Art of
Europe
1800–1945
The materials in this curriculum packet are designed to be used by students
of all ages and their teachers. The entire packet is available as an interactive
program on the Museum’s website at www.slam.org/teachers.
We would appreciate your comments on these materials. Please log onto the
Museum’s website at http://www.slam.org/PacketEvaluation to complete the
online evaluation form.
This curriculum packet contains the following items:
• Posters of twenty artworks from the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum.
Each poster offers information about the work of art and questions for
discussion with students.
• A Teacher’s Guide which includes lesson plans and an annotated list of
source materials
We encourage classes to visit the Museum to view the works in this curriculum
packet. Tours are free and may be scheduled for groups (pre-kindergarten
through adults). All groups, whether led by a Museum docent or self-guided,
must pre-register with the Museum to assure time in the designated galleries.
To schedule a tour, complete the tour request form on the Museum’s website
at www.slam.org/teachers or call the tour hotline at 314.655.5484.
Please allow four week’s notice.
Project team
Bill Appleton, Assistant Director for Public Programs and Education
Louise Cameron, Director of Educational Media
Mike Murawski, Director of School Services
Marianne Cavanaugh, Head Librarian
Nicole Dial, Intern
Written by Louise Cameron, Mike Murawski, Marianne Cavanaugh, Clare Vasquez,
Bill Appleton, Carla Tuetken, Elizabeth Knop, and Nicole Dial.
Edited by Louise Cameron and Fontella Bradford
Designed by Lauri Kramer
Copyright 2010 Saint Louis Art Museum
Cover image:
Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881–1973
Pitcher and Fruit Bowl, 1931
oil on canvas
51 1/4 x 76 3/4 inches
Bequest of Morton D. May 932:1983
© 2010 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Art of
Europe
1800–1945
Table of Contents
List of Posters
List of posters
3
Introduction
4
Learning activities keyed to the Missouri Assessment
Program (MAP) Standards
Studio activities
Digital activities
8
10
Suggested resources
Books
Websites
12
14
1. John Martin, British, 1789–1854
Sadak in Search of the Waters of Oblivion,
1812
oil on canvas
72 1/8 x 51 5/8 inches
Friends Fund 1566:1983
2. Jean-François Millet, French, 1814–1875
The Knitting Lesson, 1869
oil on canvas
39 7/8 x 32 ¾ inches
Museum Purchase 106:1939
3. designed and made by Gebrüder Thonet,
Austria, 1853–1921
Rocking Chaise, 1880
beech and cane
31 7/8 x 26 1/16 x 66 3/16
Richard Brumbaugh Trust in memory of
Richard Irving Brumbaugh and in honor of
Grace Lischer Brumbaugh 249:1992
4. Georges Pierre Seurat, French, 1859–1891
Port-en-Bessin: The Outer Harbor (Low
Tide), 1888
oil on canvas
21 3/8 x 26 ¼ inches
Museum Purchase 4:1934
5. Vincent van Gogh, Dutch, 1853–1890
Stairway at Auvers, July 1890
oil on canvas
19 11/16 x 27 ¾ inches
Museum Purchase 1:1935
6. Edgar Degas, French, 1834–1917
The Milliners, c.1898
oil on canvas
29 5/8 x 32 ¼ inches
Director’s Discretionary Fund; and gift of
Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur D. May, Dr. Ernest G.
Stillman, Mr. and Mrs. Sydney M.
Shoenberg Sr. and Mr. and Mrs. Sydney M.
Shoenberg Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Irving Edison,
and Harry Tenenbaum, bequest of Edward
Mallinckrodt Sr., and gift of Mr. and Mrs.
S. J. Levin, by exchange 25:2007
7. Henri Matisse, French, 1869–1954
Bathers with a Turtle, 1908
oil on canvas
71 ½ x 87 inches
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Pulitzer Jr.
