This webquest will introduce you to the history of mural painting around the world. This should provide you with a good foundation for the development of the South Omaha Mural Project that we will be developing throughout this class. Part of learning about art is developing an understanding of the styles used throughout history. You will also become aware of the different aesthetics of cultures around the globe. This should provide you with a good foundation for generating ideas for the South Omaha Mural we will be working on as a group in class.
At the end of this unit, you will have created a mural design never before seen by human (or other) eyes. If you do it well, it will reflect one or more of the specific cultures you explored during this activity. First, you and your group will study a number of examples and will tease out what these examples have in common and how they differ from each other. Along the way, you'll submit activities that will demonstrate your understanding of the material. Then, with that new understanding, you will create a new example of this form of expression. To get there, though, you'll have to get ready to travel!
At the end of this unit, you will have created a mural design never before seen by human (or other) eyes. If you do it well, it will reflect one or more of the specific cultures you explored during this activity. First, you and your group will study a number of examples and will tease out what these examples have in common and how they differ from each other. Along the way, you'll submit activities that will demonstrate your understanding of the material. Then, with that new understanding, you will create a new example of this form of expression. To get there, though, you'll have to get ready to travel!
For each step of the activity, you'll visit a specific website, indicated below. Read the content and view the media content that is present on each page. Answer the following questions below for each topic. You'll end the segment by comparing the two periods.
Paleolithic Murals
Visit the following sites on Paleolithic Art and answer the following questions:
Neolithic Murals
Visit the following sites on Neolithic murals:
Listen to the NPR 4-minute newscast:
Exercise 1
Considering what you learned from the sites above, and the answers you provided for the questions, create a document that compares and contrasts Paleolithic and Neolithic painting. This could be a simple document with two columns, one for Paleolithic and one for Neolithic that lists the similarities and differences of the criteria you choose. Or, you might prefer to write an essay. Alternatively, you could be more creative and design a slide show or narrate a screencast.
Consider the following criteria: medium and materials, locations, iconography, subjects, narratives, and anything else you might think of.
Read the content and view the media content that is present on each page. Answer the following questions below for each topic. You'll end the segment by comparing the two periods.
Bronze Age Murals
Visit the following sites on Bronze Age painting and answer the following questions:
Classical Murals
Visit the following sites on Greco-Roman murals:
Exercise 2
Considering what you learned from the sites above, and the answers you provided for the questions, create a document that defines the artistic aesthetic of each region or culture that you studied. This will be a discussion about style as well as content of artwork. Open a prezi account if you already do not have one. Insert a map of the region. Zoom in to each location you studied and paste a photo of the artwork you looked at. Then, provide captions that describe the cultural aesthetic of each region.
Read the content and view the media content that is present on each page. Answer the following questions below for each topic. You'll end the segment by comparing the two periods.
Medieval Murals
Visit the following sites on Medieval wall painting and answer the following questions:
Renaissance Murals
Visit the following sites on Renaissance murals:
Exercise 3
Considering what you learned from all the sites above, and the answers you provided for the questions, create a video that summarizes what you learned about murals from these periods. Pick a partner and have a casual conversation about a modern fresco that you choose. Explain how the cultures and styles you learned about influenced this artist and mural. You can use any smartphone or a webcam to capture your video or audio. You may also upload images to a number of websites or apps such as fotobabble, voicethread, photostory, or narrate a powerpoint. Upload your video to youtube and provide the URL to your instructor.
Possible artists to research:
Paleolithic Murals
Visit the following sites on Paleolithic Art and answer the following questions:
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/origins.html
- http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/arcnat/chauvet/en/index.html
- http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/hd/lasc/hd_lasc.htm
- What media are commonly used for painting on cave or rock walls?
- How do we know they are authentic?
- What are three common subjects of these paintings?
- Write a one-page essay explaining what the paintings might mean. What do you think they mean? Why don't we really know what they mean?
