Van Gogh Case Study

VINCENT VAN GOGH Postmodernism The Re-evaluation of Existing Histories

Vincent cent Vincent Vince Vincen Vincent cent Vince Vincent CONTENTS Vincent Pollack Essay - Assignment..........1 Postmodernism ...................3 Letters to Theo..................5

Hollywood Star.....................6 Visual Narratives................7

Contextual Timeline...................8 Depression...................9

Tricks and Techniques................10 Artists Bloodlines..............11

Vincent Animated..............12

Making big Money................13

INSTRUCTIONS

Historical and Critical Studies:

CSO

The following activities constitute the historical and critical component of this course and all requirements must be fully met. Please read the instructions carefully and if you have any questions please seek clarification from your teacher.

Each of the activities have been allocated a value. This value has been decided based on the time and effort required to complete each activity.

Every student must complete a series of activities so they have completed 10 points.

The Essay Task is compulsory and is worth 4 points. The other 6 points can be made up with any combination of the other activities.

If you would like to complete another activity or you would like to alter one of the activities on offer, please negotiate this with your teacher.

Activity

Value

Chosen

Griselda Pollock Postmodern Essay

4

4

Letters to Theo Research

2

Hollywood Style Movie

2

Visual Narrative

3

Interactive Timeline

3

Depression Research

2

V a n G o g h T r i c k s a n d Te c h n i q u e s

2

Artists Bloodline

3

Vincent Animated imovie

2

Making Big Events

3 To t a l

CODES . . . .

On the top right hand corner of each page is a code. These codes tell you what type and number of activity that you are reading about.

CS1 stands for Case Study 1 PS1 stands for Practical Skill 1 All PS pages have to be completed by each student. These are the practical painting skills of the unit.

The CS pages are optional. Each student must complete a total number of activities to reach 10 points.

Griselda Pollock

VINCENT VAN GOGH

Griselda Pollock is a Professor of Social and Critical Art Histories at the University of Ontario. She has produced a number of documentaries and written books on Postmodern theory, especially in the area of the re-evaluated accepted histories.

CS1

POSTMODERNISM ESSAY . . . .

1. Watch the DVD “Painting under Pressure”. Griselda Pollock asks us to re-evaluate Vincent van Gogh’s place in history. Using ESSAY MAP as a guide construct an essay on the following question.......

“Pollock suggests that Vincent van Gogh is an artist of dubious merit” Discuss the arguments put forward by Pollock in her video “Painting under Pressure”

2. Locate five (5) suitable quotes that you can include in your essay to support the arguments being made.

www.readwritethink.org/materials/essaymap/

COLOUR WHEEL

Colour Wheels

PS1

The color wheel is an invention credited to Sir Isaac Newton (1706). Remember that in Science the primary colours are different to art because in Science it is about light and in art it is about pigment.

PAINTING IS EASY, MIXING COLOURS IS THE REAL SKILL A color wheel is a visual representation of colors arranged according to their relationships. Begin a color wheel by positioning primary colours in the centre triangle, then create a bridge between primaries using secondary and finally the tertiary colors make up the remaining six shapes.

Primary Colors: Colors at their basic essence; those colors that cannot be created by mixing others. These colours are yellow, red and blue and are painted in the triangle in the middle of the colour wheel. They are also placed on the outside wheel wheren points of the triangle meet the circle.

Secondary Colors: Those colors are achieved by a mixture of two primaries. An example of this is red and yellow = orange, blue and yellow = green and red and blue = violet. These colours are added in the small triangles just inside the circle and on the wheel itself where the points meet the circle.

Tertiary Colors: Those colors are achieved by a mixture of a primary and a secondary clour.

Examples would include yellow and orange = yellow orange and red and violet = red violet and finally, blue and green = blue green etc etc.

Complete the colour chart by following the instructions on your handout. Always remember to mix a litle bit more than you need as the remaining paint will be needed to mix the next colour in the sequence.

LETTERS TO THEO.

Letters

Starting in 1872 when Van Gogh was 18, and ending with the letter to Theo found in his pocket after his death on July 29 1890. In between, more than 800 letters chronicle his attempts to become an art dealer and a preacher, before he turned to art.

