce students to the basic elements of art (color, line, shape, form, and texture) and to show students how artists use these elements in different ways in their work. In the unit, students will answer questions as they look carefully at paintings and sculpture to identify the elements and analyze how they are used by different artists.

This 30 minute video looks at artist George Bellows. Arriving in New York in 1904, George Bellows depicted America on the move. In a 20-year career cut short by his untimely death at age 42, he painted the rapidly growing city of New York, its bustling crowds, skyscrapers, and awe-inspiring construction projects, as well as its bruising boxers, street urchins, and citizens hard at work or enjoying their leisure. He also captured the rugged beauty of New York's rivers and the grandeur of coastal Maine and addressed the social and political issues of the day. This documentary includes original footage shot in New York City and Maine; examples of Bellows' paintings, drawings, and prints; and archival footage and photographs.

Mythology is a powerful vehicle for teaching students about symbols and the ways people have sought to explain their relationships to nature and to each other. Teachers can use these lessons and works of art to introduce or examine the role of myths in explaining human customs, mysteries about nature, or the reasons why things exist in the world. Lessons include: Pandora's Box; Apollo Pursuing Daphne; Diana and Endymion; The Fall of Phaeton; and The Corinthian Maid.

Teachers can use this lesson to introduce or examine in depth the concept of heroism through discussions of heroic actions and character.Students will look at images of military, religious, political, and everyday heroes and heroines and discuss their lives and the effects of their deeds. For the purposes of this lesson, heroes are defined as figures who have great strength and ability and are admired for their achievements. They may risk or sacrifice their lives for others or may be noted for special achievement in a particular field.
In this lesson students will: Identify character traits of heroes and heroines; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists have made in depicting heroes; Make personal connections to the theme by identifying heroes and heroines in their own lives.

In this packet we look at works that span nearly a thousand yearsäóîfrom shortly after the foundation of Islam in the seventh century to the seventeenth century when the last two great Islamic empiresäóîthe Ottoman and the Safavidäóîhad reached their peak. Although the definition of Islamic art usually includes work made in Mughal India, it is beyond the scope of this packet. The works we will look at here come from as far west as Spain and as far east as Afghanistan.

This 19-minute video looks at artist Joan Miro. Celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, Joan Miró— developed a visual language that reflected his vision and energy in a variety of styles across many media. This film examines the impact on Miró's career, of the Spanish Civil War, the fascism of the Franco regime, and the events of World War II, as well as Miró's sense of Spanish - specifically Catalan - identity. (The full 30-minute video is available to borrow).

Do art and math have anything in common? How do artists and architects use math to create their works? In these lessons, students will explore the intersection of math and art in the works of two artists and one architect for whom mathematical concepts (lines, angles, two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional polyhedra, fractions, ratios, and permutations) and geometric forms were fundamental.

In the United States, the nineteenth century was a time of tremendous growth and change. The new nation experienced a shift from a farming economy to an industrial one, major westward expansion, displacement of native peoples, rapid advances in technology and transportation, and a civil war. In this lesson, works of art from the nineteenth century are paired with written documents, including literary selections, a letter, and a speech. As budding historians, students can use these primary sources from the nineteenth century to reconstruct the influence of technology, geography, economics, and politics on daily life.
In this lesson students will: Learn about daily life in the United States in the 1800s through visual art and literature; Understand some of the ways in which nineteenth-century life was affected by technology, geography, economics, and politics; Apply critical-thinking skills to consider the various choices artists and writers have made in depicting daily life around them; Make personal connections to the nineteenth century by placing themselves in the contexts of works of art and readings.

This teaching packet examines the art and culture of one of the world's greatest periods of creativity. The sheer volume—and outstanding quality—of the paintings produced can scarcely be paralleled. An overview book provides background about the founding of the Dutch Republic and how art came to occupy an important place in the lives of its people. Chapters explore painting genres like landscape, still life, and portraiture through the work of artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Frans Hals. The related classroom guide offers activities and discussion questions organized around themes that touch on a variety of curricular subjects, connections to contemporary art, life, and more.

Intended for middle, high school, and early college classes, this learning resource takes a multifaceted look at 19th-century painting in France, as well as at the culture that produced and is reflected by that art. Organized by region, it provides a quick glance at the setting, history, and cultural life of Paris, the ële-de-France, the mountain areas of Franche-ComtŽ and Auvergne, Normandy, Brittany, and Provence as well as in-depth examinations of more than 50 works of art. The packetŐs classroom guide includes activities that bring the music, literature, politics, cuisine, and artistic strategies of 19th-century France to life. Recommended for social studies, history, French language, and art curricula.

Students will consider the term "conceptual art" and the role of math (geometry, fractions, permutations) in producing this art. They will first create a conceptual art piece by following a set of Sol LeWitt’s instructions. Then, they will design two conceptual art plans using math concepts—one in two-dimensions, another in three—for a student-partner to follow.

Though not under an open license, this resource is available for free online and educational, non-commercial use is permitted.

Image: Four-Sided Pyramid by Sol LeWitt | National Gallery of Art

This teaching packet discusses artistic movements of the late 20th century, including abstract expressionism, pop art, minimalism, conceptualism, process art, neo-expressionism, and postmodernism, with attention to their critical reception and theoretical bases. The packet considers works by 27 painters and sculptors including Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, David Smith, Martin Puryear, Anselm Kiefer, Susan Rothenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein (see full list below).

Designed to help middle school students begin to answer the important question: "Who Am I?", these lessons use self-portraits from the National Gallery of Art's collection to inspire students to create their own self-portraits, poems, speeches, and letters. Artists studied in these lesson plans include Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Judith Leyster, David Alfaro Siqueiros, and Andy Warhol.