Step 1 - Introducing the Rembrandt van Rijn Slideshow Guide

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2 Step 1 - Introducing the Rembrandt van Rijn Slideshow Guide MOTIVATION BEGIN READING HERE Do you like to make faces? Are you good at making silly faces? Make your face look happy, surprised, sad, angry. Have you ever had fun looking in a mirror and making all kinds of funny faces? Can you think why an artist would make faces in a mirror? (PAINT HIMSELF, STUDY FACES) The artist you will be learning about today made all kinds of faces in a mirror and then painted himself. Would you like to see one of his SELF-PORTRAITS? Try to imagine what kind of face he made in the mirror! I would like to introduce you to our master artist, Rembrandt. Click Start Lesson To Begin 1. SELF-PORTRAIT LOOKING OVER SHOULDER Did you imagine this face? Can you make this face like Rembrandt did about 350 years ago? Very good. Can you give me a word to describe that face? (ANGRY, MAD, MEAN) Can you imagine young Rembrandt trying out different faces in a mirror and then doing this self-portrait? As a young man he was like an actor practicing before a mirror. He wanted simply to learn all about making a face show different feelings, like scared, tired, surprised. He was not shy and quiet, and it shows in his self-portraits. Take a guess at how many self-portraits Rembrandt did during his lifetime. He did more than 90 self-portraits. We can learn a lot about him by seeing how he looked at himself as a teenager to an old man. Rembrandt studied his face many, many times to see how his eyebrows came together and how his jaw pushed forward. He started his many self-portraits at a young age. Why did he paint himself? He probably simply needed a model. No one else was around. His father was working in the mill, his mother was at church, and his sister was in the kitchen. Besides, with himself as the model, he could do anything he pleased. Perhaps a friend or relative would not cooperate or might feel embarrassed at making silly faces. Click Next To Change Slide 2. THE WINDMILL Rembrandt s father owned a windmill like the one you see in this drawing by Rembrandt. Windmills were and still are very common in Holland. People either lived next to them or 1 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

3 even in them. For what are windmills used? (GRIND GRAIN OR PUMP WATER OUT OF LAND) In your activity you will be drawing a windmill in a Dutch village. All his life Rembrandt worked very hard at showing feelings with his art. This at first meant making faces like you see here surprised, upset, snarling. But as he grew older, he changed, both in the way he looked on the outside and in the way he felt inside. Let s look at a self-portrait he made at age fifty-four. Do you think he will look different? Click Next To Change Slide 3. SELF-PORTRAIT OF ARTIST WITH HAT What differences can you point out from the last self-portrait? (OLDER, SERIOUS, TIRED, SAD) When this was painted, Rembrandt was fifty-four years old, and a lot of sad things had happened to him. That s why he looks so serious and sad. But let s go back to when he was a young artist and find out how he became famous. Are you from a large family with many brothers and sisters? Rembrandt s family was large, and they lived in Holland, which is across the ocean in Europe. Almost every day rich people came to Rembrandt s door, asking him to paint their portrait. They knew this new artist was very talented at capturing how one really looked. In two years he became the most popular painter in Holland. He was only twenty-eight years old as order after order poured in, and soon he became as rich as the people he painted! Do you like to dress up and pretend you are someone else for Halloween? It s fun, isn t it? Well, Rembrandt loved to dress up too. He had large trunks full of all kinds of robes, capes, hats, and armor for his clients and models to dress up when they sat for paintings. He also liked spending his money on finery for himself fancy hats and coats, and big chains to wear. His self-portraits show an artist all decked out in rich clothing looking very sure of himself as one of Holland s most successful artists. He was only 28 years old when his popularity took off and lasted throughout most of his life. Would you like to wear a costume to have your portrait painted? Try to guess what kind of costume this lady is wearing. - Click Next To Change Slide 4. FLORA Look carefully at what this woman is holding in her dress and what decorates her hat. (FLOWERS, LEAVES) What season of the year do green leaves and pretty flowers first grow and bloom? (SPRING) This portrait is showing a good friend dressed up to be Flora, Goddess of Spring, a make-believe queen of spring. Notice the flowers in her right hand taken from the ones in her skirt, which she holds like an apron. 2 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