24:1964
2
8. Wassily Kandinsky, Russian, 1866–1944
Winter Landscape, 1911
oil on canvas
37 ¾ x 41 1/8 inches
Bequest of Morton D. May by exchange
142:1986
© 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York / ADAGP, Paris
9. Franz Marc, German, 1880–1916
Tiger, 1912
woodcut
image: 7 7/8 x 9 7/16 inches
Friends Fund 8:2007
10. Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950
The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912–13
oil on canvas
104 ¼ x 130 inches
Bequest of Morton D. May 840:1983
© 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
11. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, German,
1880–1938
Circus Rider, 1914
oil on canvas
79 x 59 7/16 inches
Bequest of Morton D. May 904:1983
12. Claude Monet, French, 1840–1926
Water Lilies, 1916–1926
oil on canvas
78 ¾ x 167 ¾ inches
The Steinberg Charitable Fund 134:1956
13. Amedeo Modigliani, Italian, 1884–1920
Elvira Resting at a Table, 1919
oil on canvas
36 ½ x 23 13/16 inches
Gift of Joseph Pulitzer Jr. in memory of his
wife, Louise Vauclain Pulitzer 77:1968
14. designed and made by Gerrit Thomas
Rietveld, Dutch, 1888–1964
possibly made by Gerard van de Groenekan,
Dutch, 1904–1994
Red Blue Chair, 1919–20
painted wood
34 ¼ x 23 5/8 x 32 ½ inches
Museum Shop Fund and funds given by
Mr. and Mrs. Randy Lipton, Director’s
Discretionary Fund, the Richard Brumbaugh
Trust in memory of Richard Irving Brumbaugh
and Grace Lischer Brumbaugh, Alison and
John Ferring, Roxanne H. Frank, Nancy and
Kenneth Kranzberg, and Susan and David
Mesker 60:2004
15. Carl Jakob Jucker, Swiss, 1902–1997, and
Wilhelm Wagenfeld, German, 1900–1990
Table Lamp, 1923–24
glass and chrome-plated metal
15 x 7 inches
Richard Brumbaugh Trust in memory of
Richard Irving Brumbaugh and in honor of
Grace Lischer Brumbaugh 165:1993a,b
© Maya Bracher and Nani D. Wirth
16. Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881–1973
Pitcher and Fruit Bowl, 1931
oil on canvas
51 ¼ x 76 ¾ inches
Bequest of Morton D. May 932:1983
© 2010 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights
Society (ARS), New York
17. Henri Cartier-Bresson, French, 1908–2004
Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris, 1932,
printed later
gelatin silver print
image: 14 1/8 x 9 5/8 inches
sheet: 16 x 12 inches
Funds given by Mrs. Charles W. Lorenz in
memory of Charles W. Lorenz 78:1989
© Henri Cartier-Bresson / Magnum Photos
18. Piet Mondrian, Dutch, 1872–1944
Composition of Red and White: Nom 1/
Composition No. 4 with red and blue,
1938-42,
oil on canvas
39 ½ x 39 inches
Friends Fund 242:1972
© 2010 Mondrian/Holtzman Trust c/o HCR
International Virginia
19. Max Beckmann, German, 1884–1950
Young Men by the Sea, 1943
oil on canvas
75 3/8 x 39 1/2 inches
Museum Purchase 106:1946
© 2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS),
New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
20. Alberto Giacometti, Swiss, 1901–1966
Hands Holding the Void (Invisible Object),
1934–35, cast c.1946–47
bronze
60 x 12 x 9 ½ inches
Friends Fund 217:1966
3
Introduction
Contents of the Packet
This packet contains materials that explore the Saint
Louis Art Museum’s Modern collection. For students
there are posters with images, abbreviated text, short
biographies of the artists, and questions that can help
explore the works in the classroom or at the Museum.
The booklet contains resource material for teachers
including learning activities which can serve as a springboard to individual research, group discussion, and
classroom activities.
What is Modern Art?
The Saint Louis Art Museum’s collection of Modern Art
encompasses painting, sculpture, and decorative arts
from 1800 to the end of World War II. It includes works
made in major European countries, particularly France
and Germany, and represents a broad spectrum of ideas
and styles.
