Miro

2nd Grade Lesson Plan

(The editor feels this is a bit to much information for 2nd grade; may want to tone it down a bit; especially the Miro quotes).


1.  Introduction to Class
2.  Tell about the artist while you look at the picture

Joan Miro was a very famous and well-respected artist.  He was born in 1893 (112 years ago) and died in 1983.

Born in Barcelona, Spain - east coast on Med. Sea - known as Catalonia

Family wanted him to be a businessman, not an artist, although his father was a watchmaker and silversmith.

he was already attending drawing classes by the time he was your age.

His family enrolled him in business school at the age of 14, but he also managed to continue studying art at La Lonja School of Fine Arts.

Miro said, "I drew badly.  This is why i wanted to become a painter.  I wanted to master this craft.  I have always been drawn towards struggle.

Gave in to family pressure at 17 and took a job as a clerk in a drugstore, after two years he grew so ill he had to quit his job.  The family sent him to their recently purchased farm in Monttroig to recuperate.

Was finally given permission to study art again - informal art school run by Francisco Gali - flourished there, learned to draw by touch, pain in oils

Graduate in 1915 - first one man show in Barcelona in 1918, age 25

Traveled to Paris - continued his painting, experimented with many styles, met many other artists (Picasso), saw and learned new techniques.

Became involved with a group of artist and writers who were developing a philosophy of art called "Surrealism" instead of painting accurate depictions of the world around them, they used the images that came to them in dreams and imagination.

Miro painted his first "Surrealist" painting in 1924 and soon became the leading painter of the style - he said "For me, a farm is never something abstract; it is always a sign of something.  It is always a man, a bird of something else.  For me painting is never form for form's sake".

Miro always continued to experiment with new ways to produce his art - sculptures, collages, ceramics, stained-glass, textiles and even costumes and sets for plays.

Was a very quiet and restrained man in his personal life - although his work is full of whimsy, color, and sometimes wild imagination, there remains a simple style.  He was greatly influenced by the history of art in Catalonia - simple 2-dimensional frescoes filled with primary colors and the use of expanding or shrinking the size of characters to show their level of importance to the artist.

Let's talk about this painting:

3.  "People and Dog in Sun"
This painting is a fun example of surrealism.  Tell me some of the things you can see in this painting.  (People both right side up and upside down, a dog, a sun...)  Does anyone know what we call the kinds of colors Miro used (primary).  What do you think Miro named this painting?  Do you like the painting? Why? Can you see how Miro uses simple lines to represent things? (hair, legs)

4.  Show the class some other examples of Miro's work from the library book.  Also show them his picture.  Discuss how he translates his vision into different forms.

5.  Gather the class around if possible and pass out the snacks: "Surreal sugar cookies and splash punch"

6.  Explain our group project.  In 1928 Miro traveled to Holland for a few weeks, visiting its major cities and museums.  He was deeply moved by the work of Dutch artists like Vermeer and Steen.  He bought reproductions of one painting by Steen titled "The Cat's Dancing Lesson", and when he returned to Spain he transformed the painting in his own surreal fashion.  I'm going to challenge you to think like Miro and see if you can match pieces of his painting with the original painting by Steen.  I'll go around the class and choose groups of 3 or 4 of you to come up and try to figure out what y our piece represents from the original.  We'll attach each piece and see what our finished painting looks like in comparison to Miro's.

7.  Present the class with the finished work and then show them the copy of Miro's.  Discuss any differences as time permits.

8.  Finish our discussion, thank the class and distribute Miro postcards to all students.