Second Grade Art Program
One of the art lessons incorporates the genius of Leonardo DaVinci and his famous painting "Mona Lisa".
He was an artist, inventor and scientist. Certainly a worthy role model for today's youth.
The painting lesson begins with a lesson on Art History starting with the first Cave drawings, to 3,000 year old Egyptian artifacts, to 550 years ago (DaVinci's time) to present day Contemporary Art. The students see how techniques and subject matter changes as history itself changes through time. We then concentrate on DaVinci's Mona Lisa painting and analyze it as we draw our own replica in honor of his work. The students then change it up to be how they choose to make her appear. Is she a teacher, a coach, a cheerleader, an artist herself, an athlete, the President of the United States, a police officer, etc. They create the costuming and setting to show clues as to who she is to them. The next choice is what medium to use to complete their own masterpiece; pastels, watercolor or colored pencil. They produce awesome portraits that still have that Mona Lisa appearance, but have made it their own.
Click on DaVinci's painting and it will take you to a website that can teach you more about Leonardo DaVinci.
Click on DaVinci's painting and it will take you to a website that can teach you more about Leonardo DaVinci.
Other lessons covered in the Second Grade Art Curriculum:
- Repetitive work on eye/hand coordination.
- Cultural studies – Indonesia and their traditional artwork and its meaning. Mexico and their Aztec designs.
- Master artist study of Leonardo Da Vinci and his Mona Lisa.
- Study of human proportions; especially accurate facial features.
- Communities/Social Studies; creating a 3-dimensional building for a whole classroom cityscape to learn about a community.
- Patterns and repetition.
- Texture depiction.
- Discussion of other lands – study of Italy, France, Indonesia & Mexico.
- Clay pottery – manipulating the clay into a usable product.
- Many other topics and creations; almost too many to list.