TITLE: Drawing From Still Life

ART: Drawing

TEKS:

6.1 A 6.2 A 7.1 A 7.2 A 8.1 A 8.2 A

OBJECTIVE:

Students will develop observation skills by learning to draw exactly what they see.

MATERIALS:

• See image below
• Assorted objects for still life
• Drawing paper
• Pencils
• Colored pencils or watercolors

OVERVIEW:

In 1894 Manguin attended the atelier (a workshop or studio) of Gustave Moreau with other students such as Marquet, Matisse, and Rouault. He first exhibited at the Salon des Independants in 1902 and later became a member of the Salon d'Automme, to which he remained loyal until the end of his career. He painted mostly female figures, landscapes, and still lifes. Most of his "open air" canvases were done on the Mediterranean Sea-Shore of France.

At the beginning of the century Manguin might have been classified as a Fauve, with whom he appeared at the Salon d'Automme in 1905, mostly because of his strident, even violent, colors. The organization of his canvases, however, was considerably more thought-out. It would seem that Manguin did not aspire to derive from Cezanne anything more than a kind of architectural logic, proving himself an artist through his sensitivity to the immediate graces of nature.

ASSIGNMENT:

Set up a still life somewhere in the room at a good eye level (some students might have to move to see). Explain to students the difference between still life, landscapes, and portraits. Tell students that they must draw exactly what they see from their view of the still life.

NOTE:

• Reassure students that if they run out of room, they should let the drawing go off the page, they should not try to "squeeze it all in."
• Give the students at least one full class period to draw. They may need more time, depending on the complexity of the set up.
• When the drawings are complete, color may be added with colored pencil or watercolors. Leave some areas uncolored.