SKETCHES TO ARTWORKS THE PROCESS. . .

www.vangoghmuseum.nl

Create a Chart of sketches from the letters that Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo and the actual completed artworks. Match up at least 16 images.

www.vggallery.com/

Vincent Van Gogh wrote over 800 letter to his brother emotional and financial

materials like canvases, oil Vincent used the letters to

supporter. From a very early

explain to Theo what he was

age the two brothers had a

working on at the time. He

close relationship. Vincent also would describe his paintings relied on Theo, who was

and the techniques he had

working as an art dealer in

developed so that Theo had an

Paris to send him news of the

idea of his processes.

latest art developments and

In the late 1800’s there was no mobile phones, no internet, email or television. If one person wanted to

Vincent often included

news of new and up and

small sketches of his works so

coming artists.

Theo could understand what

The money that Theo sent he was talking about. to Vincent would have allowed

The letters themselves

communicate with another they had to write a letter.

him to live a comfortable

have been kept due to the

This letter then had to be carried by coach to it’s destination - sometimes taking weeks to arrive.

lifestyle, however Vincent

foresight of Theo’s widow who

chose to use the money to buy actually published them in the only the very best and

Itunes app - Vincent

therefore most expensive art

Theo. Theo was both Vincent’s paints and brushes.

Communication:

CS3

early 20th century.

www.webexhibits.org/vangogh/

HOLLYWOOD STAR

TEXT-TO-MOVIE . . . .

Choose one important event in the life of Vincent van Gogh.

Create script that describes this event. Tell the story as a Extranormal Text-to-Movie OR Create an extensive list of words that describe this event. Tell the story as a Wordle word cloud.

You have watched the movie of Vincent Van

HINTS:

Gogh’s life and have completed some basic

• Use humour in your movie

research into his artwork. Chose one of the

• Change camera angles to maintain interest

important events in his life and create a narrative.

• Kept dialogue interesting and entertaining

If you are unsure of the appropriateness of your choice of events than discuss it with your teacher.

Once you have decided on an event, you will

Wordle: These are programs that allows you to develop a

then need to research the event further so you can

list of words that help to describe a situation or

develop a script. It is this script that you can then

concept. Use the link below to create a Van Gogh

cut and paste into the Xtranormal text-to-movie

Word Cloud

website.

Text-to-Movie is program that will animate text that you put into the program. It will allow you

www.xtranormal.com/

to chose characters, different voices and even camera angles.

If you develop the script first then you have the text to learn to use the program. It is quick to learn and fun to use.

www.wordle.com/

Post Impressionism

CS4

These artists continued using vivid colours, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter, but they also emphasized geometric forms, to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary colour.

ART SUPER STAR

CS5

VINCENT VAN GOGH VISUAL NARRATIVE . . . .

Create a visual narrative of Vincent van Gogh’s life or work.

Include Vincent van Gogh’s seminal works of art; • Which works is Van Gogh best known for Visual Narrative • What works have sold for record prices has been used to describe several • Which are his most famous works genres of visual storytelling, from news and information like photojournalism • Which works are his most popular Include Vincent van Gogh’s influences

and documentary films to entertainment like art, television,or comics. In short any story told visually is a visual narrative

• Who inspired Van Gogh • Did Van Gogh inspire other artists • Which artists influenced Van Gogh’s work • What role did Van Gogh believe God had for him Include the places Vincent van Gogh liked to work

www.vuvox.com/ www.glogster.com/

• Include a map illustrating the places that Van Gogh spent time in his life • Include in another colour in where he spent time painting • Show on the map where the following places are located Paris,Amsterdam, Brussels Present this visual information using the Web 2.0 tools Vuvox, Glogster or Comic Life

JANUARY 1888

VINCENT VAN GOGH

Post Impressionism

These artists continued using vivid colours, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter, but they also emphasized geometric forms, to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary colour.

CONTEXTUAL TIMELINE . . . .

Using one of the Web 2.0 timeline tools like Timetoast, Xtimeline or Dipity locate both Post-Impressionism and Postmodernism within the context of Modern Art post 1880.

Artworks and artists do not work within a vaccum. The events and situations that happen within the life of an artist directly influence the types of works that they produce and the type of works that they are exposed. To place an art school within social, political and cultural events within a given epoch allows us the ‘art historians’ to study the conditions in which a movement developed.

Modern art occurred at a time of immense change. It is these events that you will need to research and then include in an interactive timeline like xtimeline, timetoast or dipity. You might even find another Web 2.0 timeline tool that you would like to use - just discuss it with your teacher.

www.xtimeline.com/

These interactive timelines allow you to include hotspots with added text but some also allow you to add images and even videos.

Once you have researched the appropriate events, find relevant resources that help to explain the importance of these events. It is the culmination of all of these events that will be important.

