Tag Archives: Art History

Google Art Project

I’ve played with Google Art Project since its inception, but recent renovations make me very excited! If you’re unfamiliar with Google Art Project, it is an online “museum,” a repository of high resolution images and 3D gallery views of art collections from more than 40 countries and 151 collections. Here’s a brief video outlining how it works:

If you teach Art, Art History, or want to incorporate artworks into your classroom, it is a great free resource to explore collections from around the world. Students can even collect and curate their own works. They have several lesson plans and ideas in their education section.

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Best Online and Interactive International Museums

Very few educators can take their class, hope on an airplane, skirt through customs, and visit the Hague. Here is a brief list of great museums that have wonderful online exhibits that can help to bring the museum and its contents to your students. This list is hardly all inclusive, please add your own!!

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - The purpose of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial is to record the events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and to educate the populace about the horrors of nuclear warfare. The powerful museum has numerous online exhibits, videos, images, lesson plans, and more.

National Museum of Australia - One of the largest and most expansive museums in the world, the National Museum of Australia highlights the Natural Sciences, the Indigenous Peoples of Australia, and Art from around the world. Selected exhibits have interactive online components.

Anne Frank Museum - the online Anne Frank Museum includes documents in high resolution (including images), video, and a 3D tour of the apartment that housed the Frank house in Amsterdam.

The Uffizi Museum - The Digital Archives of the Uffizi museum are hosted online (not all works have been digitized, new pieces added regularly). This is an excellent tool to help students and educators explore the amazing art housed at this museum.

Rijksmuseum - The art from this Dutch museum has been catalogued, digitized, and put online. Each is accompanied with detailed history and, in some cases, external links and information. A wonderful site to explore.

British Museum - The British Museum is one of the largest and most expansive in the world. Selected exhibits are online.

The Hermitage Museum - The museum has a virtual tour of the museum online! You can now walk through the galleries (with 3D imagery) and examine individual works in their selected spaces.

The Louvre - The louvre also has virtual tours of the museum galleries. Walk through the halls and enjoy the art individually or as a collective whole.

San Francisco 49er Vern Davis is Art Gallery Owner

SuperBowl_GameCenter_300x250Super Bowl XLVII is this weekend and features my team, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Baltimore Ravens. Go Niners! On a note related to my blog, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis has recently added a new position to his resume: Gallery Owner. He recently opened a gallery in San Jose called Gallery 85. The gallery will feature Davis’ own art as well as pieces from new artists. While I’m not sure of Davis’ artistic skills, this is one Niner girl that will support it nonetheless.

To learn more about the gallery, see the article at the LA Times.

Eye Level: The Civil War and American Art: “The Alphabet is An Abolitionist”

Not long after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on the first day of 1863, artist Eastman Johnson composed the small painting shown here. EntitledThe Lord Is My Shepherd, it portrays a young black man reading the Bible intently. He may well be a former slave, and reading scripture could… 

Eye Level: The Civil War and American Art: “The Alphabet is An Abolitionist”.

Should the Bamiyan Buddhas be Rebuilt?

The Buddha’s before and after their destruction (courtesy of Wikipedia).

The Buddhas of Bamiyan were monumental sculptures that stood in Afghanistan for 1,500 years. In March of 2001, the Taliban of Afghanistan succeeded in their efforts to destroy the statues in spite of wide spread protest. The Taliban government used the Islamic ban on images as justification for the extirpation of the monuments. The Times quoted Mullah Mohammed Omar as stating, ”Muslims should be proud of smashing idols. It has given praise to God that we have destroyed them.”

Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2003, archaeologists and art historians have surveyed the rubble of the Buddha’s to determine whether or not they could be repaired or reconstructed. The overall consensus was that the damage was too thorough and pervasive to allow effective reconstruction. However, a small group – most notably the German International Council on Monuments and Sites – have continued to argue and push for the statues to be rebuilt.

The decision remains controversial and likely will be debated for decades. To read more about the debate, see the article at BBC News.

Six Sites for Primary Source Materials

It is officially August and most educators are beginning to feel the pressure that is the beginning of school. As we start to look at rosters and enrollment, we start to pull out and revamp old lesson plans and search for new material. As a History Teacher (with a background in archaeology) I understand the relevance and importance of primary sources in the classroom. Primary sources are not solely essays or primary works, but art, photographs, and other avenues of popular culture.

Finding primary source documents on the web can sometimes be a bit of a scavenger hunt. I know that I have spent hours scouring the web for good translations, excerpted texts, or relevant materials. Additionally, incorporating primary source texts can be a challenge with high school children. My youngest kids are ninth graders and often, when I distribute an original text, it is the first time they have seen a document of this type. Additionally, as much as we educators do not like to admit, sometimes it is a challenge for us to come up with ideas and activities to effectively incorporate this material into our classrooms. How do we make this interesting? How do we make this comprehensible? How do we make this relevant? Bringing in an original work and simply tossing it into a classroom environment is a sure-fire method for failure – students will often be confused, bored, and overwhelmed. Teaching with primary sources requires preparation and method.

