Learning Activity
Aired February 26, 2004
In the controversial film "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson presents his interpretation of the crucifixion. Gibson is not the first to address this issue through art. CNN's Keith Oppenheim has the story of how Rembrandt, a great artist from the 1600's, depicted the last days of Jesus's life. Have students explore how artists documented key historical events that took place during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Point out to students that for centuries, artists have used many different media to chronicle civilization. These artistic media include painting, poetry, music, sculpture, plays, photography and film. Help students to brainstorm a list of key historical events that took place during the 19th and 20th centuries, such as the Civil War, the Civil Right's Movement, WWII and the Holocaust. Then, group students and assign each group an historical event from the list. Challenge each group to conduct research to learn about the event and to identify examples of how different artists have depicted the event. If possible, have students select examples that represent a cross-section of different art forms. Instruct groups to prepare multimedia presentations of their findings. After each presentation, have students discuss the following questions:
• What messages do you think these artists were trying to convey through their work?
• To what extent does their art reflect the times in which it was created?
• To what extent does the art medium influence impact of the artist's message?
• Is their work biased in any way? If so, how?
After the presentations, challenge each student to create a piece of art that depicts his/her views on a contemporary social issue. Have your students host an art show where they display or perform their works for their peers.
Correlated Standards
A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education: Art Connections
Standard 1: Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines
Level III (Grade : 5-8)
1. Understands how the characteristic materials of various arts (e.g., sound in music, visual stimuli in visual arts, movement in dance, human interrelationships in theatre) are used to transform similar events, scenes, emotions, or ideas into distinct works of art
2. Understands characteristics of works in various art forms that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context
3. Understands the characteristics and presentation of characters, environments, and actions in the various art forms
Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education (3rd ed.) by Kendall, J. S., & Marzano, R. J. (2000) is published online by Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL) (http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/).
Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
Standard II: Time, Continuity and Change: Students will learn about the ways human beings view themselves in and over time.
• Students will understand and appreciate differences in historical perspectives, recognizing that interpretations are influenced by individual experiences, societal values, and cultural traditions.
The Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/) are published by the National Council for Social Studies (http://ncss.org/).
Related Sites
CNN.com: Controversial 'Passion' debuts nationwide (http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/02/25/gibson.passion/index.html)
Rembrandt's Journey: Painter, Draftsman, Etcher (http://www.artic.edu/aic/exhibitions/rembrandt.html)
The Arts: References and Resources (http://history.evansville.net/art.html)
Keywords
Jesus Christ, Rembrandt, Art Institute of Chicago, exhibit, Mel Gibson, "The Passion of the Christ," crucifixion, artistic images, etching
|
