THE DIRTY DOZEN Twelve works of art you should know!

American Gothic, Grant Wood What is the man’s relationship to the woman? Why is the farmer holding a pitch fork? Did Wood have a good idea for the painting? (content) How well did he paint the individuals to create a mood? (technique) What does the title “American Gothic” mean? (context)

Christina’s World, Andrew Wyeth What is the girl’s connection with her environment (the house)? Why did Wyeth pick Christina? Why is there space between her and the house? (content) How well is the painting balanced? Do you like the simple way it was painted? (technique) Are there any clues that the painter was American? (context)

The Scream, Edvard Munch What does this painting tell about the relationship between the screaming figure and the background figures? What about the figure and the environment? Why is the figure screaming? Why would he paint negative feelings? (content) How well does he use line, color, and placement to get the idea of screaming? (technique) Can you tell this painting was done in Norway? How well does this painting “express” an emotion?

Guernica, Pablo Picasso How does this painting show there is a conflict in the way people are getting along? Why is the painting black and white? Find the different images. What do they mean? Why were they included? What was Picasso upset about? How do the abstract figures help him say this?(content) Can you tell what was happening in the world at this time? (context) Why did the artist use black and white? Do you like the way he arranged the shapes? Did he abstract well? (technique)

Creation of Man, Michelangelo Buonarroti How does this painting connect man to the spiritual world? What was the painting used for? (content) How well could Michelangelo paint figures? What is a fresco? (technique) How did the painting reflect what people were thinking about at this time? (context)

The Syndics, Rembrandt van Rijn Who are the men in this painting? Why are they put together in this setting? Why did Rembrandt paint a group portrait? (content) How well did he get individual likenesses? Do you think he could make a good portrait of you? (technique) Can you tell that artists at his time were trying to capture personality in the portrait besides a likeness? (context)

Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night What is Van Gogh’s connection with nature? Why did he paint this night scene? (context) How well does he use color and texture? (technique) Have you ever seen a sky like this? Why did he leave the paint strokes? (context)

Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte, Georges Seurat Who are the people in this painting? Why have they gathered together? Why would Seurat paint this scene? (content) The painting is large but painted with small dots of paint. What skill and knowledge would the artist need? (technique) What do you know about what it was like to live in France in the late 1800’s by looking at this painting?

Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali How does this painting connect with Dali’s inner self? Where did he get this idea from? Why are there dripping clocks and insects in this painting? (content) Why were some artists at this time getting their ideas from dreams? (context) How well did Dali paint realistically? Could this scene exist somewhere? (technique)

Queen Nefertiti What is the connection between the sculpture and the afterlife? How much of the Egyptian’s culture was based on death? (context) Why is this sculpture memorable? Why was it made? (content) How well do you think the anonymous sculptor could paint and carve limestone? (technique)

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave at Kanagawa What is the relationship between man and nature? Why is there a mountain in the background? (context) What do you notice about the direction of lines? Why does it appear flat? (technique) Why is the wave so big and the figures in the boat small? (content)

Michelangelo, David What is the relationship between David and an ideal of beauty? Why is the sculpture nude? (context) Who was David? (content) How well could Michelangelo carve marble? Is the sculpture proportionally correct? (technique)