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5th Grade: Notion of Everlasting Life
Mythology: Egyptian / Polynesian Influence
"O heart of my mother, O heart of my mother, Do not stand against me as a witness. Do not outweigh me before, Anubis, the keeper of the balance..."
Students are immersed in the aura of Egyptian mythology from the concept of an eternal afterlife to the vastly worshipped deities of river, desert, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, birth and death that sustained that orderly world. The Egyptians saw divinity in everything, pervading every aspect of their daily life. Students explore this sophisticated and glorified ancient civilization from noble burial preservation of the body for its journey to the afterlife to the smallest of creatures, the Scarab beetle--the most exalted insect in the world symbolizing spontaneous creation and rebirth--for which the message above is imprinted on the backside of a Scarab amulet placed over the heart of the mummified deceased at time of burial. Students explore these iconic Egyptian art forms through the creation of Scarab Beetle gold reliefs and 3-dimensional clay sculptures of well-known, highly revered Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Reasonable proportions of the face, body and headdress are paramount to achieving stability of form and likeness of a specific well-known deity, for which that same consideration is explored in student's Polynesian-influenced artwork. Shifting from Egypt to the Moai Statues on Rapa Nui and the myths that foretell the creation of the Hawaiian Islands, students learn about 'Maui, the mythical fisherman' whose magic fish hook can lasso the sun, pull earth formations to the water's surface, and bring fire to man. Before illustrating their own silhouetted, mythical visions of themselves possessing these magic powers against a vibrant liquid watercolor backdrop, students practice drawing proportional silhouettes of figures in motion within their art journals. Their final paintings reveal a sublime topographical setting of near and far earth formations and celestial bodies at the mercy of heroic acts by human figures leaping, diving and harnessing the earth with a wooden fish hook attached to a thinning string to create the illusion of deep space. Knowledge of color theory completes the overall mood of the artwork as students blend warm and cool color palettes to dramatize this mythical tale of heroism.
The all-grade level culminating art project turns a child's mythological scrutiny inwards. After hearing the folk tale, The Elephant and the Blind Men, that reminds us that our own perceptions are, in-part, mythical, students create meaningful mandalas that emphasize the 'specialness and uniqueness of Self' at its center. Using personal, symbolic treasures placed at the heart of their art piece, students then trace radial-symmetric patterns onto tie-dyed, translucent gauze-fabric through carbon sheets, then overlay gold fabric-paint to create an embossed effect that reveals an overall visual balance and unity. Each child's mandala represents a constructed mythology that stems outwards from the 'SELF' to the roots of family and community beyond.
*The Gallery Artwork below sequentially takes you through the Fifth Grade art course described above. Students explore proportional and spatial relationships, texture, form and color in imaginative, thought-provoking ways to achieve an air of empowerment, nobility, heroism, and above all, immortality...
Artwork shown: 5th grade students from Marengo Elementary; Arroyo Vista Elementary
5th Grade: Notion of Everlasting Life
Mythology: Egyptian / Polynesian Influence
"O heart of my mother, O heart of my mother, Do not stand against me as a witness. Do not outweigh me before, Anubis, the keeper of the balance..."
Students are immersed in the aura of Egyptian mythology from the concept of an eternal afterlife to the vastly worshipped deities of river, desert, vegetation, sun, moon, stars, birth and death that sustained that orderly world. The Egyptians saw divinity in everything, pervading every aspect of their daily life. Students explore this sophisticated and glorified ancient civilization from noble burial preservation of the body for its journey to the afterlife to the smallest of creatures, the Scarab beetle--the most exalted insect in the world symbolizing spontaneous creation and rebirth--for which the message above is imprinted on the backside of a Scarab amulet placed over the heart of the mummified deceased at time of burial. Students explore these iconic Egyptian art forms through the creation of Scarab Beetle gold reliefs and 3-dimensional clay sculptures of well-known, highly revered Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Reasonable proportions of the face, body and headdress are paramount to achieving stability of form and likeness of a specific well-known deity, for which that same consideration is explored in student's Polynesian-influenced artwork. Shifting from Egypt to the Moai Statues on Rapa Nui and the myths that foretell the creation of the Hawaiian Islands, students learn about 'Maui, the mythical fisherman' whose magic fish hook can lasso the sun, pull earth formations to the water's surface, and bring fire to man. Before illustrating their own silhouetted, mythical visions of themselves possessing these magic powers against a vibrant liquid watercolor backdrop, students practice drawing proportional silhouettes of figures in motion within their art journals. Their final paintings reveal a sublime topographical setting of near and far earth formations and celestial bodies at the mercy of heroic acts by human figures leaping, diving and harnessing the earth with a wooden fish hook attached to a thinning string to create the illusion of deep space. Knowledge of color theory completes the overall mood of the artwork as students blend warm and cool color palettes to dramatize this mythical tale of heroism.
The all-grade level culminating art project turns a child's mythological scrutiny inwards. After hearing the folk tale, The Elephant and the Blind Men, that reminds us that our own perceptions are, in-part, mythical, students create meaningful mandalas that emphasize the 'specialness and uniqueness of Self' at its center. Using personal, symbolic treasures placed at the heart of their art piece, students then trace radial-symmetric patterns onto tie-dyed, translucent gauze-fabric through carbon sheets, then overlay gold fabric-paint to create an embossed effect that reveals an overall visual balance and unity. Each child's mandala represents a constructed mythology that stems outwards from the 'SELF' to the roots of family and community beyond.
*The Gallery Artwork below sequentially takes you through the Fifth Grade art course described above. Students explore proportional and spatial relationships, texture, form and color in imaginative, thought-provoking ways to achieve an air of empowerment, nobility, heroism, and above all, immortality...
Artwork shown: 5th grade students from Marengo Elementary; Arroyo Vista Elementary
Project 1: Gold Reliefs-- Revered Egyptian Scarab Beetles
Project 2: Watercolor / India Ink-- Polynesian Myths of Epic Proportions
Project 3: Clay Sculpture-- The Egyptian Gods
Project 4: Watercolor / Ink-- Mandalas
