Poetry Activity and Video Conference
1.  Pass out five post-it notes to each student.

2.  Ask them to answer each of the following five questions with one word or a short phrase.  Write each answer on a post-it note.

Questions

1.  What action is taking place in the painting?

2.  How does the painting make you feel?

3.  What do you smell?

4.  What do you hear?

5   What time of day is it?

3.  When students are done, instruct them to arrange the five terms into a poem about the painting.  They may use one of the terms as a title, or not have a title.  Give the students a few minutes to create their poems.

4.  Ask for volunteers to share their poems.

5.  After a few students have shared their poems, ask students how the artist has influenced their opinion of the subject, Marat, and of the French Revolution.

Does the painting make you sympathetic to the people fighting in the French Revolution?

Is the painting propaganda?

How does this form of propaganda differ from propaganda today?

(If the opportunity presents itself, collect the poems and use them to create a bulletin board on the French Revolution.  Use the poems, with a print of the "Death of Marat" painting and other French Revolution materials.)

Napoleon on Horse
Give historical context.  Ask:

• What message is the artist sending to the consumer?

• What is the artist's intent?

• Why would David choose to paint this event?

• What are some specific details in the painting that reveal a political tone?

• Is this a piece of propaganda?

Allow students to complete analysis sheet (40 Minutes)

Closure

6.  Have students write a short reflective piece answering the following questions:

• How does the media influence the opinion we have of the world around us?

• What does this mean for us as citizens of a democracy?  (10 minutes)

Total Lesson Time:  80 Minutes

Video Conference

The video conference with the Albright-Knox Museum will serve to enrich the students' learning of art, the French Revolution and connections to contemporary art.

Goal:
Students might make connections between contemporary artwork and the influence art from the past might have on the world today.

Objectives:
The students will be able to:
1.  analyze a piece of contemporary art

2.  connect a style of contemporary art to the artwork of David

3.  question an art curator regarding contemporary artwork

4.  participate in uses of new technology

Procedures | Introduction

1.  Students will be introduced to the procedure that Albright-Knox will use to video conference with the classroom.  Answer questions they might have regarding the technology and its uses.  (10 minutes)

2.  Link with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.  The curator will explain how the conference will proceed, how the students should ask questions, etc.  (10 minutes)

3.  Students will view a work by David in the Art Gallery's collection.  Curator will discuss how this represents art typical of the time period.  also, he/she will give background on the artist and painting.  The man in the portrait was David's uncle, a nobleman.  He was most likely executed during the Revolution.  (10 minutes)

4.  View will move to the Sam Taylor-Wood photograph entitled "Soliloquy I."  Curator will discuss the artistic elements of the painting.  Curator will ask students:

Do you see any similarities between this painting and one you have been studying in class?

Can you give me some specific similarities?

Curator should then reinforce the connection in styles of art even though the works are 200 years apart and different mediums.  (20 Minutes)

5.  Curator will introduce poetry activity to students.  This activity is similar to the activity done in the previous class with the David painting, "Death of Marat."  (20 minutes)

Poetry Activity
1.  Teacher passes five post-it notes to each student

2.  Curator asks them to answer each of the following five questions with one word or a short phrase.  Write each answer on a post-it note.

Questions

1.  What action is taking place in the painting?

2.  How does the painting make you feel?

3.  What do you smell?

4.  What do you hear?

5.  What time of day is it?

3.  When students are done, the curator instructs them to arrange the five terms into a poem about the painting.  They may use one of the terms as a title, or not have a title.  Give the students a few minutes to create their poems.

4.  Curators ask for volunteers to share their poems.  Curator comments positively on the student's creations.

6.  Curator answers any questions that the students have regarding painting or technology (10 minutes)

7.  Log-off

(Total Conference Time:  80 Minutes)

Artwork Note Sheet