Neolithic Murals
Visit the following sites on Neolithic murals:
- http://www.smm.org/catal/artifacts/murals/
- http://alternativearchaeology.jigsy.com/catal-huyuk
Listen to the NPR 4-minute newscast:
- http://www.npr.org/2014/01/09/260918293/there-she-blew-volcanic-evidence-of-the-worlds-first-map
Exercise 1
Considering what you learned from the sites above, and the answers you provided for the questions, create a document that compares and contrasts Paleolithic and Neolithic painting. This could be a simple document with two columns, one for Paleolithic and one for Neolithic that lists the similarities and differences of the criteria you choose. Or, you might prefer to write an essay. Alternatively, you could be more creative and design a slide show or narrate a screencast.
Consider the following criteria: medium and materials, locations, iconography, subjects, narratives, and anything else you might think of.
Read the content and view the media content that is present on each page. Answer the following questions below for each topic. You'll end the segment by comparing the two periods.
Bronze Age Murals
Visit the following sites on Bronze Age painting and answer the following questions:
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/ishtar-gate-and-processional-way.html
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/materials-and-techniques-of-the-ancient-egyptian-artist.html
- http://www.kingtutone.com/tutankhamun/tomb/burial/
- https://www.boundless.com/art-history/aegean-civilizations/the-minoans/painting--2/
- What is: fresco? True fresco? Fresco secco? Relief? Sunken Relief?
- Describe the technique of wall painting for each culture you saw. Which cultures use the techniques above?
- Where are these cultures and when were they prominent in their region?
- From the subjects that you saw depicted in murals from the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Minoans, what cultural values would you attribute to each culture?
Classical Murals
Visit the following sites on Greco-Roman murals:
- http://www.toledomuseum.org/kiosk/classic-court/etruscan/tombs-of-the-etruscans/
- https://www.boundless.com/art-history/the-romans/the-early-empire/roman-frescoes/
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/ajanta-caves.html
- http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/242/video
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/dunhuang-cave-temples.html
- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/06/arts/design/06cott.html?_r=0
- http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/07/06/arts/0706-COTT_index.html
Exercise 2
Considering what you learned from the sites above, and the answers you provided for the questions, create a document that defines the artistic aesthetic of each region or culture that you studied. This will be a discussion about style as well as content of artwork. Open a prezi account if you already do not have one. Insert a map of the region. Zoom in to each location you studied and paste a photo of the artwork you looked at. Then, provide captions that describe the cultural aesthetic of each region.
Read the content and view the media content that is present on each page. Answer the following questions below for each topic. You'll end the segment by comparing the two periods.
Medieval Murals
Visit the following sites on Medieval wall painting and answer the following questions:
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrhowlhznAA
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAxuNb4s6I0
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/wise-and-foolish-virgins-sant-quirze-de-pedret.html
- http://peabody.yale.edu/exhibits/maya-murals-bonampak
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/SMK6ATSSQbuz6uSNk-fw4w
- Choose four murals to write about in an essay of about 2 pages. Consider the following:
- Explain the role of religion in mural art during this period. How do the cultures compare and contrast?
- What religious beliefs and rituals do you see demonstrated in each mural.
Renaissance Murals
Visit the following sites on Renaissance murals:
- http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/g/giotto/padova/
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Masaccio.html
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/camera-degli-sposi.html
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/leonardo-last-supper.html
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/sistine-chapel-ceiling.html
- http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/Brunelleschi.html
- Watch the following two videos that are linked from the left sidebar of the page on which you watched the video about Brunelleschi and Linear Perspective.
Exercise 3
Considering what you learned from all the sites above, and the answers you provided for the questions, create a video that summarizes what you learned about murals from these periods. Pick a partner and have a casual conversation about a modern fresco that you choose. Explain how the cultures and styles you learned about influenced this artist and mural. You can use any smartphone or a webcam to capture your video or audio. You may also upload images to a number of websites or apps such as fotobabble, voicethread, photostory, or narrate a powerpoint. Upload your video to youtube and provide the URL to your instructor.
Possible artists to research:
- Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
- Diego Rivera
- Gustave Klimt
- Jose Clemente Orozco
- Alfaro Sequieros
- Louis Frederick Grell
- Meg Saligman
- Janet Braun-Reinitz