2014 is European Year against food waste... As an arty activity, design a FRIDGE MAGNET with a splendid slogan and brilliant image on the theme of not wasting food!
Send your entries (on a Word document) to: ortisbateau@gmail.com
Have fun!
25 November 2014
23 November 2014
Global warning...
To do:
- Describe the work of art in the photo above.
- Comment it (what type of art is this?; do you like it?; what, if any, is the artist's "message"?; who are the "leaders" in the title and why should we follow them?; is this political art?; etc.).
- Click on the link under the photo and compare your interpretation with the artist's comments of his work.
- Define what political art is (research!).
- Find three examples of political art (all genres, including literary, graphic, and musical) that you find effective (send your examples as a "comment" to this blog!).
- Prepare a 60-second talk on the question: "Should art bother with politics?"
15 November 2014
What is a portrait?!
> Experts give their answers (video)!
> Wikipedia article
> Portraits of men and women in Ukraine
To do (in pairs):
- Compare and contrast the two portraits above.
- Using the links above, and other sources you can find, plus your own ideas, define what a portrait is!
- Describe what the difference between a "headshot" and a portrait is.
- Describe what the difference between the snapshot of a person is and a portrait.
- > Which is your favourite "portrait of the month"?
- > Do a self-portrait!
- In ten sentences, do a "Chinese portrait" of yourself, starting each sentence with "If I were..." (for example: "If I were a flower, I would be a rose"). Cf. > Chinese portraits... for inspiration.
08 November 2014
‘The Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red’
The field of ceramic poppies at the Tower of London has caught the
public imagination. But does such a beautiful memorial to those killed blind us
to the horror of the First World War?
Contemporary art provokes many responses among the public, but
overwhelming and heartfelt approval is not often among them. However, last week
tens of thousands of people visited an art installation at the Tower of London.
So many, in fact, that buses were diverted and the nearest underground station
closed to avoid dangerous congestion.
The work is made of hundreds of thousands of ceramic poppies planted in
the dry moat of the Tower. Its title is ‘The Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red’
and each poppy commemorates a British or colonial serviceman or woman killed in
the First World War. The first of 888,246 flowers was planted on 5th August,
100 years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in the war. The
last will be installed on Armistice Day, 11th November.
Each poppy was sold online for £25 and the £15million raised will be
divided between six service charities. (After Armistice Day the artwork will be
dismantled and each poppy delivered to its sponsor.)
Not everyone admires it however. Jonathan Jones, the art critic of the
Guardian newspaper, called it a ‘prettified and toothless war memorial. It is
all dignity and grace. There is a fake nobility to it, and this seems to be
what the crowds have come for – to be raised up into a shared reverence for those
heroes turned frozen flowers. What a lie. The first world war was not noble.
War is not noble. A meaningful mass memorial to this horror would not be
dignified or pretty. It would be gory, vile and terrible to see. The moat of
the Tower should be filled with barbed wire and bones. That would mean
something.’
Many object to this view. A writer in the Daily Mail observed that ‘I
saw the poppies back in the summer and wanted to bring my children before the
whole thing disappears. I could think of no better way to impress upon them the
enormity of the Great War than to show them this crimson moat and explain that
every single one of the 888,246 poppies equals a real person who lived and died
for this country.’
Remembering and forgetting
Some think commemorations like this simply disguise the revolting
brutality of war. Dressing it up as some holy, national sacrifice hides the
ignorance, selfishness and stupidity which brought about the unnecessary death
of millions of young people across the world.
On the other hand, many have been deeply moved by this work and feel
conscious of the link it makes to those members of their families who fought,
and some of whom died, in wars over the last century. To remember them in this
way is not to glorify war, but to appreciate what they did to try to ensure
peace for future generations.
The above article was published in THE DAY.
To do (in pairs!):
- Translate into French the above article and list new words and phrases (LEARN THEM!)
- Research what the Tower of London is.
- Send a short comment to either THE DAILY MAIL or THE GUARDIAN expressing your opinion on the installation in the Tower of London (click on the links below the photo above); keep a copy of your message for your ring binder!
- Describe a war memorial that you know and say why you like or dislike it.
