SchoolArts - March 2007

the handout with the reproductions of the portraits. This facilitated analysis and discussion as they decided which written description corresponded to each picture.

Discussion

What is the purpose of a portrait? How did this particular artist represent the individual in this portrait? What does the style, the choice of colors, the use of light, etc., convey about this painting? What is your reaction? These were some of the questions that the students discussed about the portraits. Then I told them my plan to go to the school’s art studio for our hands-on project: painting a self-portrait in the style of one of the artists that we had studied.

I asked students to write a one-page composition (in Spanish) explaining which artist they were going to investigate and how they

were going to paint their self-portrait. I also asked them to bring a photograph they could use for inspiration. Our art teacher, as usual, was glad to give the students some tips about the use of watercolors, crayons, and other media.

By combining what we had learned in class with the personal nature of self-portraits, student learning became individualized and relevant to their experience.

Reflection

Once their portraits were finished, the class tried to identify the nineteen self-portraits featured in our class exhibit. Since I had tried to have the students work away from each other, it was the first time they saw their classmates’ work. Working in small groups, they wrote down who they thought the artist was, which painter each artist used as inspiration, and why they

thought that this was so.

Needless to say, this brought about some lively disagreements, insightful conversation, and that classroom laughter which brings a group together while making learning more engaging. In the end, as Erica pointed out, “this activity was fun and refreshing, bringing the material to life, as if I was living my artist’s life for a few hours.”