FIND YOUR GRECIAN URN
In John Keats’s “Ode on a Grecian Urn,” the famed romantic poet speaks of the beauty he sees on the ancient piece of pottery. He declares:
Beauty is truth, truth beauty.
That is all ye know on earth and all ye need to know.
Heavy stuff.
But now it’s your turn. On our trip you will be seeing many different art pieces. Which one will you be inspired by? That’s up to you. This activity – while creative in nature – is also excellent for teaching text-dependent analysis. Is that possible when we’re not reading? It is! It all has to do with looking at a piece multiple times for understanding and analysis of structure. We’re going to do that – but with art!
Use this packet to help organize your ideas.
Name of the art piece: ______
Artist name: ______
First impressions:
What do you immediately notice about the piece? (Pick three elements. Don’t think too hard. Just list what you see.)
1- ______
______
2- ______
______
3- ______
______
Second impressions:
What is the medium that the artist uses? What types of materials are utilized in the creation of the piece? (You should be able to locate this on the sticker near the art piece.)
______
______
______
______
______
The final check:
OK – now is the time to stretch your brain a little bit. REALLY look at the piece. Like REALLY really! Locate two things that you didn’t notice before.
1- ______
______
______
______
2- ______
______
______
______
What about the title? Does it help provide information in any way?
______
______
______
______
OK – Here is your final task. There are TWO components. One requires analysis; one requires creativity. Both show what a smarty pants you are!
TASK 1 – Analyze the art piece. Use the notes you took above to help you. What is the art piece about? Use the following as a guide to help you. Your paragraphs should be around 200 words. Don’t describe the art – explain its meaning.
Realistic Abstract
What story is being told? What does the image remind you of?
What are you basing this idea on? How does color play a role in creating
What is in the picture? People? mood? What about shading or size?
Animals? Setting only? Objects? What emotion does the image create?
Why are they significant?
These are just some examples. Use whatever you like to help explain yourself.
TASK 2 – Create a poem to connect with your analysis. Will it be a first person piece? Does it tell a story? Is it emotional? Will it use rhyme? What type of structure best fits the mood? It’s up to you. The final piece should be around 50-100 words. You make it what you want to make it.
You will provide both pieces – along with the printout of the art piece and these notes on ______.
Select poems will be sent to the original artists! Don’t be surprised if they write back! Have fun with this and be awesome!