Frame it!

Did you know?

Outdoor painting has a relatively short history when measured against the great span of art across the centuries. Prior to the 19th century, the landscape was idealized, used either to set a theme or tell a story. Jacob van Ruysdael, and Claude Lorrain captured effects of perspective and atmosphere. However, their paintings were composed much like a set designer would createa backdrop for a theatre production. For these artists, outdoor painting was confined to sketches or preliminary studies for reference.

It was not until the early 1800s that artists rejected the contrived landscapes of their predecessors and turned to nature for their inspiration.  It was a small group of Englishmen, most notably John Constable and Joseph William Mallord Turner, who first produced finished works direct from nature. These works had a profound influence on the course of landscape painting in the 19th century.

Before the activity

What makes a landscape beautiful or interesting?

Look at a selection of landscape paintings, both historic and contemporary. Discuss what the main components of the landscape are. For example, look at a the nineteenth century oil painting by Sir Edwin Landseer “The Monarch of the Glen,”, and discuss how its uses the Scottish landscape to portray a romantic image of the stag, or another historically important artist e.g. Constable (Essex, Suffolk).

How does this compare to contemporary Scottish landscapes? Look at images from http://www.scottishartpaintings.co.uk/landscapeNew.asp work of Francis Boag, Jean Feeney, Hamish MacDonald,Alma Wolfson

Prepare enough A4 cardboard picture frames for each child in the group, plus a sheet of A4 paper (or acetate) each/ clipboard and coloured drawing pencils, crayons (or pens if acetate).

The activity

Observe the different elements that make up the landscape around you – its building blocks and zones. For example:

• The different planes or layers of the landscape, from foreground to horizon.
• Where is the horizon?
• What are the main colours? 
• What are the key shapes or forms? Think about vertical, horizontal, slopes and curves. Are the contours of any slopes steep or gentle?
• What signs of human activity can you see?
• Is your landscape urban or rural. Industrial or residential? Managed (farmed) countryside or ‘wild’?
• What is the dominant vegetation? Trees, forest, grassland, gardens – sparse, patchwork or continuous?
• What do you feel, hear and smell when you look around you?
• Is it beautiful? Are there features that are not, or clash with the natural elements?
• Is the scale of the landscape large (eg distant views/mountains/seascape, broad river valleys) or small and intimate (close up features such as trees/plants/bushes/ponds/buildings).

Ask each child to take their frame and find a place where they can hold up it up to frame a view that is pleasing or interesting to them. Ask them to transcribe the key elements on to their A4 sheet, thinking about where the horizon is, and discuss/show how to represent distant and close up features, and annotate their pictures.

A variation of this activity would be to select man-made landscape elements that may be controversial in terms of their landscape impact – wind turbines for example, or a new road or motorway cutting through countryside, or a new building in a street, or a proposed new school building or extension into their playground. The children can take on the role of investigative journalists with their field sketches to highlight key areas for reporting back on and adding to a debate.

Suggested follow-up

Display the range of views back in the classroom. If acetate sheets were used, these can be attached to the frames, displayed in the window or against a light box, or projected with an OHP. Develop landscape paintings from the field sketches.

Imagine that the climate is about to change and that the landscape is going to be subject to a major drought. What effect do you think this will have on the landscape? What might change? What features might disappear or appear?

Plans are being made to build a motorway in your region in order to solve traffic problems. You are taking part in the preparatory meetings for the project. What would you like to say in terms of its impact on the landscape? What do you think of the project? Can you see any advantages or disadvantages to the motorway?

This landscape is quite different today to 50 or 60 years ago, and even more different to a century ago when the train and car didn't yet exist! Imagine what this landscape might have looked like back then.

Download

CITV website ArtAttack! Activity – how to draw a cheat’s landscape http://www.hitentertainment.com/artattack/cheatslandscape.html