Although this packet does not use an art historical
approach to explore the twenty works selected, the
discipline of art history can help supply a broad meaning
of the term modern. Marilyn Stokstad in her survey book
Art History says there were two fundamental characteristics that defined the modernist movement. The first
was a commitment to progressive formal innovation on
the part of the artists. The second was the belief that
through art, people could address the problems of
modern life. Each generation of modern artists defined
progress as building on the most important discoveries of
the preceding generation, and addressing contemporary
social and intellectual challenges. However, because the
artists could not agree on the parameters of these issues,
there is a bewildering diversity of solutions in the works
of art referred to as modern.
Millet and Degas
The Knitting Lesson (poster 2) by Jean-Francois Millet
and The Milliners (poster 6) by Edgar Degas both
depict nineteenth-century women working with their
hands. Although the paintings were created thirty years
apart and the women featured were from different
environments—Millet’s knitters were from rural
Barbizon while Degas’ hatmakers were in urban Paris—
both paintings pay tribute to the honest work of women
creating functional objects. In each painting a person
seems to be instructing another, although the styles in
which they are rendered are very different. How did
Japanese prints, Impressionism, and modern urban
life influence Degas’ work? How are Millet’s rural
surroundings and exposure to peasant life reflected
in his style?
How can we make meaning of Modern Art?
Making meaning of modern art does not have to mean
pigeonholing works and artists into movements like
Impressionism and Cubism. By looking closely and
considering style and content, students can make
connections between works of art from different times
and places. This curriculum packet lets students explore
twenty works of modern art by comparing and contrasting works through style and content, encouraging
them to look deeply and engage with the art itself.
Matisse and Beckmann
Henri Matisse’s Bathers with a Turtle (poster 7) and
Max Beckmann’s Young Men by the Sea (poster 19), key
works in the Museum’s collection, share elements of
both style and subject matter. Matisse’s much-studied
painting features three nude women who crouch, stand,
or sit. Compare them to Beckmann’s four young men
who stand and sit on a beach. Both groups are in
landscapes that suggest water and shore. But while the
women’s attention is focused on a turtle between them,
the men seem separate in their thoughts and actions,
bound together only by the shallow space into which
the artist has compressed them. Both paintings present
enigmatic scenes. Who are these characters? Why are
they together? How do they reflect their artists’ thoughts
about human relationships and modern life?
Picasso and Thonet
To begin an exploration of the works in this packet,
compare and contrast what might seem to be two
very different works, Pitcher and Fruit Bowl by Pablo
Picasso (poster 16) and Rocking Chaise by Gerbruder
Thonet (poster 3). Although one is a painting and the
other a functional object, they share a structure of long,
swooping curved lines. The Chaise’s curves were created
4
by a technologically innovative process of steaming
and bending wood; Picasso’s delightful curved lines
were painted by the artist’s own hand. The Chaise is
a functional object made in 1880 by assembly-line
workers at an Austrian factory. Picasso created his
still life painting, a two-dimensional image on canvas,
working alone in his Paris studio fifty years later. Both
works resulted from innovative thinking that produced
a physical object. Was Picasso aware of Thonet’s
furniture? Did it, or something else, inspire the sinuous
line in the painting? Art historians have some theories,
but what can students conclude on their own, or
through research, about these two works?
Martin and Beckmann
Another pair of works shows how two modern artists,
John Martin and Max Beckmann, present stories.
British artist John Martin’s Sadak in Search of the Waters
of Oblivion (poster 1) is based on a fictional story from
Tales of the Genii in which Sadak, a Persian nobleman
attempts to rescue his wife, who is being held captive.
Beckmann’s work The Sinking of the Titanic (poster 10)
is based on newspaper accounts of a contemporary
historic event. Through the compositions used in these
paintings, the artists created images of man’s struggle
against nature. In Martin’s painting the upper two thirds
of the canvas is filled with volcanic peaks which tower
threateningly above the hero Sadak as he clings to a
rocky shelf. In The Sinking of the Titanic, Beckmann
constructed a high horizon line, placing the ship and
iceberg at the top of the canvas and filling most of
the painting with lifeboats and people struggling to
survive. Do you think the two artists are optimistic
or pessimistic about the outcome in each story?
