Lesson Four For all levels

This lesson attempts to answer the question: ‘How have New Zealand artists seen and painted this land since the arrival of the European settlers?’

Landscapes selected for this visit can focus on:

• The historical development of landscape styles.
• The purpose of landscape painting, as a window into our past or specifically on Canterbury as a place.
• The lesson ranges across works that show a variety of stylistic approaches that are influenced by the times in which they were painted.

Gallery Tour 1 hour

Each lesson will include discussion of:

• The location.
• When the painting was made and how this has influenced the way it was painted.
• What the artist has chosen to include or leave out.
• Technique (Compositional choices, foreground/background/overlapping,
  use of colour to create space/depth, visible brushstroke).
• Media.

The main focus of the questions is dependent on the learning outcome signalled for the visit.

Gallery Tour and Workspace Activity 11/2 hour

• A foreground, middle ground, background exercise using one of the works studied in the Gallery
• An analysis of the composition of one of the works, then a mixed media version
• A landscape in the style of a selected Canterbury artist, analytical drawing through to finished work

Curriculum Links

• Visual Arts
  • Practical knowledge, developing ideas, communicating ideas and understanding art in context
• English
  • Oral language: Listening and speaking
  • Visual language: Viewing and presenting
• Social Studies
  • Time, continuity and change
  • Culture and heritage
  • Place and environment

This topic can be refocused to meet the requirement of NCEA Level 1 and Bursary Art History Option 12: Topic 1: Approaches to Landscape/Regionalism