Inspiring My Little Picasso, Seurat, & Van Gogh

Inspiring my Children in Art History

Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist

Pablo Picasso's 'The Old Guitarist' (1904) shows a portrait of an elderly man playing the guitar on the streets of Barcelona, Spain. This work is part of Picasso's Blue Period, occurring between 1901 to 1904. During this time, Picasso struggled with poverty as well as the death of a friend. The somber blue palette expresses Picasso's sorrow during this period.

ART VOCABULARY:

Expressionism: A movement in the arts in which the artist did not depict objective reality, but rather a subjective expression of their inner experiences.
Poverty: The quality or state of being poor; lack of money.

ART CONCEPT:

Featured Movement:

Name - Expressionism
Peak Prevalence - 1905-1920

Movement Characteristics:

Conveys artist's subjective emotion and derived meaning rather than objective reality
Deforms elements of reality
Features vivid or unnatural colors
Expresses strong emotions including dismay and sadness
See 'Fighting Forms' by Franz Marc as an example of expressionist characteristics

QUESTIONS:

What is expressionism? Expressionism seeks to represent what the artist feels rather than an objective representation of reality.
What is the setting of the artwork? The setting is outdoors in Barcelona, Spain.
Into which genre does the artwork fall? The artwork falls into the portrait genre.
What happens in the artwork? An elderly man plays the guitar.
To which western art movement does this painting belong? This painting belongs to the expressionism art movement.
How does this artwork serve as an example of expressionism? The somber blue palette expresses Picasso's sorrow during this period.
Which genres commonly coincide with expressionism? Landscapes, portraits, and cityscapes often coincide with expressionism.
During which century was this artwork created? This artwork was created in the early 20th century (1904).

Inspiring My Little Picasso, Seurat, & Van Gogh

Inspiring my Children in Art History

Last week I took the children out on a field trip to the city to explore the Chicago Art Institute. We have been studying great artists of the world here for a unit study this year. I wanted the children to see the paintings and artists we have reviewing this school year. Although we had a great time, I have to admit that my little ones were bored after an hour of walking around.

I'm so glad that we live neat a great city that has so much to offer my family. While we were in the Impressionism Hall, my girls were stating who painted this one and what period it was painted and on and on. No prompting from me I might add. A lady walked up to my girls as asked them how they knew so much about all these paintings. My daughters replied, "My Momma" That was a proud homeschooler!

The modern wing is not only beautiful, but has a huge family section called the Ryan Education Center. There is an indoor play area with blocks, books, art inspired computer games, etc., and it’s open everyday during normal museum hours (this area is geared towards smaller children). In addition, they have multiple classrooms where they hold educational classes for kids age 3 through 18. Classes range from Drawing in the Galleries and Family Art Class to Story Time. They even offer a entire list of programs for teens interested in art.

Chicago Art Institute is dedicated to making art accessible to the community and the families that live in Chicago. I highly encourage you to check it out with your kids. Plus, you can get in a little culture for yourself while you’re there!

Here are the details:

Chicago Art Institute

Where – 111 South Michigan Ave.
Hours of Operation – Mon.-Wed. 10:30am-5:pm, Thur. 10:30am-8pm, Fri. 10:30am-5pm, Sat. and Sun. 10am-5pm
Cost – $16 for Chicago residence. Kids under 14 are FREE. Thursday nights are also FREE from 5pm-8pm.
Parking – We parked in the underground parking across the street at Millennium Park and were able to walk around the city afterwards.