5
Mondrian, Rietveld, and the Bauhaus Lamp
Monet and Seurat
Images of nature abound in this next pair of paintings
that use landscape to explore color. Claude Monet’s
Water Lilies (poster 12), from the artist’s garden at
Giverny, is a very large canvas; in fact it is the center
panel of a triptych. In the painting broken brushstrokes
of blue, lavender, and green blend when viewed from a
distance, but break into a shimmering curtain of light
when observed close up. Georges Seurat’s Port-en-Bessin:
The Outer Harbor (Low Tide) (poster 4) also treats the
effects of sun on water, but here the artist uses a very
different vocabulary. Through a technique called
Pointillism, invented by Seurat, precise dots of color
placed methodically on the canvas seem to create
shapes and surfaces. Although both these paintings
have their roots in the Impressionist movement, the
two artists used very different approaches. How would
you describe the application of paint in each work?
Kirchner and Cartier-Bresson
Sometimes a connection is not obvious on the surface of
two works of art. Circus Rider (poster 11), a painting by
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, shows a man riding a prancing
horse within a circus ring. Many circles and curves in
the composition and the angle from which we view
the ring, high up in the stands, add to the motion
and excitement of the performance. A photograph,
Henri Cartier-Bresson’s Behind the Gare Saint-Lazare,
Paris (poster 17), exhibits a very different sense of action,
although, it too hints at involvement with circus imagery
in its movement and repeated shapes. The reference to
the circus in the photograph is very subtle. What aspects
of the circus could have led these two artists to view it
as a metaphor for modern life?
Mondrian’s painting Composition of Red and White:
Nom 1/Composition No. 4 with red and blue, 1938–42
(poster 18) and Gerrit Rietveld’s Red Blue Chair (poster 14)
both appear to be composed of strong horizontal
and vertical lines and primary colors. We know that
Mondrian reduced painting to essential elements of line
and color; Rietveld was also interested in the reduction
of form—in his case a chair became the vehicle. Carl
Jucker and Wilhelm Wagenfeld’s Table Lamp (poster 15),
often referred to as the Bauhaus Lamp, is a light fixture
also pared down to essential elements. The lamp has a
round base and spherical shade connected by a vertical
cylinder which carries the electricity necessary to light
the bulb. Although Mondrian’s painting, Rietveld’s
chair, and the lamp were executed years apart, the
aesthetic roots of all three are in the De Stijl movement.
De Stijl artists in early twentieth-century Holland sought
a new reductionist style that would reflect the spirit of
modern times. How are De Stijl’s principles, including
planar elements, primary colors, and asymmetrical
compositions, visible in these three objects?
Marc, Giacometti, and Modigliani
Grouping seventeen works of modern art has left three
still to be explored. They are Franz Marc’s Tiger
(poster 9), a woodblock print; Alberto Giacometti’s
sculpture, Hands Holding the Void (Invisible Object)
(poster 20); and Elvira Resting at a Table (poster 13),
a painting by Amedeo Modigliani. What combinations
would you construct from these three works? And what
questions do they raise? Would you see connections
between them and other works of art in the packet?
Would you make different groupings than the ones we
chose? We leave it to you to look closely, talk to your
colleagues, do research, and explore the art for yourself!
Van Gogh and Kandinsky
Two landscapes painted only twenty years apart relate
to the development of abstraction. Vincent van Gogh’s
Stairway at Auvers (poster 5), painted in 1890, pictures a
street in a French town. Van Gogh’s characteristic
brushstrokes and brilliant colors energize the scene
6
that includes a road and a stairway cutting diagonally
through the composition. In Wassily Kandinsky’s
Winter Landscape (poster 8), a large tree dominates
the foreground; in the middle ground a locomotive
belching smoke emerges from behind the tree; the
background shows a mountain and the roofs of a
town. Kandinsky evokes the essence of a cold winter
day while Van Gogh’s colors bring spring to mind.
