Point Of View
Everyone has a point of view. Your point of view is how you see things and how you feel about things. What your point of view is depends on who you are, what you know, what you have experienced and learned in your life, where you are in time (historical) and space (where you live).
An artist chooses a particular point of view in order to construct a work of art. He may show a work of art from a particular vantage point or to make a particular statement or to express an emotion.
Suggested Classroom Activities:
1. Deciding on a viewpoint and defending it. Have the students discuss some of the following questions recording answers and reasons on the board as they discuss them. Remind them they are discussing an idea not facts, so there are no right or wrong answers.
Does art have to be realistic to be good?
Does it have to be beautiful to be art?
If I don't like it does it make sense for me to think it can still be good art?
2. Talk with students about what constitutes a landscape. What kind of things would you find in one? Have students brainstorm and make a list on the board. How is a landscape different from a seascape? Draw a simple landscape.
3. Draw a landscape using elements of perspective to show depth. Place two or more objects in the picture so that the most distant object is higher. Distant objects are smaller. Colors get fainter , lighter, cooler as they recede and detail becomes less clear. Parallel lines appear to come together as they recede in the distance- i.e. railroad tracks, telephone poles, a road.
Use following concepts to show distance:
a. Objects get smaller as they recede
b. Objects have less detail
c. Objects appear to have fuzzy lines on the edge
d. Converging parallel lines
e. Grayer colors
f. Objects are overlapped (front overlaps more distant)
g. Distant objects appear higher on picture plane.
Display pictures and talk about areas that are especially well done.
4. Draw a scene from memory or imagination, then draw the same scene again from a different point of view - above - below - in front - to the side, etc. Think about what time of day it is and what the temperature is. (Reds and yellows create a warm feeling, blues and greens a cool feeling). Encourage students to use color imaginatively and create a variety of effects.
5. Students might divide into groups to discuss the environment and what steps should be taken to protect it. The groups could then compare ideas to see if they have different points of view.
6. Viewpoint affects perception. Have students write a description of someone they know. The first paragraph describes the person from the viewpoint of a close friend. The second paragraph describes the person from the viewpoint of a stranger. The third paragraph describes the person from a viewpoint of an enemy. The final paragraph discusses how the students perception was influenced by the change in the point of view.