The+assignment

= **THE ASSIGNMENT** = ** Remember, you do not have to be a “art expert.” ** ** A single positive experience with a painting where you “get it”—makes an insightful, interpretive breakthrough—can change your life. **

**OVERVIEW** Landscape paintings are not always what they initially appear. Many combine real and ideal elements to present the artist's own ideas about nature. In this lesson, students will examine the work of the Hudson River School artists and consider their ideas about the nature/society around them.

During the unit on "Expansion", students will discuss the Hudson River School and its iconography. The landscape of America is certainly different now than it was when the Hudson River artists were capturing the spirit of the American landscape. In this project, students will observe the world around them, capturing what they believe to be the modern "Landscape of America", first in journal sketches/images, and then in a painting. Using student interpretations, the class will create a new "iconography" and "school" of landscape painting.

**WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENT?**
**DIRECTIONS**

__**Step 1: Examine the Hudson River School**__
 * Observe and study Hudson River School paintings and its iconography.

__**Step 2: Immerse yourself in the natural world.**__
 * Observe and study the modern landscape of your community.
 * Take a paper/journal and pencil and walk around your school, your neighborhood, and your community.
 * Use Google Earth and Google Maps to examine your community.
 * Take digital pictures of your community
 * Record at least eight different observations and ideas into your "sketchbook" that depict the "American Landscape".
 * Record anything that you believe makes up America's landscape: people, animals, buildings, technology, open spaces, etc. (Hudson River artists at times focused on heroic figures, sources of jobs/money, light breaking through)
 * Look at Albert Bierstadt’s journal for inspiration.
 * Take the eight sketches/images back to your classroom. They should represent __eight different elements__ of your modern landscape.
 * Feel free to create a new page on this wiki to display your sketches/images

__**Step 3: Create natural elements**__
 * Look at them carefully and choose which elements of the sketches best communicate the ideal modern American landscape.
 * The class will use these ideas to create a new "iconography" of elements representing the modern "Landscape of America".


 * __Step 4: Compose a landscape__**
 * Like the Hudson River artists, you will combine these elements for your finished (watercolor) painting.
 * //For example, in the finished painting, you might choose to place the woman walking her dog from your neighborhood in front of your school next to the classic car that you saw in the park.//
 * //These elements can be rearranged until a pleasing landscape has been created.//
 * The goal is for students to create landscapes that express their idea about humans and their environment
 * Try to paint the elements as realistically as possible, honoring the traditions of the Hudson River School.
 * OPTIONAL: Lightly draw the elements you have chosen from your journal onto the watercolor paper (Be sure to draw lightly, or the graphite might smear when you paint.)
 * Each student should write an exhibition label for his/her painting. The label should include:
 * the artist's name
 * the title of the painting
 * a description and analysis of the painting (How does your painting reflect the relationship between humans and their environment?)

__**Step 5: Re-examine your landscape**__
 * Landscapes will be collected and analyzed by each class period
 * Using the descriptive lists generate in Step 3, the class will create a new "school" of landscape painting based on the students' observations and interpretations of each others' landscapes.
 * What is the philosophy of this new "school"?
 * What do we call this new "school"?