Lesson Concept: Giddy Up!
Discover shapes and movement in a painting by artist Jacques Villon!
Overview
Horseback Riding, Chantilly (detail), 1950,
Jacques Villon
Oil on canvas
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
The painter Jacques Villon turned layers of shapes and colors into horses. Artists have to look carefully at what they want to draw, paint, or sculpt so they can make the same shape.
What shape did Villon use for the horses’ legs?
Does it look like the horses are standing still or moving in the painting?
Can you move like a horse?
Activities
1. Gallop like a horse and think about the movement of your legs.
2. Now make your body swim like a fish. How is that different from galloping like a horse?
3. Think about the shapes that make up the horse. Cut out varying sizes of circles, triangles, squares and rectangles. See if you can build and glue shapes together to make your own horse.
Standards of Learning
Visual Arts K.3, K.7, K.11, K.15, K.18
English K.2, K.3
Mathematics K.11, K.13
Science K.8, K.4