4 Look closely and tell me what part of the painting is touched brightly with golden light. (HER SLEEVES AND DRESS) That golden light which shines on her face and clothing is one of the ways you can tell that Rembrandt was the artist. Is the BACKGROUND very light? (NO) Can you tell me the opposite of light? (DARK) Rembrandt was very talented at using LIGHT against DARK. In this next portrait, Rembrandt poses a man in a costume. What do you think he will be? Click Next To Change Slide 5. AN OLD MAN IN THOUGHT What kind of costume is this man wearing? (RULER, KING) Do you think he really is a king, or is he just pretending? Could he be worried about his kingdom? Here is a good view of some of the robes and jewelry that Rembrandt had for his clients and models to wear. Look at the rich-looking fur trim and the shining gold chain. Do you see his use of golden light against the dark background again? (YES) Let s look for Rembrandt s light against dark in this next group portrait. Click Next To Change Slide 6. THE NIGHT WATCH Do you see that special Rembrandt Light Against Dark? (YES) Where do you see that golden light? (TWO MEN IN FRONT, LITTLE GIRL IN WHITE, OTHER FACES IN BACKGROUND) He brings that special glowing light out of the shadows to HIGHLIGHT those parts you just pointed out. This painting is titled The Night Watch, and is one of Rembrandt s famous masterpieces. Let s pretend it is time for you to have your photograph taken. Do you want to look good in your pictures? (YES) Then you would hire a good photographer to take your picture. Would you have to pay for your pictures? (YES) That s just what the men you see here did in the year They were all together in a group in the army, and they wanted their picture done. This was before the camera had been invented, so a picture had to be painted by an artist. Since they wanted an excellent portrait, they decided to hire the most popular portrait painter in Holland. Who would that be? (REMBRANDT) They had seen his other group portraits, and they could tell exactly who each person in the picture was meant to be. Rembrandt agreed to paint their group portrait, and the men were quite excited. They made sure their uniforms were clean and their boots polished. They posed patiently, looking handsome in their uniforms. Then they waited two years to see the finished picture! And their excitement turned to disbelief at what they saw! 3 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

5 Let s see if we can discover why this painting surprised and even shocked these army men of Holland. If you had paid the artist and posed for him many tiring hours, how would you feel if your face didn t even show? Can you find someone in Rembrandt s painting with an arm across his face? (MAN ON RIGHT) Good! Point to it. Remembering this is a company of army men, why would there be a little girl?! No one could understand why Rembrandt added sixteen imaginary figures to the picture. See if you can find the little girl in Rembrandt s painting and point to her. Did Rembrandt shine his special light on her? (YES) Does that make her stand out more than some of the men? (YES) Do you think the men liked that? (NO) When the army men posed for Rembrandt, they dressed all alike in their uniforms and looked serious. Now look at Rembrandt s painting. Did he paint them like they posed? (NO) Would that surprise the men? (YES) Do you think they liked that change? (NO) Rembrandt must have been bored with the idea of an ordinary group portrait with everyone lined up. So he decided to do something different. Instead of painting the men standing and looking at him, he chose to show them in action at the moment their captain had given them orders to march. Does anyone look like they don t know what to do, or where to go? Everyone is moving in different directions. Do they look disorganized? (YES) Can you find the dog among the men? Now let s look at the last group portrait that Rembrandt painted, twenty years later. How do you think Rembrandt will pose this next group? Will they be orderly or disorganized? Let s see. - Click Next To Change Slide 7. SYNDICS OF DRAPER S GUILD To what kind of group do you think these men belong? (BUSINESSMEN, LEADERS) They are five leaders of the cloth makers group, and their president asked Rembrandt to paint a group portrait. So Rembrandt put aside his self-portraits and pictures of Bible stories, and set a fresh canvas on his easel. This was painted twenty years after he finished The Night Watch. Can you find which man is the servant and not the leader? (MAN BEHIND OTHERS) What was your clue? (NO HAT) At whom are the men looking? (THE ARTIST, OR YOU) By painting it this way, we get the feeling that we have just walked in on their meeting, and they all look up to see who is entering the room. Doesn t it seem that they will soon turn back to their work? Rembrandt was very smart to make us feel a part of the picture in this way. In what ways is this different from The Night Watch? (NO ACTION, EVERYONE S FACE CLEARLY SEEN, NO DARK SHADOWS, NO IMAGINARY PEOPLE) What did Rembrandt highlight in this painting? (MEN S FACES, RED TABLECLOTH, WALL) 4 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

