J and the Impressionists

On Saturday we will be visiting our local museum at which they are exhibiting several works by Mary Cassatt. They also have paintings by Monet, Manet, and Degas that are permanently on display.

In preparation, we have been lightly discussing each painter's background and specific style, and identifying the paintings we will be seeing. We've also done some artwork in which J either copied a painting or did his own in a style specific to each artist.

I found a series of books with titles such as What Makes a Cassatt a Cassatt, and What Makes a Degas a Degas. (Click on the titles to see the books.) Each book is short and to the point and talks about how the person became an artist and how he or she developed individual style. The very last page pulls out the specifics of that painter's style...what makes the painting clearly one by that artist. Here's an example:



With that information I was able to show J several paintings by the four artists we're studying all mixed together and he did well with identification. Now we're looking forward to seeing the real ones!

This is a Monet painting called Haystacks in the Afternoon. J was four years old when he did this one. I decided not to do another since we had three other artists to cover:

In the art book that I'm using (Discovering Great Artists), directions are given for experimenting with a style or a medium used by the particular artist. J didn't copy the works for Cassatt or Degas--he made his own similar creations.

Though Mary Cassatt is known for her paintings of mothers and children, she evidently enjoyed using a technique called a Monoprint, as well. J chose to paint the three tempera paint bottles and scratch out their letters (backwards at my suggestion) on the back of a cookie sheet. Then he placed the paper over it while wet and gently pressed, transferring the image.

In this one the focus was the appearance of motion. Degas was very interested in movement which is why his favorite subject was dancers.

Finally, I had him copy one of Manet's paintings. This one is entitled, "The Grand Canal, Venice." I thought this would be fun to copy because of the poles.

I've created a booklet for J showing many of the paintings we will see. I'm using it as a sort of matching game since it makes it more interesting to "discover" something rather than just look at it--at least when you're only six years old!

I'm really looking forward to seeing the originals. Impressionist art has always been a favorite style of mine, Mary Cassatt especially, and it is exciting to get to see these up close.

Tomorrow, we immerse ourselves in beauty.