Kandinsky has been described as “moving toward a
language of pure abstraction.” Do you think this
applies to Van Gogh as well?
7
Learning Activities
Studio Activities
Featured artwork
Featured artwork
Featured artwork
Featured artwork
Jean-François Millet, The Knitting Lesson, 1869
Lesson 1: Narrative Drawing or Painting
Level: Elementary and Middle School
Pablo Picasso, Pitcher and Fruit Bowl, 1931
Lesson 2: Drawing an Abstract Still Life
Level: Elementary and Middle School
Max Beckmann, The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912–1913
Lesson 3: Painting, Disaster Scene
Level: High School, 9–12
Alberto Giacometti, Hands Holding the Void
(Invisible Object), 1946–1947
Lesson 4: Sculpture/Ceramics
Level: High School, 9–12
Objectives:
• The students will be able to investigate and discuss
the qualities of the painting
• The students will be able to write a positive memory
in which a teacher, friend, or family member is teaching
them to perform a new skill such as sewing, hitting
a baseball, building a kite, baking, etc.
• The students will create a drawing or painting as a
visual representation of their memory in narrative form
Objectives:
• The students will be able to discover and discuss the
meaning of abstract art
• The students will be able to describe what a still life
is and why artists choose to work with them
• The students will create an abstract drawing of a still
life showing movement in their composition
Objectives:
• The students will be able to discuss this painting in
relation to the Titanic disaster, as well as the way in
which the artist chose to depict this event
• The students will be able to research facts regarding
a recent event that occurred during their lifetime
• The students will be able to write a description of
the event and its effects on the lives of its victims in a
one-page, short-story document using their own words
• The students will create a painting that illustrates a
scene of the event
Materials:
• SLAM Curriculum Packet—Art of Europe 1800–1945
(print or online version)
• Writing paper, pencil, drawing and/or painting
materials
Activity:
Discover the visual clues of the art reproduction and
discuss with the class. Ask the students to close their
eyes and remember a time when someone taught them
a new skill. Next, ask them to write a description of
what they remember in their journal. Discuss the style
the artist worked in while creating the narrative painting.
Have the students draw and/or paint their personal
written memory with the materials provided, creating
their own narrative work of art.
Alternative Suggestion:
This lesson could also be used for middle or high
school students using clay to create a scene sculpturally
or in relief.
MAP Standards
CA1, 4, FA1, 2, 3, 5
1.5, 1.9, 2.5
8
Materials:
• SLAM Curriculum Packet—Art of Europe 1800–1945
(print or online version)
• music (instrumental, teacher’s choice)
• paper, pencil, colored pencils, oil pastels, or crayons
Activity:
Set up a still life in the classroom and discuss the visual
movement through the use of line in Picasso’s work.
Next, ask the students to close their eyes and listen to
the music you have selected. Ask them to imagine the
way a line would look if it could represent the sounds
they hear. Play the music again and ask the students to
draw their imagined line on paper. Have each of the
students take the paper and pencil only, and move to a
new seat. They should draw part of the still life from
there using their line as an element, and then move again
and again drawing parts of the still life from a different
angle at each sitting. When they move back to their
original seat they should finish the composition by
completing areas of the drawing and using color.
MAP Standards:
FA1, 2, 4, 5
2.4, 5, 3.5
Materials:
• SLAM Curriculum Packet—Art of Europe 1800–1945
(print or online version)
• paper, pencil, painting materials
Activity:
After discovering some of the key aspects of Beckmann’s
painting that relate to the historical scene depicted,
discuss recent events that may have had an impact on
the students’ lives or the lives of others such as a flood
or hurricane, a war, or an earthquake. The students will
choose an event and write a short story regarding their
selection. Give the students the opportunity to write
a story that can be either fact-based, first-person, or
narrative, depending on the students’ writing preferences.
Next, discuss the elements and principles of design
that could be utilized in their painting by referring to
Beckmann’s work. Remind them to consider foreground, middle ground, and background as they
create their paintings.