6 Do you think the cloth makers group liked this portrait? (YES) You are right! The members all approved of their portrait. Why? (ALL FACES SHOW, ALL DRESSED ALIKE, ORDERLY, SERIOUS) - Click Next To Change Slide 8. SELF-PORTRAIT (AS AN ARTIST) At whom is Rembrandt looking? Yes, he is looking at us. Does it seem like he has been waiting for us to arrive and have our portrait painted? (YES) His gray hair shows he is an older man now. (POINT OUT LIGHTING AND TOOLS OF THE ARTIST.) Let s look closely at his face. How is he feeling? (IMPATIENT, SAD, LONELY, SERIOUS) He showed not only other people s feelings but his feelings as well. Rembrandt continued to paint and draw right up until the end of his life. But his popularity as an artist had faded. He was very poor and lonely. Rembrandt left us his beautiful paintings full of his golden light to remember him. REVIEW GAME Are you ready to play a game to review what you ve learned about Rembrandt s life and art. For each question you answer correctly you will earn one letter of the secret word. When you are finished, I ll tell you how well you scored. REVIEW GAME ANSWERS (For Instructors Only) 1. What country was Rembrandt from? Holland 2. What type of painting did Rembrandt make the most? Self-portraits 3. What did he show most often in his early self-portraits? His face 4. Who dressed up in costumes? He and his Models 5. What did Rembrandt s father own? A Windmill 6. Who paid Rembrandt to paint The Night Watch? Soldiers 7. Name a reason the owners didn t like The Night Watch. Girl in painting 8. How did Rembrandt become wealthy? Selling paintings 9. What happened at the end of Rembrandt s life? He lost all his money 10. Rembrandt was very good at doing what in his paintings? Using light and dark Click Next To Finish Lesson to exit this unit click Back To Units 5 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

7 Step 2 - Learning From: Rembrandt van Rijn Light and Dark Light shining on a shape makes one side light and the other side dark. The light side faces toward the light. The dark side faces away from the light. The light blends into the dark. Use a dark crayon and up and down strokes to color from light to dark here : Start here. Press gently on your crayon. Keep coloring, but press harder. Press hardest on this side. Color the glass shape below with up and down strokes. Use a dark crayon and color from light to dark, as you did above. Press gently on this light side. Press hardest on this side. 6 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

8 Windmill Shapes Rembrant drew the windmills of Holland with basic shapes: To finish the windmill: Draw a big X that crosses on the dot for the arms. 7 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

9 The last few pages of this section contain the Art Activity for Rembrandt van Rijn. This step-by-step outline will be a guide for instructing your child(ren) through the activity. The parent/instructor should review all steps necessary to complete this project before beginning any work. Cut out the Artist Profile Slip below and attach it to the back of the completed art project. Rembrandt van Rijn (REM-brant) - Dutch Rembrandt developed a painting style using light and dark that is unlike that of any other artist. This Rembrandt Lighting creates beautiful contrasts in his etching and painting. He painted more self-portraits than any artist in history a visual autobiography of his life in 17th Century Holland. ART ACTIVITY EMPHASIS: Highlights and Shadows MEDIA: White Chalk, Black Oil Pastel, White Oil Pastel Rembrandt van Rijn (REM-brant) - Dutch Rembrandt developed a painting style using light and dark that is unlike that of any other artist. This Rembrandt Lighting creates beautiful contrasts in his etching and painting. He painted more self-portraits than any artist in history a visual autobiography of his life in 17th Century Holland. ART ACTIVITY EMPHASIS: Highlights and Shadows MEDIA: White Chalk, Black Oil Pastel, White Oil Pastel 8 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

10 Step 3 - Working With: Art Activity Instructions ARTIST Rembrandt van Rijn (REM-brant van RINE) ( ) Dutch ART ELEMENTS Value and space MEDIA White chalk, black and white oil pastels EMPHASIS Rembrandt s use of light TECHNIQUE Working light into dark VOCABULARY Light, dark, highlight, detail VISUAL Print: The Mill SUGGESTED MUSIC (On CD-Rom) Vivaldi - Four Seasons-Spring MATERIALS FOR INSTRUCTOR AND CHILDREN One 9 x 12 sheet of black construction paper One 12 x 18 sheet of newsprint paper Artist Profile Slip White Chalk Black Oil Pastels White Oil Pastels Q-tips Glue PREPARATION Construct an example to become familiar with the procedure. Display the Rembrandt print, and tape your demonstration paper, vertically, in the front of the students. Have your white chalk, oil pastels, and Q-tip nearby. SET-UP [ 5 minutes ] Distribute the following materials to your students: SUPPLIES: White chalk, black oil pastel, white oil pastel, and Q-tip PAPER: One 12 x 15 sheet of black construction paper, one 12 x 18 sheet of newsprint, and one artist profile slip ORIENTATION [ 5 minutes ] Can you name the artist who painted this masterpiece? (Point out the print.) Rembrandt made hundreds of sketches of Holland in the late 1600s. He especially liked to draw the windmills. He started his many sketches with basic shapes, and then he added DETAILS. Today we will draw a windmill the way Rembrandt would have, with light! 9 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

