A Visit to the Musee Picasso, Paris

Musée Picasso
Hôtel Salé, 5, rue de Thorigny , 75003 Paris
42-71-25-21
42-71-70-84 (Groups)

Instructional Unit:
Our study of Western art history will be conclude with a study of Pablo Picasso, which will provide a good transition to twentieth-century modern art.

Curriculum Unit:
Grade 11, 12
Art

Objectives:
Our study of Western art history during our six-week session is a chronological survey: Classical, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classical, Romanticism, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Modern Art. Ranging from ages 15-17, the students will have a limited but solid base in their knowledge of art and art history. Presumably, they have a genuine interest in art history, and most will have taken an introductory art class, and speak intermediate to advanced level French.

The students will be able to:
1. Compare and contrast two or three given Picasso paintings at a time using such terms as color, symmetry/ asymmetry, shading, light, realism/ surrealism, angles, contours, as well as tone and impression (i.e. political, sexual, peaceful etc.)
2. Identify which period a particular Picasso painting came from (the Blue Period, the Pink Period, or the Cubist Period).
3. Identify the artistic influences on a given Picasso painting, based on those artists we have studied.

The three aforementioned objectives will be achieved in the form of a worksheet given to the students the day before the visit to the museum. Presumably they will have reviewed the questions so that they know what to look for. The worksheet will be completed on-site and graded by the teacher. Additionally, the students will be asked to perform these same tasks on their final exam at the end of the program.

Pre-Visit Activities:
Prior to the visit, we will spend two or three days studying Picasso-- his life and his resources. We will see slides of direct influences on his art: seventeenth-century Spanish art (works by Goya and Velazquez), Cubist art (ex. Braque), primitive art (African masks), Fauvist art (ex. Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Friesz). Further, we will study the different periods of Picasso, the melancholy pinks and reds of his Pink period, and the earth tones and surrealism of the Cubist period. The students will have a list of terms in French so as to better understand them. This will help with understanding the guest speaker that will visit the morning before the trip. We will be accompanied by a Parisian art historian who will conduct the tour. He will focus primarily on the different periods of Picasso's life in relation to his art.

On-Site Activities:
During the two hour tour of the museum, students will be encouraged to take notes. Having been given the worksheet the day before, they will know what to listen and look for. During the time the students are allowed to explore the museum unaccompanied, they will complete the worksheet. The last question on the worksheet is their homework assignment for that night to be presented in class the next day. Students who finish early will be encouraged to visit the parts of the museum not covered in the tour. Finally, the students will visit the gift shop to purchase post cards for their take-home assignment.

Follow-Up Activities:
In addition to the informal discussions with each student, I will evaluate the success of my objectives by reading over their worksheets. The day after the visit, each student will deliver a five-minute oral lecture in French of a Picasso painting of their choice using the postcard that was purchased. A class discussion will follow.

Appendices:
Musee Picasso Worksheets

Bibliography:
None

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