Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. THINGS TO KNOW The French painter, Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, is 18th-century France’s most renowned genre and still-life painter, and is considered one of the greatest French painters of all time. His highly realistic scenes of commonplace events and situations were unique to their time. Considered one of the the lowliest forms of painting, Chardin helped to make genre painting a respectable and popular subject in its own right. Chardin, although a Frenchman who never left his native city of Paris, painted in the Dutch tradition. Influenced and inspired by the interior scenes of Johannes Vermeer, Chardin’s paintings depict the simplicity and humble nature of what would be described today as the middle class. Not a painter of kings and queens, although Chardin was commissioned on many occasions to paint the portraits of royalty and the petite bourgeoisie, it is his “everyday” depictions that garnered him almost overnight success and financial reward. Because Chardin’s work was copied and mass produced in print form (engravings), it became widely known. Characteristics of Chardin’s style are his use of a painterly stroke to create the illusion of texture, subtle gradations of tone, his skillful representation of light, and his understated ability to capture human feeling and intimacy. Chardin often made mulitple versions of a subject, as he did with this month’s subject of a boy constructing a house of cards. Well over a century before the arrival of the French Impressionist, Chardin was laying the groundwork for a profound shift in the way subject matter is not only regarded, but depicted. Later French artists, Edouard Manet and Paul Cézanne, were both strongly influenced by Chardin’s work. THINGS TO DO Fun & Recreation in Art Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (French; 1699–1779). Boy Building a Castle of Cards, 18th century. Oil on canvas; 82 x 66 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy. • Primar y. Share the Clip & Save Art Print with students and tell them the artist who painted it made many Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for links to Web sites related to this article. versions of this subject: a boy building a house of cards. Have students imagine they will be going back in time to have their portrait painted by Monsieur Chardin. Just as the boy in the print is engaged in building his house of cards, have them brainstorm a recreational activity they would choose to be doing in their portrait. Give students time to create a self-portrait that depicts them doing an indoor activity of their choice, inspired by the work of Chardin. Offer each student time to present his or her artwork to the class. Display finished work alongside the Art Print. • Elementar y. Share the Art Print with students. Ask students to describe what is happening in the scene. Explain that when this picture was painted—a time in which computers, iPods and other electronics did not exist—children entertained themselves with activities such as the one in the print. Building a structure out of playing cards required not only a light touch, but a great degree of patience. Challenge your class to work in pairs to design and build a structure using only a set of playing cards. As students become more skilled in their ability, challenge them to devise more sophisticated structures. Photograph finished structures, or make a video journal of the process. Share the Art Print with students. Point out that the artist depicted the boy in profile. Ask students to offer a definition of the word profile. Choose a volunteer to stand, in profile, before the class. Ask students to observe and share what they see. Next, give students an opportunity to practice profile drawing. Place students in pairs: one student will draw while the other acts as a model. Each student will have a chance to draw their partner. When drawings are complete, provide students with crayons or colored pencils to lay in color. • Middle School. When the young Chardin was first accepted to the prestigious French Academy, he was described as a “painter of animals and fruits.” This description denoted an artist who paints what would be known today as still life. Just above this subject, in terms of respectability, was the genre scene, which are scenes that depict moments from everyday life. Chardin quickly moved one rung up the ladder to become a genre painter, and although still not a prestigious title, he took the form to new heights. Have students research the history of genre painting, beginning with the Dutch painter, Johannes Vermeer, through Chardin, and conclude with the late 19th century. As a culminating project, challenge students to use the knowledge gleaned in their research to create an original genre painting. Create a gallery exhibit, “Salon style,” of student work. • High School. This month’s Art Print is one of many versions of this subject painted by Chardin. Like the other versions, this version depicts a boy, in profile, constructing a house of cards. Tell students they will be creating a portrait of a classmate in profile. Show Fun & “Part of the poetry in Chardin is the silence of his pictures. He captures and holds the moment for eternity.” –Phillipe de Montebello students a selection of artwork of the human figure done in profile, such as examples from ancient Egyptian wall paintings, and early Renaissance portraiture from artists such as Piero della Francesa and Sandro Botticelli. (For more examples, go to A&A Online on the Arts & Activities Web site: www.artsandactivities.com.) Begin by showing students the video tutorial at www. ehow.com/video_2375574_draw-profile-face-shape.html. After screening it, choose a student from the class to be a model. Provide drawing paper and pencils, situate the model in a location where the others will see his/ her face in profile, and run the tutorial a second time, stopping after each step and allowing time for students to draw what they have just learned. Give students plenty of time to practice the techniques.– C.C. 28 march 2010 x www.ar tsandactivities.com in Art Fun & Recreation classroom use of the art print