In this article, I am focusing on six websites that focus on providing primary sources for educators and students. These sites are all excellent resources for educators in the Social Studies with a broad range of topics: American History, World History, World Religions, Language, Literature, Art, and Politics. There are many more amazing resources out there and I encourage you to add yours as well! So, here are my favorite five (presented in no particular order):

1. Milestone Documents  (Subscribe to their Facebook and Twitter feeds (all free) for regular highlights of documents in their catalogue as well as lesson plan ideas.)

  • Cost: $106.20 for an annual subscription
  • Ages: High School and College  (the material is too sophisticated for elementary and middle school).
  • Subject(s): History
  • Geographic Focus: Milestone focuses heavily on American History, but includes a solid library of texts for all of World History (Ancient, Western, African, and Asian).
  • Additional Subject Focus: In addition to organizing the material by date and region, Milestone has sections of Social History including politics (heavily focused on American political history), religion, and women.
  • Material Types: Text-based documents
  • Navigation: The content area is easy to navigate and great for “browsing.” The search feature is excellent for when you know exactly what you need.
  • Teacher Resources: lesson plans, rubrics, and assessment material.
  • Web 2.0 Focus: Many of the lesson plans incorporate Web 2.0 elements – Google Maps, Mind Mapping, etc.

What sets Milestone apart from the free resources listed below is that each document is predicated with a succinct contextual/historical statement. Students and educators are provided with a solid background for the text. Most works are also followed up with a critical analysis essay as well as provocative questions. Milestone is an excellent investment for teachers and students alike.

2. EDSITEment - Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities,

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: K-12
  • Subject(s): Art & Culture, Foreign Language, History & Social Studies, as well as Literature & Language Arts.
  • Geographic Focus: World
  • Additional Subjects: Current event topics, social history, politics, religion, popular culture, and more. There are many sub-categories that merit exploration.
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, maps, etc.
  • Navigation: Easy to browse and explore content areas.
  • Teacher Resources: Educator’s using this resource can readily access a multitude of innovative lesson plans, activities, assessment materials, alignment with Common Core Standards, worksheets, and listings for additional materials and resources.
  • Web 2.0: Many lesson plans incorporate Web 2.0 elements

3. Smithsonian Education - Sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: K-12
  • Subject(s): Art & Design, Science & Technology, History & Culture, Language Arts
  • Geographic Focus: World (US History most thorough)
  • Additional Subjects: Current event topics, social history, art history
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, audio recordings, maps, etc.
  • Navigation: Easy to browse and explore content areas.
  • Teacher Resources: Educator’s using this resource can readily access a multitude of innovative lesson plans, activities, assessment materials, alignment with Common Core Standards, worksheets, and listings for additional materials and resources.
  • Web 2.0: Many lesson plans incorporate Web 2.0 elements

4. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

  • Cost: Free for Educators and Students (private citizens pay per use), must register for access to materials. Gilder Lehrman encourages schools to register as Affiliated Schools (numerous benefits and access to more resources)
  • Ages: K-12, College, Graduate
  • Subjects: American History
  • Geographic Focus: The United States of America
  • Additional Subjects: Social History, Politics, Civil Rights
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, audio recordings, maps, video, interviews, etc.
  • Navigation: Easy to browse and explore content
  • Teacher Resources: some lesson plans and ideas, collaborative weblog, sponsored Teacher Seminars
  • Web 2.0: very little web 2.0 focus.

5. The Library of Congress

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: K-12, College, Graduate
  • Subjects: History
  • Geographic Focus: Heavily focused on the Americas (national and regional histories), limited resources for World History
  • Additional Subjects: Folklore, local histories, veteran history, literature
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material, audio recordings, maps, video, interviews, etc.
  • Navigation: Tricky to browse and search, requires adaptability
  • Teacher Resources: Some sections have extensive teachers resources in the form of lesson plans and activities, others are more spartan in their construct. LOC offers grants for professional development.
  • Web 2.0: Some sections readily incorporate web 2.0 activities, others are more limited and traditional.

6. Perseus Digital Library - Sponsored by Tufts University

  • Cost: Free
  • Ages: 9-12, College, Graduate
  • Subject: History, Art History, Archaeology
  • Geographic Focus: Heavily focused on Greco-Roman (founded as a Classical Library it contains all Latin & Greek works), Arabic, Germanic, 19th century America, Renaissance Europe, Egyptian Papyri
  • Additional Subjects: Humanism, Literature
  • Material Types: Text-based documents, visual material; the Art & Archaeology Artifact Browser provides High Definition images of thousands of artifacts.
  • Navigation: Tricky to browse, excellent search capabilities. This is an fabulous tool so long as you know what you are looking for.
  • Teacher Resources: No lesson plans or activities, purely material resources.
  • Web 2.0: No web 2.0 incorporation.

