Lesson Planning

Learn about the life, times and paintings of Van Gogh and L.S. Lowry and be inspired to create your own drawings and paintings in their styles. See the differences between the nineteenth-century Van Gogh and the twentieth-century Lowry. Generate questions to ask the artists; research their lives and replicate their works and styles. Consider the stories told by their works and become a critical artist in the process!
History
English
Enquiry question
Who was Vincent van Gogh?
Outcomes
Children will:
A copy of the book, Camille and the Sunflowers, by Laurence Arnholt
Coloured strips of paper
Art
History
Enquiry question
How did Vincent van Gogh’s work change throughout his life?
Outcomes
Children will:
Oil pastels and thin paint or concentrated colour powder paint
Brushes
Drawing paper
Weblinks
short video from the Van Gogh Museum telling the story of Vincent van Gogh (www.youtube.com)
Art
Enquiry question
What can we find out about The Starry Night?
Outcomes
Children will:
Camille and the Sunflowers by Laurence Arnholt
Cartridge paper
Oil pastels
Paint (limited range of colours)
Weblinks
Starry, Starry Night by Don McLean from www.youtube.com
History
Art
Enquiry question
What can we learn from Lowry’s paintings?
Outcomes
Children will:
Frames made from strips of card (optional)
Magnifying glasses
Paper or sketch books
Drawing pencils
a song about Lowry and images of his paintings.
A video featuring a song about Lowry and images of his paintings from www.youtube.com
History
Art
Enquiry question
What was life like in Lowry’s time?
Outcomes
Children will:
Paint (either ready mixed in suitable muted colours or red, green, blue and orange to mix into browns and greys)
Paper
Brushes
Weblinks
Short BBC film in which Lowry talks about his work as a painter (www.bbc.co.uk).
Inside the paintings, a statue in an art gallery comes to life and ‘walks into’ one of Lowry’s paintings (www.bbc.co.uk).
Video providing some useful background information for teachers about Lowry and his work (www.youtube.com).
Short film from The Lowry in Salford showing how some of the places in Lowry’s paintings look today (www.youtube.com).
Art
History
Enquiry question
Why didn’t some people appreciate Van Gogh and Lowry’s paintings?
Outcomes
Children will:
No additional resources are provided for this unit.
Paint (either ready mixed in suitable muted colours or in red, green, blue and orange for children to mix to make browns and greys)
A4 paper
Brushes
Pictures of children’s Lowry-inspired figures from Session 5
Weblinks
An online gallery of Lowry’s paintings from www.wikiart.org
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