It’s the rare young child who can recognize the work of Michelangelo, Henri Rousseau or Gustav Klimt. But the halls of Valley of Enchantment Elementary School are full of little art scholars, thanks to the Meet the Masters program.
Through this self-funded program, coordinated by volunteer Lori Anderson, the students in kindergarten through 5th grade were introduced to the art of these three diverse artists this year. Parent volunteers were trained, using DVDs provided by Meet the Masters, and then shared what they had learned about each artist with the children.
The culmination of each part of the program is the students creating their own artwork in the style of the artist they had studied.
Rousseau (French, 1844-1910) was known for his brightly colored jungle landscapes. The VOE students created their own jungle scenes—at varying levels of difficulty according to their grade—using construction paper and pastels.
Michelangelo Buonarroti (Italian, 1475-1564) is well known for his sculptures and his painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. But he was also an accomplished architect. It was this aspect of his work the VOE students emulated.
Anderson said they learned how to texturize paper by rolling it, making it look old. Then they created buildings to reflect Michelangelo’s architectural drawings, making the paper look like marble with the shading they did with chalk.
Klimt (1862-1918) was from Vienna. His family was in the metalworking business and he was known for using jewels, mirrors, gold and silver in his portraits and landscapes. The students used three colors of foil—aluminum, copper and bronze—to create etchings in his style.
Members of the community will have the opportunity to see some of the students’ work at an art show and auction next Tuesday, June 3.
“The students have been waiting all year to see if their pieces would be selected,” Anderson said. In addition to their work, local artists will also have work on display and available for sale. The proceeds will fund next year’s Meet the Masters program.
The art show and auction will take place from 3 to 6:30 p.m. in the community room at the Crestline library, located at 24105 Lake Gregory Drive.
Source: Mountain News