- Give a 60-second oral presentation on ONE of the following topics:
- "War memorials should show the horror of war!"
- "War memorials should show that it is sweet and fitting to die for your country."
26 October 2014
24 October 2014
04 October 2014
Egging you on...
Questions:
- Of which painting the picture above is a spoof ?
- How has egg been used in art?
- Which artists have been inspired by the egg?
To do:
Describe and comment your favorite work of art which has the egg as a theme!
27 September 2014
Freeze!
Who was Hodge? One of Dr Johnson’s favorite cats.
Who was “Dictionary Johnson”? Dr. Samuel
Johnson (1709-84) was "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in
English history” (according to a recent biographer called Pat Rogers) and the author
of the first English dictionary. He was much admired in his day and is very
famous today. People, especially Londoners, appreciate his genius and
character. His most memorable quote is: "If a man is tired of London, he is
tired of life".
When and where was the statue erected? In 1997,
in front of Samuel Johnson House (17 Gough Square, just off London's Fleet
Street, which is now a museum).
Who is the sculptor? John Bickley, a quite
well-known English animal sculptor (Hodge is his best-known sculpture).
Whose idea was it and who paid for it? Probably the idea came from the association
that runs the Samuel Johnson House and it is Londoners who paid for it. The inauguration
ceremony was attended by important people, including the Lord Mayor.
What is the statue like? It is made of metal (a
noble and expensive material, used only for important statues), life-size and life-like (showing a cat that looks real, doing a cat-like thing: eating
oysters! Note that oysters were not a luxury food in the 18th Century
so this is not actually a spoilt pet!). It is a delightful and unusual statue
which inspires the feelings some of us associate with cats. It is also very
appropriate because Dr Johnson was known, among much else, to be a protector of
animals (a rare thing in his day!)
Why was a statue erected to Hodge the cat?
- For practical reasons: there is not enough space in front of Samuel Johnson House to erect a statue to the man himself!
- To tell a story: this cat, because a statue has been erected to it, was obviously an important cat (for its owner, in front of whose house the statue has been placed). Also, the owner of the cat obviously loved cats and was therefore probably a nice, unpretentious, person (this is not a grandiose statue about a self-important man!).
- To honour Hodge (a cat famous because he was the cat of a famous man).
- To honour cats in general and to please cat lovers (many Londoners are daft about cats!); the statue evokes the affectionate and playful nature of our feline pets.
- To honour Dr Johnson, famous son of the city of London (the statue reflects the civic pride of Londoners), his genius and character, in an off-beat way (it is not an effigy of the man, but rather what he stood for).
- To honour Samuel Johnson’s work (cf. the dictionary on which the cat is sitting) in a playful (cf. the oyster shells), original, non-pompous way (in the spirit of the man himself).
- To “mark the spot”, i.e. to show visitors that 17 Gough Street is important in the collective memory of Londoners (that they value what the owner of the house stands for: genius and hard work, an affable if somewhat eccentric nature, strong convictions, etc.).
- It’s a “people’s” statue (particularly appealing to children), i.e. the City of London authorities wanted to show that London can be a friendly, “fun” and unpretentious place (note however that the statue is not “cheap” and it is a very good work of art).
06 September 2014
09 August 2014
It's a fix(ture)!
- Explain this post's title.
- Think up a title or comment for this sculpture (such as: "Strong winds with a risk of squale" or "Neighborhood watch just turned nasty..." or "Is it a fallen angel shark?" or "Squale!" or "Down with the Joneses!").
- Imagine a short dialogue between the owner of the house and his neighbor about the sculpture...
- Find other works of art that include sharks.
- Send a comment to this blog post explaining why you love or hate sharks!
- How effective is the Headington Shark as public art?
03 August 2014
12 July 2014
Object obsession...
Questions:
- Are you into modelmaking?
- What is the one object you would most like to have and why?
- Would you, like Mr Savage, like to reproduce that object?
That obscure desire of objects!
To do:
- Make a list of your favorite objects and/or describe your collection(s).
- Describe one of your favorite objects, tell us its history and why you like it so much.
- Start a collection of objects and take a photo of it in the style of "A Collection a Day."
