Van Gogh art lesson by Kellly Jean Sullivan

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Vincent Van Gogh (born 1853, died 1890) is probably one of the most well known and influential artists of the 19th century. The son of a Dutch pastor, the young Van Gogh worked for picture dealers along with his brother Theo.

supplies

copy of starry night

• white painting paper
• tempera or acrylic paints (or oil pastels)
• brushes (large and small)
• water containers
• procedures

1. Start this lesson by looking at Starry Night.
2. Ask your students to describe the painting and its main ideas.
3. Focus on the wind. Ask your students how Van Gogh used brush strokes to make the wind (swirls etc.)
4.  Point out that the swirls are made with small brush strokes and many different shades of blue.
5. Then move to a demonstration of how to paint like Van Gogh.
6. On the top 2/3 of the paper paint swirly shapes.
7.  Emphasize allowing the paint to mix on the paper, Van Gogh did that.
8. End the sky by adding small brush strokes over the larger swirls. This gives the impression of many small strokes.
9. To close your lesson,
10. ask the students to identify the same skills (small strokes, swirls, mixing colors) in one of the other prints.