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Have Camera-Will Travel Through Time
Joyce T. Burke
George C. Marshall High School, Falls Church, Virginia
Subject: History
Grade: 10 (Gifted)
"At the photo sessions it was apparent the students were
looking at the paintings with greater intensity than is usually
the case."
Purpose and Description of Project
Joyce Burke's primary goal "was to structure an assignment
that would stimulate creativity and encourage the skill of conceptualizing" -- in
contrast to so much schoolwork that is factual and material in
nature. The class of 60 gifted and talented tenth graders was
asked "to recreate and photograph a work of art that could
represent a particular concept or theme" and to write a paper
based on that theme. Students were required to develop a parallel
between the possible symbolism of the work of art and some historical
point of view.
Activities
Students were divided into four groups, each group being given
one of the following works of art to duplicate as a group, and
issues to address in the individual papers.
- "The Duke of Urbino (della Francesca). Research the Duke
of Urbino or another wealthy patron of the arts to gather information
allowing you to refute or support Kenneth Clark's statement, "Great
wealth is destructive of great art."
- "The Ideal City." Build a three-dimensional model
of the original flat piece made with inlaid wood. Examine the
importance of perspective to the historian (as distinct from artist's
perspective). How do historians avoid bias? How significant is
the span of time between the original events and the historian's
analysis? Does a good historian need information beyond factual
or chronological data?
- "The Moneychanger and His Wife" (Massys). Discuss
the use and importance of art as an historical research tool.
- "The Death of Marat" (David). Analyze the effect
of assassination on a country's politics.
- Each group selected a leader, gathered props, arranged and
rehearsed each photo, and then photographed their subject.
- The individual papers were developed in three steps: (1) initial
group discussion to ensure understanding of the topics; (2) group
meetings following individual research to discuss findings and
refine the topic; (3) preparation of individual papers. At the
end of the project, students took a day to share their reactions
to the assignment, any problems encountered, and what they had
learned.
Materials, Resources, and Expenses
Purchased materials were the
film
(plus the cost of developing)
and the posterboard for the model. Parents contributed costumes
and props, and two class members who were active in the drama
department did the necessary makeup.
Outcomes and Adaptability
Burke found that her students' awareness of such details as color,
light, and arrangement increased as they analyzed and duplicated
the works of art. They came to see how symbolic the visual arts
could be as they developed parallels between what was seen and
what was written. She also noted that the project became student-centered
in nature. She realized that her suggestions might discourage
or distort her students' creativity. Beyond offering some basic
advice, Burke concluded "that a 'hands-off' attitude worked
best."
Burke suggested that the project would be readily adaptable to
other subject areas. For example, a psychology or sociology teacher
could use Munch's "The Scream" or "Anxiety'' as
the basis for a discussion or paper on modern alienation or loneliness
in society. A philosophy teacher could carry out a similar project
using "The School of Athens."