1 session; 45 minutes per session

1. The students will participate in a Visual Thinking Strategies discussion of Franz Marc’s The Blue Horse.
2. The students will reflect on Marc’s use of color in his paintings.
3. The students will write about and discuss how others’ opinions of or reactions to art may differ based on their backgrounds.

1.Computer
2. Projector
3. Google Classroom or printed reflection sheets
4. Pencils

Need these materials? Visit Blick!

1. Look and discuss
-Show Franz Marc's the Blue Horse with no contextual information
-Ask students to silently look and think about the painting
-Use Visual Thinking Strategies questioning to guide the discussion of LOOKING at the painting: "What's going on in this painting?", "What do you see that makes you say that?" and "What more can we find?"
2. Give context
-Franz Marc was part of the Der Blaue Reiter movement
-Interested in symbolism and bright colors to express emotions
3. The Yellow Cow & Different reactions
-Discuss Yellow Cow
-My students are rural and many farm cattle. They overall prefer art that is realistic. I asked them to consider how they react to an unusual depiction of a cow- an animal that they see daily- and how that might be different from someone's reaction who does not regularly see cows or maybe any animals in person
4. Reflect
-In writing, students reflect on how people from different places react differently to artwork,
-What was their first reaction to the paintings?,
-How can we determine what is "good" art when we all have different preferences?,
-Did their reaction to the painting change after learning about the artist/time period?

The students' written refelctions will be assessed for understanding

1. Slides presentation https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1zPysYQukmxXr3LeDKFXzMlI_KPx39gR89P1O427MHoM/edit?usp=sharing
2. Discussion questions https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qyl5LpfjNxwzqweu7fzzqqKPqUnZDrFSLhDqQaILx7c/edit?usp=sharing
3. The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by Eric Carle has a nice note about why the artwork was controversial in the early 20th century

The same ideas could be applied with different paintings by choosing a theme that is familiar to your students but not to everyone

This was part of a unit on color

[5-8] Students analyze, describe, and demonstrate how factors of time and place (such as climate, resources, ideas, and technology) influence visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art

[5-8] Students describe and place a variety of art objects in historical and cultural contexts

[5-8] Students know and compare the characteristics of artworks in various eras and cultures

[5-8] Students analyze contemporary and historic meanings in specific artworks through cultural and aesthetic inquiry

[5-8] Students describe and compare a variety of individual responses to their own artworks and to artworks from various eras and cultures

Franz Marc

Expressionism

Color/Value

Painting