MAP Standards
CA1, 4, 5, FA1, 2, 3, 4, 5
1.2, 5, 9, 2.1, 4, 5, 3.5
Objectives:
• The students will be able to learn about the artist
and what some of his inspiration was in creating this
work of art
• The students will be able to demonstrate an
understanding of Surrealist art through their
personal work of art
• The students will create a three-dimensional work
incorporating the elements and principles of design
Materials:
• SLAM Curriculum Packet—Art of Europe 1800–1945
(print or online version)
• Sketchbook or paper, sculptural or clay materials,
and supplies
Activity:
After Giacometti’s work has been explored and the
students are familiar with terms pertaining to his artwork,
ask them to think about what type of mask they would
use to represent some aspect or component of themselves.
They should sketch out their ideas in their sketchbooks,
then integrate their mask drawings into a sketch of a
figure wearing the mask. They should consider how to
create the mask three-dimensionally, and what type of
base would work best to support their work. After a
teacher demonstration regarding the use of tools and
materials, the students will create a three-dimensional
Surrealist work of art based on their sketches and ideas.
MAP Standards
FA1, 2, 3, 5
2.3, 4, 5
9
Learning Activities
Digital activity
Creating a digital story about Modern European Art
Goals
People have been writing books and stories for thousands
of years. Today users of digital tools have the possibility
of creating a digital story which incorporates images and
sound. This curriculum packet introduces the concept
of using artwork from the Saint Louis Art Museum’s
curriculum packet European Art: 1800–1945 supplemented by other digital material from the internet along
with text to create a presentation that can be shared
with a variety of audiences. Below is a lesson plan that
outlines some of the possibilities for working on this
project with an art class or other group of students.
Lesson 1
Discuss the project with students. If possible show
the demo from the online curriculum packet (found
at www.slam.org/modern). Images of Beckmann’s
work in this presentation are © 2010 Artists Rights
Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.
Describe what you want in a script—a story that
has a beginning, middle and end, and has a problem
or challenge that is resolved through action.
Materials
• SLAM curriculum packet—European Art 1800–1945
(print or online version)
• Computer
• Software to create a slide show, movie, or other digital
presentation. Some available tools are:
Power Point; iMovie (Mac);
Movie Maker (PC); Animoto
• Access to online images of art work. SLAM images
can be accessed at www.slam.org/emuseum
• Camera and microphone (optional)
MAP Standards
CA6; FA3
1.5, 2.2, 2.3
Allow students to choose one of the following:
Tell a story about a modern European artist
who is featured in the curriculum packet
•
Tell a story about one work of art featured
in the packet
•
Use the works of art in the packet to illustrate
a fictional story that the student creates
Give examples of ideas for each format.
•
Objectives
• The students will be able to discuss in depth at least
one aspect of European Modern Art
• The students will be able to organize their thoughts
to create a script for a digital presentation
• The students will be able to utilize an online tool to
put together a presentation for their peers containing
images and sound
• The students will be able to assess the quality of
their own digital presentation and those of others
Lesson 2
Divide the students into groups of three or four.
Ask each student to share his or her script ideas in
the small group and discuss what is good about the
ideas and how they could be improved or expanded.
At this time make the option available to work in
pairs on the final project.
Ask students to make an outline of their ideas
including a list of art images or other materials
they plan to use.
MAP Standards
CA 5, 6; FA 1, 4, 5
2.1, 2.4, 2.5
Homework
Ask students to develop a full-blown script for their
digital stories. Review the scripts for errors and
other possible glitches.
Lesson 3
Depending on the availability of computers and
other equipment, have students work alone or in
pairs to construct their productions. Make sure that
students give credit for all images and text materials
appropriated from websites and other sources.
MAP Standards
CA1, 4; FA1
2.1, 2.7
If your school has a website, investigate putting one or
more of the best presentations on line for public viewing.
Assessment
• Did each student complete a project either alone or
working with a partner?
• Is the presentation engaging and creative? Is the story
clear to the viewer? Is there a beginning, middle, and
end, and a problem that is solved?
