4th Graders Learn About Plein Air Painting
As part of the Art Inspired by Italy Unit, my 4th graders completed a very exciting and lengthy project. They did a "deconstructed landscape painting" which is detailed in one of Kevin McPherson's books about Plein Air Painting. Plein Air painting, a French term, is simply painting in the out of doors. Although my students painted "inside," they used a landscape photograph for the project. I provided each student with an 8x10 color image of the painting studio at Capitignano where I went to school this past summer in Italy. Using Sharpies, they outlined the main sections-essentially dividing the photo into smooth puzzle-type pieces. They then cut out the shapes and numbered them. Then they traced each piece onto a nice quality white paper and painted it with acrylic paint while looking at the cut-out photo image of the same portion of the painting at the same time. We then glued the pieces on a painted piece of canvas, added a quote about Italy, and Modge Podged the entire collage. This was one of my favorite projects in the unit. It was quite challenging for 4th graders and it was the first time my 4th graders had used acrylic paint in class, other than on clay projects. The whole purpose of the project was to teach them to "see" the individual parts, the lights and darks, of the subject, and not be overwhelmed by attempting to view the entire image to be painted. By deconstructing a subject it becomes much easier to construct it. We also talked about how this same concept is cross-curricular and helps in writing, learning information, test taking, and other subjects.
Above: I took the above photo one day from the open doors of the room I stayed in while in Italy. This is the view I saw each and every morning. It's the painting studio at Capitignano, formerly a hay barn. This view and the photo take my breath away and this is the photo I copied for the students to use for this project.
"Italy is a dream that keeps returning for the rest of your life."
-Anna Akhmatova
