Artist Research Assignment

Create a slide Powerpoint presentation about a famous artist and their artwork You will research the artist’s biographical information, as well as the history and meaning behind a piece of their artwork of your choice You will also come up with an idea for a simple art project inspired by your artist It is up to you if you would like to work alone or with a partner

Your slideshow must: Be well designed, including the background and the slide layouts (arrangement of pictures and text)--- Sound effects and fancy transitions are not necessary

Include a title slide: (1 slide)  The name of the artist  The years they lived  A photograph or portrait of the artist  Your name(s) and date Include biography information about the artist: (1-2 slides)  Where they were born  What their parents’ professions were  Did they create art as a child?  Did they go to school to be an artist or did they have other careers? Include any major events in the life of the artist that effected their work: (1 slide)  Moving to another country, getting married, sudden illness, death of a loved one, etc.

You will then select one important artwork and describe the following:  The title, the year it was created, and the medium (oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolor, pencil, chalk, pen and ink, pastel, photography, etc.) used to create it (1 slide)

 Describe what is going on in the artwork (1-2 slides) For example, if the artwork is about… o People- did the artist know them? what are they doing? what is the mood of the people? what happened before the image was captured? what will happen next? o Landscape- where is it located? is there any significance to the location? what is the weather or time of year? what happened before the image was captured? what will happen next? o Still Life- what are the items in the still life? do they have any symbolic meaning? what is the mood of the image? were the items carefully arranged or did the artist just happen upon them?

 Now you will describe your interpretation of the artwork (1 slide) These are some questions that will help you… o Based on what you have learned about the artist and the artwork, what do you think the artist is trying to say? o Why do you think the artist created the artwork? o Do you think the artwork contains any hidden messages, meanings or symbols? o How does this artwork make you feel?

 Now, tell us your opinion or judgement about the artwork?(1-2 slides) o Do you like this artwork? Would you hang it up in your own house? o Do you think it is a “good” artwork? Does it belong in a museum?

Lastly, you will come up with an idea for a simple art project to honor the style of the artist you have researched. Your project description should include: o A sample or inspiration image o A list of necessary materials o Is brainstorming and/or sketching necessary? o Simple steps to create the project (2-3 slides)

John James Audobon

Dale Chihuly

Chuck Close

Frank Stella

Frank Lloyd Wright

William Wegman

Wassily Kandinsky

Vincent Van Gogh

Georgia O’Keeffe

Alphonse Marie Mucha

M.C. Escher

Wayne Thiebaud

Alexander Calder

Claude Monet

Faith Ringgold

Andy Goldsworthy

Paul Klee

Keith Haring

Camille Pissarro