• Is the presentation technically sound? Did the student
use the medium well? Are the images clear? If there is
sound, is it clear and synchronized with the images?
Does the timing of the images make the story easy
to follow?
• Did the student give credit for images and text borrowed
from other sources?
• Was the student able to explain his or her process to
other viewers?
Grading rubric
To earn a top grade:
• Assignment must be complete and handed in on time.
• The product should satisfy all the criteria listed.
• The lesson should demonstrate creativity,
thoughtfulness, and a solid connection to the
Museum’s collections.
• The oral presentation should be dynamic as well
as clear.
Lesson 4
Share the digital presentations with the class and
critique each. If desired, have a formal presentation
to share the productions with students in other
classes and/or parents.
MAP Standards
CA6; FA1
2.1, 2.4
10
11
Suggested Resources
Books
Grades PK–3
General
Editors of Phaidon Press. The Art Book for Children:
Book 2, 2007.
This overview spans from the 14th century to today
with pictures of famous works of art accompanied
by interactive questions and simple observations that
encourage readers to observe details. The book can
be used to stimulate discussion and a higher level of
art appreciation.
Impressionism & Post-Impressionism
Laurence Anholt. Anholt’s Artists Books for
Children, 2007.
This series of books introduces children to the artist’s
life by using a story where the artist encounters a child.
The illustrations include reproductions of famous
paintings. Relevant titles include:
• Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail
• Matisse the King of Color
• Van Gogh and the Sunflowers
• Degas and the Little Dancer
R. Sarah Richardson. Come Look With Me:
The Artist at Work, 2003.
Part of a series by innovative art educators, this book
presents a dozen works of art, each by a different artist.
Fine illustrations accompany brief, illuminating text
and questions to stimulate thought and discussion.
This volume includes Millet, Monet, Degas,
Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne.
12
Grades 4–7
Middle and High School
Expressionism & Modernism
Joyce Raimondo. Express Yourself!: Activities and
Adventures in Expressionism, 2005.
This volume in the Art Explorers series is aimed at
readers in Grades 1–5, but younger children would also
enjoy the suggested projects. Through good illustrations,
brief background information, guiding questions, and
creative activities, the book introduces young students
to the aims and the art of this movement, from modern
Expressionists (Van Gogh, Munch) to German
Expressionists (Kirchner, Kandinsky) to Abstract
General
Gillian Wolfe. Oxford First Book of Art, 2001.
This introduction to art teaches children to pose
thoughtful questions which help them understand
what the artist is trying to communicate.
General
Penelope J. E. Davies. Janson’s History of Art: The Western
Tradition. 8th ed., 2010.
Expressionists (De Kooning, Pollock).
Impressionism & Post-Impressionism
Richard Mühlberger. What Makes a Degas a Degas?,
2002.
This series offers an advanced appreciation of an
individual artist by giving a sense of the artist’s
whole career and examining individual achievements.
The book includes a study of The Millinery Shop, a
painting similar to SLAM’s The Milliners. Another
book in this series (What Makes a Monet a Monet?)
studies a large water lily panel similar to SLAM’s
Water Lilies.
Nina Laden. When Pigasso Met Mootisse, 1998.
This is a breezy, pun-filled tale of an artistic pig and bull
whose friendship is tested by their rivalry as painters.
The illustrations exuberantly mirror the styles of Picasso
and Matisse. An afterword provides factual background
for the story.
Todd Oldham. Kid Made Modern, 2009.
This book has many art-making projects for kids of all
ages. Commentary on modern design helps underscore
the rationale for fabricating various usable objects.
Expressionism & Modernism
Doris Kutschbach and Andrea P. A. Belloli. The Blue
Rider: The Yellow Cow Sees the World in Blue, 1997.
Through reproductions, drawings, and lively text,
this book explores the art of The Blue Rider group
of Expressionists: Wassily Kandinsky, Alexej Jawlensky,
Paul Klee, August Macke, Franz Marc, and
Gabriele Münter.
Impressionism & Post-Impressionism
Antony Mason. At the Time of Renoir (Art Around the
World), 2001.