Irises was Your timeline should be downloaded onto most likely a USB or burnt onto a CD. If you can not do influenced by this save the file as Yr 10 Marist College Japanese woodblock Eastwood Task and supply the access code prints which were produced beginning to your teacher. in the 17th Ensure that the events selected have a century. tangible link to the concepts being discussed in your timeline.

www.timetoast.com/

CS6

www.dipity.com/

THE BLACK DOG. . . .

VINCENT VAN GOGH

CS7 Did Van Gogh suffer from Madness?

Research manic depression as a mental illness.

Was he really suffering from Schizophrenia?

Make a list of the symptoms of depression.

List any other famous people who also suffered from this illness.

Was his behaviour a symptom of Syphilis?

Do you believe that Van Gogh suffered from this illness.

Did vincent really just have Depression ?

Is there any evidence of any symptoms in his paintings.

www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/

DEPRESSION www.mytimeline.com/

www.timetoast.com/

www.dipity.com/

VINCENT VAN GOGH TRICKS OR TECHNIQUES . . . .

Vincent van Gogh is known for his thick impasto technique. Using Keynote, Prezi or another presentation tool, create a presentation on the way Vincent van Gogh applies paint to a canvas. Include a series of close-ups to illustrate your point. !

Vincent van Gogh and other post-impressionist painters were well known for creating artworks with thick obvious brushstrokes.

This was a very different finish than the public had been used to up until this time. !

These artists rarely mixed colours on the palette but rather placed the two colours next to each other on the canvas. From a distance the eye mixed the two colours. !

Van Gogh was also in the habit of writing detailed descriptions of his working methods. As a result, his letters to

his brother Theo tell us a great deal about the practical aspects of his work as an artist. They touch on all sorts of topics, from his Many critics experiments with colour to his suggests that use of varnish and his attitude Vincent used colour towards the exhibition and sale incorrectly, others of his paintings. suggest his use of !

Using the letters and other colour is part of his sources, research some of the genius. tricks and special techniques that Vincent van Gogh used to produce his paintings. This may be his application of paint, the use of a grid scaffold or even the influence of other artists.

www.prezi.com

Impasto

CS8

Impasto is when a medium is added to the paint to allow it to stand up even after it has dried. Many artists have made a feature of this technique to emphasis brushstrokes. One of the most famous artists to do this was of course Vincent van Gogh.

ARTIST BLOODLINE

Modernism

CS9

Modernist artists used vivid colours, thick application of paint, distinctive brush strokes, and real-life subject matter, but they also emphasized geometric forms, to distort form for expressive effect, and to use unnatural or arbitrary colour.

MODERNIST FAMILY TREE . . . .

Using the Web 2.0 timeline tool Geni create a family tree like structure that locates artists working in their separate groups (isms) at the beginning of the 20th century. Start with impressionism at about 1880. Include a minimum of 30 artists.

www.geni.com

VINCENT ANIMATED

Self-Portraiture

CS10

Self Portrayal is a complex and private task. It has challenged artists throughout the ages. The process depends on the use of mirrors, which became readily available in the 15th century.

VINCENT ON IMOVIE . . . . .

Construct an IMovie that documents van Gogh’s vast number of self portraits. Select the order of the images carefully to present the images so that they appear to be morphing from one to the next. Hint; keep the eyes in one spot.

Vincent van Gogh was famous for the number of self portraits that he painted in his life time. LIke many artists before him, he used his own image to practice and fine tune his skills. What is most interesting is the record that these images create. Together they create a narrative of both his physical appearance and his emotional states.

Collect a series of more than 20 self-portraits painted by Vincent van Gogh and map out the changes to his look, style and facial hair.

Collect high resolution images and adjust the intensity of any that do no have similar lighting. Try to make the images appear to be morphing from one to another

MAKING BIG MONEY

Sysygy.com

BUILD AN EXHIBITION . . . .

Curator

CS11

The role of the curator is to develop a concept for an exhibition, liaise with other institutions in order to borrow works and then to organise the shipping of such works. When the works arrive they need to be hung in a specific order and information provided to the audience to enhance their experience.

Curators can influence the emotions generated by a specific exhibition with wall colours, picture order and information provided.

Using the Web 2.0 tool Sysygy design a Van Gogh Exhibition. Organise the order of images and the type of exhibition space. Once you have perfected the exhibition create a real diorama of the exhibition space and images.

VAN GOGH WEBSITES www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/vangoghnight/

www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/10/euwf/ho_1993.132.htm

www.metmuseum.org/search/iquery.asp

www.vangoghgallery.com/

www.vangoghmuseum.nl/vgm/index.jsp

www.vggallery.com/

PS3