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Category Archives: art history

How Well Do You Know Art History?

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How Well Do You Know Art History?

How well do you know artists throughout history?  Take this quiz to test your knowledge.   If you are reading from a blog reader or email, you may need to click on over to the actual blog post.  Art History Quiz from Marcia Beckett This past week I had the pleasure of attending the National Art Education Association conference in Chicago, IL.  I have lots of information to share with you from some of the great sessions I attended.  Coming … Read more… →

What Do Artists Do? Signs about ARTISTS and Artistic Behaviors

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Colorful poster with art supplies at the edges and the text "What Do ARTISTS DO?" in the center, highlighting various artistic behaviors.

I have something to share with you that I’ve been working on for a long time.  Well, a couple of months.  It takes forever for me to accomplish anything lately (I have a clingy toddler who doesn’t like to sleep) so I work in short spurts whenever I get a chance. Many of you probably know of Ian and Melissa from Apex High School.  They have developed a list of Artistic Behaviors for the high school level.  I have been … Read more… →

Vassily Kandinsky and Abstract Art

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Abstract painting featuring geometric shapes, bright circles, and dynamic lines in various vivid hues.

Vassily Kandinsky was one of the first pioneers of abstract art.   Abstract art is art that does not attempt to show things realistically, but uses lines, shapes, colors and textures to show emotions and meaning.   Kandinsky was from Russia and initially went to law school.  He was always fascinated by color and in his thirties, he decided to go to art school.   Kandinsky thought showing the inner beauty was most important.  He believed that color could express … Read more… →

Paul Klee Castle Collage

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Colorful abstract collage of a whimsical cityscape with geometric buildings, clouds, and a castle against a white background.

Paul Klee was an important painter in the history of modern art.  I have always been drawn to his colorful, abstract pictures.  Children can relate to the simple geometric shapes and bold colors.  His art has been related to Expressionism, Cubism and Surrealism. Swiss artist Paul Klee painted the Castle and Sun with simplified shapes, but viewers can easily see the way the shapes form a castle or city-like scene.  For this lesson, we are going to paint colorful swatches … Read more… →

Flower Paintings by First Grade: Learn about Van Gogh and Hundertwasser

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First-grade children's artwork featuring abstract flower paintings with petals in various designs and bright colors on a blue background.

I’m proud of this lesson and how colorful and unique each of these pictures turned out!  I like to introduce a bit of art history to the younger kids, but I didn’t want the kids to copy a famous painting. Artistic Behaviors: Artists develop their own style. Artists create art that honors someone or something. Skills & Concepts: Discuss the differences and similarities between two artworks of a similar theme. Develop hand/eye coordination through painting and collage. Learn various techniques … Read more… →

Spirals, Flowers and Patterns: Learning about Hundertwasser

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Colorful drawing of two abstract flowers with spiral stems and a bright, Hundertwasser-inspired background pattern resembling a sunburst.

“A good picture is when the picture is full of magic, when you can feel the happiness in it, when it makes you laugh or cry, or when it makes something happen. It should be like a flower or a tree. It should be like Nature. It should be that we miss it when it isn’t there.” Hundertwasser Friedensreich Hundertwasser believed that nature and beauty was the key to happiness. He was born Fritz Stowasser but created his “artist name” … Read more… →

Mondrian Art Project for Kids with Dab and Dot Markers

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Markers labeled yellow, red, and blue lie on an abstract art background with bold lines and colored squares, reminiscent of Piet Mondrian artwork.

I had the opportunity to try out Dab and Dot Dauber Markers and write a blog post for their website DoodleHog.  These are similar to other paint dotters, but one difference I noticed is that the colors seem richer and better than other brands I have tried.  The colors mix together very well. Piet Mondrian Dab and Dot Art Project Piet Mondrian was one of the most important and well known abstract painters.  But did you know his early work … Read more… →

Non-objective Drawings by 3rd and 4th Graders

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Non-objective drawing featuring colorful shapes, with a black wave, a blue circle, and multicolored squiggles on a white background.

