ARTE y LENGUA
Considered one of the most important pieces of anti-war artwork of the 21st Century, Picasso's Guernica depicts the horrors of war. It commemorates the 1937 bombing by the German Air Force of the Basque village of Guernica in northern Spain. Asked about the symbolism of this painting, Picasso explained: ...this bull is a bull and this horse is a horse... If you give a meaning to certain things in my paintings it may be very true, but it is not my idea to give this meaning. What ideas and conclusions you have got I obtained too, but instinctively, unconsciously. I make the painting for the painting. I paint the objects for what they are.[1]
Even when artists are evasive about the symbolism in their work, art has the capacity to communicate an extremely complex range of events, emotions, and messages. The Spanish and Hispanic artists we will study have stood the test of time because their work reached viewers, struck a chord, and resonated with humankind for a variety of reasons. We will explore these artists -- their influences, color-schemes, genres, themes, and histories -- as a means of understanding something more of Spanish and Hispanic culture AND of the Spanish language through art.
Task
Your task is to select a mentor from the many famous Spanish/Hispanic artists. You will research your mentor and then create an original piece of artwork that reflects some aspect of your artist's style.
Exhibition
The exhibition for this project will feel similar to that from the Truth of War project. At the exhibition (scheduled for March 21st from 5:30-7:00pm) you will be displaying your artwork and sharing your linguistic and cultural takeaways from the project. ***There will be fluent Spanish-speakers in attendance who will ask you questions from a list for which you have prepared Spanish-language responses in advance.***
Possible Artistic Forms
· painting
· collage
· photoshop manipulation/creation
· photography
· flash-video
· drawings
· sketches
· sculpture
· screenplay
· youtube video
· song
· poem
· other idea?
NOTE: All written/verbal components associated with your chosen art form MUST be in Spanish.
All artwork (regardless of written/verbal components) will be accompanied by a 1-page artist's statement describing your piece and how you were influenced by your mentor (please see the detailed artist's statement requirements).
Important Steps & Deadlines
*You will receive individual rubrics/descriptions of each step as we approach the due date. This is a general overview. ***Dates are subject to change.***
Task | Description | Due date |
Artist Research (25 points) | A 2-page artist research form w/ URLs for sites used in research (completed ¡En Español!). | Due 2.1 |
Artwork Research (25 points) | A 2-page artwork research form w/ URLs for sites used in research (completed ¡En Español!). | Due 2.8 |
Project Plan (25 points) | A 1-paragraph (in English) description of your artistic vision including: · Your selected art form · Your rough sketch (can be a written description or a literal sketch) for what your piece will look/be like · What elements of your mentor's style you'll be employing | Due 2.10 |
El Arte - creating your own art (75 points) | An original piece of art that reflects some element(s) of your artist's styles, techniques, colors, textures, themes, etc. | Finished product due 2.24 |
Peer Edits (25 points) | A completed peer-editing form | 2.28 |
Artist's statement (150 points) | A 1-page essay describing your artwork (¡En Español!) | 1st draft - 2.27 2nd draft - 3.2 Final draft - 3.9 |
Test on artists (50 points) | A content-knowledge test about artists whom we have studied | 3.16 |
