Activity 2: Beyond the Horizon
Level
· All
Purpose
· To become
familiar with the concept of 'horizon lines.'
· To emphasize the
relationship between the landscape painting and the natural environment
that inspired it.
Materials
· Paintings in
the exhibition (or slides)
· Coloured pencils or crayons
· Clip
boards or hard surfaces for each student to draw on
· Paper
Procedure
· Imaginative
Drawing or Painting
1. Visit the exhibition space
or review the slides. Tell the students that Peter and Catharine hiked and
painted together, often painting similar scenes but from slightly
different perspectives.
2. Initiate discussion of
horizon line, review definition if necessary.
(Definition: where the earth
and sky appear to meet)
a) Find and compare examples
of high (near the top of the painting) and low (near the bottom of the
painting) horizon lines.
(Paintings with high horizon lines contain mostly land and
depict a stable, recognizable spot. Paintings with low horizon lines
contain lots of sky, weather, and cloud, which change frequently. The site
may not be recognizable later.)
b) Why do you think the artist chose
this perspective?
3. Direct students to select a
work that has either a high or low horizon line. Starting from that
painting's horizon line, students will draw on a sheet of paper what they
imagine to be beyond the frame of the picture.
a) Those who pick a
work with a high horizon line will have to imagine what is going on in the
sky above the land and draw it. Look for clues in the painting: Should
your sky be sunny or cloudy? Is there wind, rain or snow on the land?
b) Those who pick a work that has a low horizon line will have to
imagine what is going on in the land below the sky. Look for clues in the
painting: Is it a sunny day or a cloudy one? Is there wind, rain or snow?
Do you think there are mountains, houses, people, animals, or plants just
outside the area in the picture?
c) Remind students to refer to the
original paintings for clues.
4. As a follow-up activity,
have students create paintings or oil pastel drawings based on these
sketches.
Evaluation
· Follow
through on visual clues
· Demonstrated understanding of the meaning of
horizon line
Curriculum Connections
·
Visual Art
| 