11 DEMONSTRATION AND ACTIVITY (Have the children repeat each step immediately with their materials.) ORGANIZE YOUR WORK AREA [ 2 minutes ] 1. Put your black paper straight up and down in the center of your work area 2. Place your newsprint under it. 3. Put your pastels at the top of your work area. 4. Put your white chalk and Q-tip on your newsprint. THE BASIC SHAPES [10 to 15 minutes] What basic shapes do you think we will use for our windmill? (Answer in the Learning Packet-Cone, Ball, and Glass Shapes) Good! We will start with the ball but we ll flatten it. THE BALL SHAPE Watch first, so you ll know how. 1. Make a dot with your chalk right in the middle of your paper. (Check papers.) 2. Draw a ball resting on top of the dot with your chalk but make it a flattened ball. Go around and around with your chalk until it s the size you want. 3. Then lightly color it in. 4. Did you notice the little grains of white powder that are forming at the edges of your ball? LEAVE THEM! We ll take care of them later! (If they are brushed off, they will leave a trail across the paper.) THE CONE SHAPE 1. Draw a straight line that starts on one side of the ball and goes down. But it doesn t go straight down. It slants out toward the side (demonstrate which side) of the paper. It stops about two hand widths from the bottom. 2. Draw the other side of the cone in the same way. 3. Then connect the bottom of the each line you made with a line that looks like a smile. THE GLASS SHAPE 1. The glass shape will be very short and wide. Draw a line straight down from each side of the cone. Stop about 2 or 3 fingers from the bottom. 2. Connect the bottom of each line with a line that looks just like the smile line you made for the cone. 10 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

12 COLOR THE CONE SHAPE [3 minutes] 1. Let s pretend the sun is shining from the left side, put a tiny dot on the top left hand corner. On which side will the HIGHLIGHT be? (The side facing the dot.) 2. Color the cone first with long up and down strokes. 3. Start on the LIGHT side and color, using long up and down strokes toward the dark side. As you color toward the dark side, use less and less pressure. By the time you get to the DARK side you should use no pressure at all! COLOR THE GLASS SHAPE [3 minutes] Put the highlight on the glass shape just as you did the cone on the same side. Don t forget to IGNORE the white dust! THE WINDMILL BLADES [5 minutes] The windmills of Holland had long arms made of cloth stretched over a wooden frame. We can see the lines of the frame in a Rembrandt sketch. 1. Put a dot on the place you want the blades to cross (as in the Learning pages). 2. Draw a big X crossing on the dot. Start the X almost at the top of the page. Stop near the glass shaped bottom of your windmill. Draw a 1 line at the end of each blade. Draw a line from that line back to the center of the blades (X), creating a long, thin triangle. 3. Color the blades with chalk. CLEAN THE DUST 1. Very carefully pick up your black paper. Hold it right above the scrap paper and tap it gently with your finger. (Demonstrate this technique.) Tap it until no more dust falls off onto the newsprint. 2. Carefully fold the scrap paper in half with the dust inside. BLENDING THE CHALK [1 minute] Use the Q-tip to blend the white chalk. Use vertical strokes to blend the lines together on the building. Follow the lines on the blades. THE HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOW [3 to 5 minutes] 1. Use your white oil pastel to go over each part of the windmill that faces the light to brighten the highlights. 2. Use your black oil pastel to create shadows on the opposite side of the windmill. Keep the 11 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition

13 lines moving vertically. THE DETAIL LINES [5 to 10 minutes] 1. Use the black oil pastel to outline the arms of the windmill. 2. Then outline the rest of the windmill. You may want to add some lines to show the wood frame of the arms. 3. A very small door or window may be added. 4. Some lines to show slats of wood could be added to darken the side. 5. A line to show the tops of bushes on the sides might be added. MOUNTING THE ARTIST PROFILE SLIP [2 minutes] (Profile slips for each artist are provided. They give a brief description of the artist, the technique, and the media used in the art activity. They should be mounted on the back of each art project after it is completed.) 1. Write your name on the front of the artist profile slip. 2. Using glue, mount the profile slip on the back of your artwork. 3. Encourage children to discuss their artwork at home using this artist slip of information. CONCLUSION From what country was Rembrandt? (HOLLAND) Let s visit Holland right now, and especially look at all the beautiful windmills. (SHARE ARTWORK) I CAN SEE THE WIND SPINNING AROUND THE GIANT WINDMILL ARMS. Notice the interesting shapes you see and how the sun creates such beautiful light and shadows. *The white powder marks can be erased! THIS CONCLUDES THE REMBRANDT VAN RIJN UNIT. 12 REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Ages 5 7 MeetTheMasters Online Edition