MICHELANGELO INSPIRED HAND DRAWINGS

The Renaissance was a “rebirth” of education, science, and the arts. It was a time of humanism, or the study of classical antiquity and its lifelike qualities. The Renaissance looked for realism and human emotion in art. Michelangelo Buonarroti was not only one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance but in all of history as well. He was talented in many fields including sculpting, painting, poetry, and architecture. He studied human anatomy to perfect realistic qualities of subjects in his work such as the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and statue of David. 5th graders studied their hands and learned how to draw from close observation to depict contours and a range of values to achieve realism. They shaded their hands using a hatching or cross-hatching technique as Michelangelo and other Renaissance artists utilized in their sketches.

4TH GRADE GOTHIC CATHEDRALS

As we finished our Middle Ages Unit, 4th graders learned about Medieval architecture. Gothic architecture was ornate, decorative, and included many features including stained glass rose windows, pointed arches, spires, relief statues, and gargoyles. After viewing several buildings including the Notre Dame cathedral, students created a symmetrical design for their own Gothic cathedral using several of these features. The students used Sharpie to outlines their drawing to create contrast and shaded their rose windows with colored pencils to create a focal point.