I love non-objective art. Non-objective art means that the art does not represent or depict person, objects or places.  It is a picture with lines, colors and shapes as the subject. I teach this drawing project every year and the results are always beautiful. The children learn about concepts such as types of line, organic and geometric shapes, shading, values, variety of sizes, variety in general, overlapping, texture (from rubbing plates) and how to categorize non-objective, abstract and realistic art. … Read more… →

Art Around the World – Sketchbook Prompt Cards

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Art Around the World – Sketchbook Prompt Cards

I am super excited to tell you about my new pack of sketchbook prompt cards.  My Art History Sketchbook Prompts have helped out a lot of art teachers and I wanted to make more.  My students enjoy learning about different art works and they like getting small nuggets of information along with the chance to create artwork inspired by what they see.   The new art history prompts are called Art Around the World – a set of 14 task cards … Read more… →

25 Awesome Art Books for Kids

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A collage of 10 colorful art book covers for kids with the title "25 Awesome Art Books for Kids" in the center.

I’m back with another list of 25 more of my favorite art books!  Be forewarned, this is a long post.  I have given you extra details about the books and some ideas to spark your lesson planning. It is no secret that I love children’s books.  Previously, I wrote a list of 25 amazing art books which I like to use in my art classroom.   This has been one of my most viewed posts.  Since then, I have discovered some … Read more… →

Learning about Patterns, Shapes and Henri Matisse

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Learning about Patterns, Shapes and Henri Matisse

Henri Matisse is one of my favorite artists.  I love his bold colors and beautiful shapes.  While teaching about patterns, painting, collage and shapes, I recently introduced his artwork to my kindergarteners and 1st graders. First, we learned about his artwork through this Henri Matisse presentation.  We also read the book called Oooh! Matisse, which is a fun, colorful book (but not very informative about his artwork.)  The book is good for discussing and thinking about the shapes in his … Read more… →

Art with Words | 1st Grade

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Art with Words | 1st Grade

The 1st graders looked at the art of Stuart Davis and read some of the words, letters and numbers in his artwork.  They analyzed his pictures and tried to figure out why he might have included text in his art.  I teach about him every year and the kids create artwork with letters and numbers.  You can see the ones we made last year at with this  blog post. This year the students wrote words in an artistic way and … Read more… →

New Set of Art History Sketchbook Prompts: SET #3

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New Set of Art History Sketchbook Prompts: SET #3

This summer, I have been working on creating a new PDF set of Art History Sketchbook Prompts.  The first two sets have been very popular and there are so many artists I want my students to learn about. These cards are a great way for students to do some independent learning if they finish an art project early. This is set #3 of the Art History Sketchbook Prompts, with all NEW artists! These art history cards feature a selection of … Read more… →

Book Review & Giveaway: A Child’s Introduction to Art

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Cover of "A Child's Introduction to Art," showcasing famous artworks and children engaging in artistic activities, accompanied by a detailed book review.

**  This giveaway is now closed. ** I received a copy of a great new art history book to share with you!  The book is A Child’s Introduction to Art: The World’s Greatest Paintings and Sculptures, written by Heather Alexander.  The publishers are also giving away ONE free copy to a lucky winner.  To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on the blog telling one way you introduce art history to your kids.  I will pick one winner on Friday … Read more… →

Art Discussion Signs for Bulletin Boards

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Art Discussion Signs for Bulletin Boards

I have been dreaming about how I will be setting up my art room next year, as we will be having two art rooms and I will have a lot more space!  The art discussion cards that I created have been popular and I thought that these questions would make an intriguing bulletin board. I designed 33 colorful signs with interesting art discussion prompts that can be used in classroom critiques or art history discussions.  There are 4 additional “title” … Read more… →

  • Banner with colorful artwork promoting an art shop featuring kindness coloring pages, artist activities, and resources for teachers.