Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890) The Old Mill, 1888 Oil on canvas, 25 1/2 x 211/4" Bequest of A. Conger Goodyear, 1966

LESSON PLAN: SEEING FEELINGS

INTRODUCTION

Before beginning the lesson plan with your students, please be sure to read it all the way through. The plan was written for elementary grades 3 - 6; however, it can easily be adapted for older students. Suggestions for middle and high school adaptation can be found after critique.

SUPPLIES

• overhead projector
• paper and pencils (for writing and sketching)
• markers (paint for older students if you would like)
• pieces of colored construction paper
• access to a copy machine

BEFORE BEGINNING

PART 1: Drawing Preparation

• Have each child draw in PENCIL his or her own composition that consists of the following: a tree, the ground, a cloud, a building, and an animal.
• Photocopy the drawings so that each child has two identical copies. (If you do not have access to a copy machine, ask them to draw as exact a replica as possible.)

PART 2: Discussion of Color, Line, and Expression

• Hold up the various colors of construction paper. Ask students how each color makes them feel and why, if they can. (It is ESSENTIAL to remember that ALL answers are correct, since this is a subjective exercise.)
• Ask students to come up to the blackboard and draw lines that express various emotions: happy lines, scared lines, angry lines, etc. It is important that they draw more than one line in each case, in order to prepare them for using their markers as paintbrushes in upcoming exercises.

LOOKING AT VAN GOGH’S THE OLD MILL

• Using the background information as a guide, lead students through van Gogh’s use of color and brushstroke.
• Ask students to look at van Gogh’s colors and try to figure out how he felt about the scene.
• Have them look at certain areas and determine how the brushstrokes were applied. Ask them to copy the brushstrokes of the following areas on a blank piece of paper with markers (tell them to pay attention to both the placement and width of the marks):
• the purple fence at the left center
• the trees behind the fence
• the stream at the bottom of the painting
• the green sky

SEEING AND FEELING

PART I: DESCRIPTIVE COLOR — SEEING

• Have the children, on another piece of paper, list the objects in their drawing.
• Next, ask them to write down one or two colors for each object that are descriptive (colors that the objects are in real life).
• Have them use markers to color their drawings based on their list. Encourage them to use their markers like paintbrushes, making a variety of types of marks (as they learned in the previous activity).

PART II: SUBJECTIVE COLOR — FEELING

• Assign each child a mood, making sure to include a variety: e.g. happy, sad, frightened, excited, bored, confused, worried, thoughtful, etc. Tell each student to keep their assigned mood A SECRET!
• Have the students copy their list of objects.
• Ask them to write down one or two colors for each object that match their assigned mood (these colors should NOT be descriptive).
• Have them use markers to color in their drawings based on the list, as above. Remind them that the types of marks they make can also help to express their mood.

PART III: CRITIQUE

• Collect the mood drawings and display them for the class.
• Have students guess which mood each drawing represents and put them into categories (all the happy together, etc.). Discuss similarities and differences in how each category was interpreted. (Are there paintings that look different even though they represent the same mood? Are there paintings that look the same that represent different moods? etc.)
• Collect the descriptive drawings and compare them to the subjective ones.

ADAPTATION SUGGESTIONS FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:

• Substitute paint and brushes for markers.
• Allow students to draw any type of scene they choose.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS

In February, 1888 Vincent van Gogh (vin-sent van go) left the cold, gray winter of Paris and moved to the town of Arles, in southern France. The colors and light of the south were an inspiration to him, and van Gogh created more than two hundred paintings in fifteen months. Although this work is called The Old Mill, it had most likely by that time been converted into a farmhouse. The farms and fertile fields of the area can be seen in the background, as well as the Arpilles mountains north of Arles, and a pale green sky. In the foreground, a man and a woman stop to talk near the quick-flowing stream.

Van Gogh’s major contribution to the history of modern art was his use of color. He was one of the first artists to free color from a merely descriptive function; that is, objects did not have to be reproduced on canvas in their natural colors. Van Gogh had specific and well thought out theories of painting, which were clearly articulated in hundreds of letters to his brother and friends. He wanted to represent emotions through the use of color, line, texture, and light — how he felt about a particular scene or subject. This painting represents his joy in the colors, beauty, light, and warmth of the south.

Van Gogh was often criticized for working too quickly. However, a closer look at The Old Mill will reveal the care with which the brushstrokes were applied. He used various types of brushstrokes for different parts of the landscape: for example, short directional ones for the foliage; long, vertical ones for the purple fence posts; and smooth, curved strokes for the sky. Van Gogh wrote that he thought about each painting at length in advance, thus could work quickly when he finally began to paint. For this reason, he said, "when anyone says that such and such is done too quickly…they have looked at it too quickly."

There are many misconceptions about Vincent van Gogh. He is often viewed as a tragic hero whose genius was cut down prematurely by his suicide at age thirty-seven. There is no doubt that he suffered from some sort of illness that caused periods of irrational behavior, especially late in his life. Although no one will ever know with certainty, the most widely accepted theory is that he suffered from some form of epilepsy, perhaps compounded by digitalis poisoning, glaucoma, over-consumption of absinthe, or syphilis. When suffering from an attack, van Gogh could not paint, although work done during his periods of lucidity often reflect his suffering. It is important to remember, however, that many of his paintings — including The Old Mill —represent joy rather than suffering.

Seeing Feelings was written by Nancy Spector and Mariann Smith and made possible, in part, through the generous support of the Cameron Baird Foundation, sponsor of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery’s Looking and Learning program.