This book presents a succinct history of art, from
nineteenth-century Realism to the beginnings of
Expressionism. It profiles the major artists and explores
influences and innovations (Japonisme, photography)
that affected their art.
Expressionism & Modernism
Bridget McKenzie and Merilyn Holme. Expressionists
(Artists in Profile), 2003.
This book concisely discusses the characteristics of the
Expressionist movement, its historical context in Germany,
and the biographies of its major artists, including
Beckmann, Kirchner, and Marc.
Abrams Discoveries
This series of small, well-researched books includes
illustrations of the artists and primary documents such
as diary entries or letters. Interested students will benefit
from the bibliography for further reading.
Relevant titles in the series are:
• Pascal Bonafoux. Van Gogh: The Passionate Eye.
New York: Abrams, 1992.
• Clement Charoux. Henri Cartier-Bresson. New York:
Abrams, 2008.
13
Suggested Resources
Websites
General sites about modern art
Sites about individual artists in this packet
http://www.moma.org/interactives/destination/#
Interactive game from the Museum of Modern Art
in New York. A little dated but the information is
still good.
Martin
books.google.com/books?id=oZc9AAAAYAAJ&printsec
=frontcover&dq=tales+of+the+g
http://enii&cd=10#v=onepage&q&f=false
The original story of Sadak is on page 255.
http://www.nga.gov/kids/zone/zone.htm
The National Gallery’s collection of creative games for
kids. Activities related to various media and formats.
Millet
http://www.eduweb.com/pintura/
Art history adventure game involving a painting by Millet
Thonet
http://www.designboom.com/eng/education/rocking/
modern.html
Amusing pictorial history of rocking chairs including the
Thonet Chaise
Seurat
http://www.epcomm.com/center/point/point.htm
Website where you can create your own dot painting
using the pointillator, with links to some additional text
on the artist.
Van Gogh
http://www.eduweb.com/insideart/
A web adventure featuring paintings by Van Gogh
and Picasso
Degas
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7781483374
506241133#docid=-1115369040791648726
Fascinating black and white video on hat-making that
simulates very old footage
Matisse
http://www.artbma.org/flash/F_conekids.swf
Animated and photographic game to meet Matisse
through his dog
14
Kandinsky
http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/watch_space_
overlap.cfm
Animated segment to learn about foreground, middle
ground, and background
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2009/
bauhaus/Main.html#/Kandinsky%20Questionnaire
Questionnaire that Kandinsky gave his students at
the Bauhaus
Marc
http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/watch_types_
line.cfm
Animated segment about line featuring the Museum’s
Tiger (poster 9).
Beckmann—Titanic
http://www.titanic-facts.com/1912-the-sinking-of-thetitanic.html
A whole website on Titanic facts
Beckmann—Young Men by the Sea
http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?a
rtistFilterInitial=&criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A429&
page_number=1&template_id=SS&sort_order=1
Slide show of works by Beckmann including prints and
drawings for teachers and older students
Kirchner
http://www.circopedia.org/index.php/Main_Page
Everything you need to know about the history of circuses
Monet
http://giverny.org/gardens/fcm/visitgb.htm#visit
Photo tour of Monet’s garden at Giverny
Modigliani
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/
modigliani.html
Nicely detailed biography of the artist
Rietveld
http://vimeo.com/5684928
Very short video showing the chair from all angles
Jucker and Wagenfeld
http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?
object_id=4056
Short bios of the designers and interpretive text about
the Bauhaus Table Lamp (poster 15)
Picasso
http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html
Creative game in which the player creates a portrait
in the style of Picasso
Cartier-Bresson
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story
Id=1318621
Audio clip of an interview with the photographer
from 2003
Mondrian
http://www.moma.org/explore/multimedia/audios/1/8
Audio clip with kids discussing features of a work
by Mondrian
Giacometti
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2001/
giacometti/start/goflash.html
Slide show of works by the artist
15
One Fine Arts Drive, Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri 63110-1380
Telephone 314.721.0072 www.slam.org
© 2010 Saint Louis Art Museum