Lesson Title:

Historical and Cultural Context

 

Lesson Goal and Description:

Students will be introduced to the life and work of Louise Bourgeois. First, the teacher will present biographical information about Louise Bourgeois and information about the artist style and particular movements her work is associated with. Students will participate in discussions regarding information reviewed. Next, students will read an article about Bourgeois and watch two documentary shorts featuring the artists. Finally, students will create an “identity statement,” utilizing presented information, personal reflections and materials used by Louise Bourgeois.

 

Grade Level:

High School-AP

 

Time Frame:

3-2-hour class periods

 

Focus Artwork:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Objectives/Students Learning Outcomes:

• Students will be able to identify works of art associated with Louise Bourgeois.

• Students will be able to recognize works of art associated with specific Art Movements, such as Expressionism, Feminism and Installation.

• Students will become familiar with the vocabulary and term associated with specific Art Movements

• Students will be able to critique works of art based on aesthetic value and continue to develop their own personal opinions on art.

• Student will become comfortable with their inner voice through a collaboration of text and fiber, and expand their skill set with sewing techniques.

 

Instructional Resources:

• Slideshow: Louise Bourgeois

• Videos: Art:21 Louise Bourgeois and Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, the mistress and the Tangerine

• Article: Louise Bourgeois, Influential Sculptor, dies at 98 (By Holland Cotter, The New York Times, May 31, 2010).

• Worksheet: Louise Bourgeois

• Computer

• Smartboard

 

Procedures:

DAY 1

Anticipatory Set

• Teacher opens dialogue concerning issues of identity and art. Teacher asks students to give examples of artwork other than realistic self-portraits that are known to be or may be self- portraits. Teacher asks class to consider the importance of gender in art and to evaluate their opinions of text being used as a focal point in works of art.

Direct Instruction

• Teacher provides class with the details of the assignment and an overview of the expectations for the assignment.

• Teacher provides examples of what is expected from “identity statement.” Statement must be relevant to personal identity and speak to a specific purpose.

   Example: “I walk, I run, I ran, I repeat.”

• Teacher presents slideshow and highlights key information, teacher also pauses throughout presentation to allow for class discussion.

• Teacher familiarizes students with the materials to be used for the assignment, (pencil, thread and fabric).

• Teacher provides the students with an example of a finished project.

Guided Practice

• Teacher demonstrates sewing technique to the class.

• Teacher review safety precautions when using needles.

• Teacher models the steps for the project to be completed

Independent Practice

• Students will be provided with scape fabric and begin to practice sewing following pencil drawn words.

• Students will begin to brainstorm the “identity statement” they wish to make.

 

DAY 2

Direct Instruction

• Teacher presents students with two documentary shorts on the life and work of Louise Bourgeois.

• Teacher provides students with a worksheet on Louise Bourgeois to be completed for homework.

Guided Practice

• Teacher observes students’ progress and assists in guiding students with questions or concerns.

Independent Practice

• Students work independently and begin to mock up their design for the project. Student will choose fabric, layout text and decide on thread color for the assignment.

• Students will finalize text and design concept.

 

DAY 3

Independent Practice

• Students will work to complete their sewing assignment.

Closure

• Teacher reviews the work of Louise Bourgeois and the ideas expressed through her work.

• Students reflect on the artist, work and assignment through discussion

• Teacher collects student’s projects and worksheets.

 

Accommodations and or/Modifications:

English Language Learner: will be provided with digital files of the assignment, vocabulary and article so that it may be ran through translation software.

 

Visual or Hearing Impaired: during the slideshow and video presentations, students will be given seating in the front of the class. Closed captioning and subtitles will be enabled for the video portions of the presentation. Students will visual impairments will also be given a large print version of the article.

 

Fine Motor skills: students who struggle with fine motor skills will be given alternative materials to complete the assignment. In place of sewing, these students will be provided with fabric pens to write their text in color.

 

Multiple Intelligences:

Interpersonal: addressed through class discussions during presentations.

 

Intrapersonal: addressed through student’s own reflections on identity and through the worksheet assignment, where students will have an opportunity to voice their personal views.

 

Vocabulary:      

• Cubism: Cubism was developed by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque between 1907-1911, and it continued to be highly influential long after its decline. This classic phase has two stages: 'Analytic', in which forms seem to be 'analyzed' and fragmented; and 'Synthetic', in which pre-existing materials such as newspaper and wood veneer are collaged to the surface of the canvas.

• Impressionism: A movement in painting that first surfaced in France in the 1860s, it sought new ways to describe effects of light and movement, often using rich colors. The Impressionists were drawn to modern life and often painted the city, but they also captured landscapes and scenes of middle-class leisure-taking in the suburbs.

• Expressionism: Expressionism is a broad term for a host of movements in early twentieth-century Germany and beyond, from Die Brücke (1905) and Der Blaue Reiter (1911) to the early Neue Sachlichkeit painters in the 1920s and '30s. Many Expressionists used vivid colors and abstracted forms to create spiritually or psychologically intense works, while others focused on depictions of war, alienation, and the modern city.

• Surrealism: Perhaps the most influential avant-garde movement of the century, Surrealism was founded in Paris in 1924 by a small group of writers and artists who sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination. Much influenced by Freud, they believed that the conscious mind repressed the power of the imagination. Influenced also by Marx, they hoped that the psyche had the power to reveal the contradictions in the everyday world and spur on revolution.

• Feminist Art: Feminist art emerged in the 1960s and '70s to explore questions of sex, power, the body, and the ways in which gender categories structure how we see and understand the world. Developing at the same time as many new media strategies, feminist art frequently involves text, installation, and performance elements.

• Installation Art: Installation art is a genre of contemporary art-making in which two- and three-dimensional materials are used to transform a particular site. Installations may include sculptural, found, sound-based, and performance elements, and can be permanent or ephemeral.

 

Criteria for Assessment:

Did Students:

• Summarize the life and works of Louise Bourgeois, were they able to formulate and support their opinions.

• Distinguish and associate different Art Movements.

• Application, were students able to apply the themes of identity and voice into their work, were they able to thoughtfully consider the components of design.

• Ethic, were students willing to be involved in class discussions and utilize time management for assignments.

 

Method of Assessment:

Teacher will check for students understanding of material through class discussions and worksheet assignment. Teacher will monitor students’ progress throughout the design process. Student’s final work will be evaluated based on the students understanding of theme, design, knowledge of materials and craftsmanship.

 

California Visual Arts Standards:

Historical and Cultural Context

 

• 3.1 Identify contemporary styles and discuss the diverse social, economic, and political developments reflected in the works of art examined.

• 3.2 Identify contemporary artists worldwide who have achieved regional, national, or international recognition and discuss ways in which their work reflects, plays a role in, and influences present-day culture.

 

Worksheet: Louise Bourgeois      

 

Choose a work by Louise Bourgeois presented during the presentation and compare it to an artistic Movement discussed. Which Movement is the work most identifiable with?

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

                                                                                                                                                           

Louis Bourgeois said, “Art is a guarantee of sanity.” What do you think she meant by this? Do you agree or disagree with the statement?

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

                                                                                                       Through the use of abstract form and a wide variety of media, Bourgeois dealt with notions of universal balance, playfully juxtaposing materials conventionally considered male or female. What materials can you think of that could be associated as being masculine or feminine?

 

                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

Summarize your opinion about Louise Bourgeois’ artwork.