THE DIRTY DOZEN

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THE DIRTY DOZEN

• Twelve works of art you should know!

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American Gothic, Grant Wood

• What is the mans relationship to the woman?
• Why is the farmer holding a pitch fork? Did Wood
  have a good idea for the painting? (content)
• How well did he paint the individuals to create a
  mood? (technique)
• What does the title American Gothic mean?
  (context)

3
Christinas World, Andrew Wyeth

• What is the girls connection with her
  environment (the house)?
• Why did Wyeth pick Christina? Why is there space
  between her and the house? (content)
• How well is the painting balanced? Do you like
  the simple way it was painted? (technique)
• Are there any clues that the painter was
  American? (context)

4
The Scream, Edvard Munch

• What does this painting tell about the
  relationship between the screaming figure and the
  background figures? What about the figure and
  the environment?
• Why is the figure screaming? Why would he paint
  negative feelings? (content)
• How well does he use line, color, and placement
  to get the idea of screaming? (technique)
• Can you tell this painting was done in Norway?
  How well does this painting express an emotion?

5
Guernica, Pablo Picasso

• How does this painting show there is a conflict
  in the way people are getting along?
• Why is the painting black and white? Find the
  different images. What do they mean? Why were
  they included? What was Picasso upset about? How
  do the abstract figures help him say
  this?(content)
• Can you tell what was happening in the world at
  this time? (context)
• Why did the artist use black and white? Do you
  like the way he arranged the shapes? Did he
  abstract well? (technique)

6
Creation of Man, Michelangelo Buonarroti

• How does this painting connect man to the
  spiritual world?
• What was the painting used for? (content)
• How well could Michelangelo paint figures? What
  is a fresco? (technique)
• How did the painting reflect what people were
  thinking about at this time? (context)

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The Syndics, Rembrandt van Rijn

• Who are the men in this painting? Why are they
  put together in this setting?
• Why did Rembrandt paint a group portrait?
  (content)
• How well did he get individual likenesses? Do
  you think he could make a good portrait of you?
  (technique)
• Can you tell that artists at his time were trying
  to capture personality in the portrait besides a
  likeness? (context)

8
Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night

• What is Van Goghs connection with nature?
• Why did he paint this night scene? (context)
• How well does he use color and texture?
  (technique)
• Have you ever seen a sky like this? Why did he
  leave the paint strokes? (context)

9
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte,
Georges Seurat

• Who are the people in this painting? Why have
  they gathered together?
• Why would Seurat paint this scene? (content)
• The painting is large but painted with small dots
  of paint. What skill and knowledge would the
  artist need? (technique)
• What do you know about what it was like to live
  in France in the late 1800s by looking at this
  painting?

10
Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali

• How does this painting connect with Dalis inner
  self?
• Where did he get this idea from? Why are there
  dripping clocks and insects in this painting?
  (content)
• Why were some artists at this time getting their
  ideas from dreams? (context)
• How well did Dali paint realistically? Could
  this scene exist somewhere? (technique)

11
Queen Nefertiti

• What is the connection between the sculpture and
  the afterlife?
• How much of the Egyptians culture was based on
  death? (context)
• Why is this sculpture memorable? Why was it
  made? (content)
• How well do you think the anonymous sculptor
  could paint and carve limestone? (technique)

12
Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave at Kanagawa

• What is the relationship between man and nature?
• Why is there a mountain in the background?
  (context)
• What do you notice about the direction of lines?
  Why does it appear flat? (technique)
• Why is the wave so big and the figures in the
  boat small? (content)

13
Michelangelo, David

• What is the relationship between David and an
  ideal of beauty?
• Why is the sculpture nude? (context)
• Who was David? (content)
• How well could Michelangelo carve marble? Is the
  sculpture proportionally correct? (technique)