As you can see, there are numerous and extensive resources readily available to educators. The six that I highlighted are a good start, but hardly an all encompassing list. If you have suggestions or additions, please add them here! In the meantime, get browsing for some great material and lesson plan ideas!

A Don’s Life: A closer look at the Tyrant Slayers

This month, Mary Beard focused her blog (A Don’s Life) on the Tyrant slayers, Harmodius and Aristogeiton. The two Tyrannicides (τυραννοκτόνοι) gained popularity and fame in Ancient Athens for slaying the Peisistratan Tyrant Hipparchus. His brother Hippias would flee to Persia, attempting to drum up support to return to rule from the Achaemenid rulers of the Persian Dynasty. This event was the first in a series that would lead to the Persian invasion of Greece.

Mary Beard’s article investigates not only the ill-fated history of the two brothers (who would ultimately end up dead after their incomplete attempt to overthrown the standing regime) as well as the interesting, art-historical timeline of how the men are displayed. They have long been heralded (with much fancy and historical reinvention) as political heroes – democratic leaders, martyrs, and idealistic political savants. Their physical image has been manipulated over the centuries as much as their historical one. To read more about this tale, see the article by Mary Bard: “A Don’s Life: A closer look at the tyrant slayers“).

AP Art History – Blogging in the Classroom (an Update)

A few months ago, I posted an article “Using Blogs in Class – AP Art History.” I felt that it was time for a quick update to the project. As with any lesson plan, I’ve modified it over the course of the year. I still find it to be one of the most effective exercises for my students. A quick review, the students are required to choose one image from the most recent chapters we’ve covered (usually they choose from 2-3 chapter sections). No two students may do the same project – the first one to post to the blog has ‘legitimate claim,’ thus they have to check online to see what’s happening. Here are the formal written instructions (changes in bold):

Instructions: Select one image from either Chapter x, y, or z (only one student may do each image, first call first serve).

Written Portion:

  • On the Class Blog Write the Title of the Work, Artist, and Date
  • Write a brief physical description of the image
  • Write a brief description of the image’s historical and social context
  • Minimum 100 words
  • Spelling & Grammar Count
  • Include a brief Works Cited at the end (MLA format), you should include at least 2 sources (including your textbook)
  • Be sure to put your name in the Tag

Oral Portion:

  • One Power Point Slide
  • Include a copy of the image
  • Include the Title of the Work, Artist, and Date
  • Indicate five principles of design, at least three most from the assigned chapter reading.
  • Prepare a two minute (minimum) discussion of the piece, its significance, and its history (this information should not be written on the slide).
  • Save the PowerPoint in DropBox at TVS Art History Share –> Student Projects –> Project 2.Last Name.ppt

As you can see, the biggest changes that I have made are requiring that they use five principals of design (not just three) and that three of those most come from the chapter, to reemphasize new vocabulary. Now, it’s Spring Semester so some of my Senior have gotten a bit of “Senioritis” but overall, they’re still putting forward some great work. Again, I reemphasize the usefulness of DropBox as a tool here for the students to all store and have access to the work – when the AP test rolls around, I hope that they will use these slides as a set of ‘flash-cards’. Here is what their shared folder looks like:

They also have the opportunity to meaningfully comment on another students work to earn a few extra credit points. Here are some examples of their latest work:

Did Leonardo da Vinci Copy his “Vitruvian Man?”

Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is one of his most recognized and admired works. However, new evidence suggests that it was not the artist’s original work. Architectural historian Claudio Sgabari believes that the piece may have been copied from Leonardo’s friend and contemporary Giacamo Andrea de Ferrera.

In Leonardo’s writings, he mentions “Giacomo Andrea’s Vitruvius” — seemingly a direct reference to the illustrated Ferrara manuscript. Secondly, Leonardo had dinner with Giacomo Andrea in July 1490, the year in which both men are thought to have drawn their Vitruvian men. Experts believe Leonardo would have probed Giacomo Andrea’s knowledge of Vitruvius when they met. And though both drawings interpret Vitruvius’ words similarly, Leonardo’s is perfectly executed, while Giacomo Andrea’s is full of false starts and revisions, none of which would have been necessary if he had simply copied Leonardo’s depiction, rather than the other way around. (Scientific American)

Other Art Historians agree with the argument and believe that the origins of the Vitruvian man may be more involved and intricate than previously believed. To read about this story in more detail, see the article in Scientific America, MSNBC, and FoxNews.

AP Art History Students Enjoy their Thanks from Google

A couple months ago, I took my AP Art History students on a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nasher Sculpture Center. I decided to employ a bit of an experiment with them using Google Goggles - just to play around with the program and explore its potential for application in the classroom. I posted it in a blog post: “Field Trip Experiment – Kids Using Google Goggles at the Museum.”

That post was picked up by Google and I was contacted by their development team who was interested in how we applied this and where we saw it going. It was a great experience to talk with them. As a thank you, Google sent us some shwag to enjoy.