High Renaissance (1500 AD)

Click here for a sample collection to use with instructor's lecture

The student collection for this unit is a little different than previous units. This time the teacher provides a work of art that has a high degree of religious symbolism contained within it. (Or a work that reflects the scientific study of the time. Or some other theme that the teacher discussed in the lecture.) Students then are to make a collection of 4 other works of High Renaissance art that also are composed with a high degree of hidden or blatant religious themes and symbolism. They are to explain the symbolism based on their research.

Student collection of art. Evaluation:

Uses a minimum of four works (Students should not use works seen in teacher collection) to illustrate how religious subjects/ideas were conveyed through symbols.

Brief paragraph (in the student’s own words) about each work including artist, date, culture/geographic location, attribution information (where the work was found, MIA, WAC, Tweed museum of art, etc.). Also, explain the symbols used to represent religious ideas in each of the chosen works.

Correctly created an art collection, placed images in chronological order, published and turned in the URL to teacher.

Restoring a Masterwork:

This section of the ArtsConnectEd site may be interesting to review at this time. A teacher might create a small worksheet where students answer questions related to the Restoring a Masterwork section. Or it may be used during the Impressionism unit when students actually get to do a painting exercise.

Linear Perspective Exercise:


The teacher should demonstrate linear perspective in class. Students should follow along and draw as the teacher draws on the board. One, Two, Three, and multipoint perspective should be covered quickly. Students should fold a piece of paper in half to produce four available drawing spaces (if the front and back of the paper are used.)

The teacher should illustrate how to draw simple cubes or boxes above, below and intersecting the horizon line using one and two point perspective.

Three point perspective with the third point above the horizon line should be demonstrated by drawing boxes that intersect the horizon line or float above it. (When finished tell the students to turn the paper upside down if they want to know how to use three point perspective below the horizon line.)

Multipoint perspective is a way to indicate objects that have turned in relation to the viewer. If the objects drawn, boxes in this case, are parallel to the horizon line, then all vanishing points must fall on the horizon line. Moving vanishing points above and below the horizon line becomes confusing when not done correctly so it is recommended that this be covered only if an extensive amount of time is available.

See pages “07p1”, “07p2”, "07p3", and 07p4" for perspective examples.

Student Perspective Assignment:

Using simple geometric shapes students are to use Linear Perspective to draw the main characters, foreground and background objects from a painting, photograph, or relief sculpture of their choice. They are to duplicate the perspective as accurately as possible. See “07 Example 3”

Below are some sample images from Arts Connect Ed that would work nicely for this assignment:
Nicolas Poussin
The Death of Germanicus, 1627
Charles Caryl Coleman
The Bronze Horses of San Marco, Venice, 1876
Chris Faust
The Peter Misener, Thunder Bay, Ontario, 1993
Berenice Abbott
Fifth Avenue Houses from the portfolio Retrospective, 1982
Jean-Léon Gérôme
The Carpet Merchant, c. 1887

Perspective Exercise Evaluation:

Accurately translated objects and parts of the artwork into geometric shapes
Appropriate amount of detail.
Correct use of perspective (Appropriate choice of 1 point, 2 point, 3 point or multi point perspective to duplicate objects and parts of the artwork. Correct use of perspective to indicate features of the artwork.).
Included small picture from ArtsConnectEd with proper attribution including artist, date and medium.


Physics teacher guest lecture:

Possible questions and topics to be covered include:
1. Why/how do we see color?
2. How are colors in light different from pigment colors?
3. Why can’t we see color in dim light?
4. How are rainbows made?
5. What is refraction and how can it be useful in physics?
6. Why do the sun and moon look squished when they are near the horizon?
7. What is Parallax and how is it used in physics?
8. We’ve studied linear perspective. Is there a way to tell how far something is away from you by measuring it’s perceived size?
9. How do Astronomers determine the size of things in space?