Vincent Van Gogh was born near Brabant, Holland. He had no formal training as an artist. His first works were mud-coloured and he used heavy paint. He moved to France to live with Theo his older brother, who as an art dealer introduced him to artists like Gauguin, Pissarro, Seurat, and Toulouse-Lautrec. In Paris, he learned how to use colour and how to create the distinctive dashed brushstrokes of his later work. In Arles, in the south of France, he was impressed by the hot reds and yellows of the Mediterranean and he used these colours in his paintings. (e.g. Sunflowers, 1888, London, National Gallery). An argument between VanGogh and Gauguin led to the infamous cutting off his ear. He became a voluntary patient at the St. Remy asylum.

Time Frame: 40 minutes

MOTIVATION

It would be of benefit to have a reproduction of Van Gogh's Starry Night to show the class. Discuss the foreground and background of the painting, pointing out how Van Gogh used the lines or swirls in the sky to show movement.

MATERIALS:

• Crayons (Neon crayons produce an interesting effect)
• Paper
• Dark blue wash made from watered down blue tempera
• Black and white paper
• Glue

WHAT TO DO:

1. Using the crayons and pressing hard, have the children create stars and a moon on the white paper;
2. Demonstrate for the children how to repeat the shape around itself to look as if the stars are radiating;
3. Add swirls and dots to the sky;
4. Demonstrate how to paint lightly over the crayoned sky with the blue wash;
5. After allowing the sky to dry, cut out silhouettes of trees, and houses;
6. Glue the silhouettes on the sky.