UNIT 2: Drama Queens (and Kings)
Inspiration: For this unit we begin our exploration of Renaissance techniques that are still used today. While these
techniques have been passed down for centuries, their power to make the 2D, flat surface magically appear 3D still amaze
us. Whether your are using traditional media like pencil, charcoal or oil painter or are a digital artist creating animation or
movies for small screens or large, the Renaissance techniques we will be studying this semester will make your work look
more realistic.
We’ll start by looking at the work of Michelangelo Caravaggio: an orphan, a painter and a mad man wanted for murder.
Research
: (10 points)Go to our online calendar and click on Caravaggio’s name. From his online biography,
answer the following questions:
1. When wasCaravaggio born?
2. What disease killed most of his family?
3. At what age did he start to train as painter?
4. Caravaggio is known for using the tenebrism technique. It is why Ms. Collins is calling this unit Drama Queens (and Kings.) Do a
Google image search for tenebrism and see if you can understand why she chose this name for the unit.
Why is Drama Queens an appropriate name for this unit?
5. The tenebrism technique is a combination of two other techniques developed during the Renaissance. Define these too. You’ll find
links their their definitions on our web calendar.
chiaroscruro:
sfumato:
5. If you read most of the biography of Caravaggio, you will find that he became more violent as he aged. His mad behavior is
contributed to what chemical that also affected the lives of artists Goya and Vincent van Gogh?
To see the use of sfumato and chiaroscruro in works by
Caravaggio, do Google image searches for these paintings
and write a brief description of what they look like:
6. Medusa is a painting
7. In the painting Martyrdrom of St. Mathew we see
8. In the Sacrifice of Isaac we see an angel stopping
Abraham from
9. The painting Narcissus tells the story of Narcissus
as the point where
10. David with the Head of Goliath shows a David
that is feeling
Test/Play: To explore the sfumato and
chiaroscruro techniques do the Hand Tutorial ( 10 points)
Design/Make Art:
Using a photos of yourself, follow the step by step directions on
our online calendar to add dramatic lighting by use of sfumato and
chiaroscruro. (30 points)
EVALUATION/ CRITIQUE:
10 points - Sfumato technique applied (soft edges, values
blend between shadows and highlights)
Chiaroscuro technique
10 points - Added believable highlights
10 points - Added believable shadows
10 points - Watercolor filter
was adjusted to control details, shadows and texture
10 points - Overall quality
Total points possible -
50 pts