24 May 2014
This world is but a canvas to our imagination...
- Describe the watercolour above and explain why you like (or do not like) it.
- Who was Romanin?
- What did Jacques Martel mean by: "ce qui est le plus voyant demeure le plus invisible..."?
- What other World War II leaders were also amateur artists?
Banquet démocratique
"C’est le buste de Platon, celui qui
a fait Le Banquet."
"Vous faites bien de m’en parler, je dirai quelques mots
dans mon discours pour le féliciter. Son canard aux navets est vraiment
réussi."
- Translate the dialogue of the (1920s?) editorial cartoon by Romanin above.
- Describe and comment the cartoon.
- Translate the dialogue of the 1917 editorial cartoon by Romanin below.
- Describe and comment the cartoon.
À la curée
Aigle: « Au secours, ma chère colombe ! »
Colombe: « Ouais ? Et qui m’a coupé les
ailes il y a trois ans ?! »
08 May 2014
Zoom in on the future of comic strips!
Article from The Guardian
Zoom website
Zoom website
- Who is Zoom?
- What is The Zoom?
- Who is Boris Johnson?
- Who was top of the Vogue 2013 Hot List?
- Who lives at 10 Downing Street?
- Which is your favourite sitcom?
- What would you have preferred your forename to be?
- What is the Beano?
- What is your favourite comic book (describe why you like it so much: characters, stories, art work, etc.)?
- Do you like to draw and/or write stories?
12 April 2014
Our Nation's Sons...
Drawing on Trinity College, Dublin, by Joe Caslin
Cette oeuvre a été créé par Joe Caslin, jeune artiste irlandais acclamé, à l'occasion du One Young World Summit, que l'Irlande accueillera en Octobre 2014.
Joe considère que, en tant que nation, nous avons marginalisé nos jeunes hommes et créé chez eux des sentiments d'abandon et d'apathie. Il est temps de redonner confiance à ces jeunes gars et de leur donner un sentiment d'appartenir. C'est une génération qui cherche l'espoir, qui cherche un leadership.
Une oeuvre d'art comme celle-ci a le pouvoir de résonner, de perturber le paysage visuel de la ville. C'est l'idéologie de One Young World que d'encourager les jeunes à bouleverser la façon habituelle de penser et d'apporter des solutions qu'ils pourront appliquer aux problèmes dans leurs propres pays.
Renaissance Man...
Questions:
- How "old" is Da Vinci?
- What is a "Renaissance Man"?
- What do you most admire about Da Vinci?
- If you were a polymath, what would your areas of interest be?
- Who is today's greatest polymath?
Questions:
- Why is the man in the drawing above called "Vitruvian Man"?
- Why did Da Vinci draw both a circle and a square around the man known as Vitruvian Man?
- Do you think Man is at the centre of the Universe?
Questions:
- Who created World Art Day, when and why?
- Why has April 15th been chosen as World Art Day?
- What would be a good theme for a World Art Day drawing competition (open to everyone on the planet)?
Drawing of a dragon and a lion by Da Vinci
To do:
- Describe and comment one of Da Vinci's lesser-known paintings.
- Write a short story using one of Da Vinci's drawings.
- Draw a background picture for the International Association of Art website!
24 March 2014
Ten of the best
i don't like art at all... click HERE to read an article from the NYT!
Questions/to do:
- Click on the first link above, and translate the introductory paragraph to the article by Jonathan Jones (entitled "The 10 greatest works of art ever").
- Read the comments Jones makes about his favourite works of art (note useful vocabulary!).
- Rank from 1 to 10 Jones' choice, 1 being your favourite and 10 your least favourite.
- Describe and comment your top choice among Jones' selection (how much do you agree with Jones' assessment?).
- Which are YOUR ten favourite works of art?
- Describe and comment your all-time favourite work of art.
- When was the last time you went to an art museum?
- How often do you go to art museums or galleries in general?
- Why do you think people go to look at works of art?
- What works of art that you’ve never seen in person would you most like to visit (why)?
Assignment:
maro, in the comments page of the article from the NYT (click on the second link above), says "i don't like art at all"... Write a fifty-word paragraph to maro explaining why he should reconsider is position on art!
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