Lesson: Light in the 20th Century

Review students’ notes from their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” Skill Builder Activity Sheets.

1. Have a student read the introduction and “Mountain Narrative” sections of the article aloud. Invite students to observe The Mountain carefully. Ask: How does Balthus work with light in this painting? (Balthus creates a mysterious narrative, dividing the work into two sections with a shadowed foreground and luminous middle and background.)
2. Ask a second student to read “Looking Toward the Light.” Invite students to observe Aspiration carefully. Ask: How does Aaron Douglas work with light in this painting? (Douglas uses light to lead the viewer’s eye from the shadowed past at the bottom of the composition to the bright, hopeful future at the top.)
3. Invite a third student to read “Supermarket Still Life.” Invite students to observe Apples carefully. Ask: How does Janet Fish work with light in this painting? (Fish explores the effect of light on plastic-wrapped apples, emphasizing the highlights, shadows, and contours.)
4. Have students record their findings in their “Graphic Organizer: Working With Light” Skill Builder Activity Sheets.

• Compare The Mountain with Garden at Sainte-Adresse. What do you notice? (Answers will vary but should focus on how each artist uses light and may also consider the subjects of each painting.)
• Compare The Mountain with Aspiration. What do you notice? (Answers will vary but should discuss the ways in which Balthus and Douglas use light to lead viewers’ eyes and convey stories.)
• How does Fish illustrate form in Apples? (The artist uses highlights and shadows to create contour lines, emphasizing each apple’s form.)

• Write a paragraph or more about the ways in which these three artists use light in their works. What similarities do you notice? What differences do you notice?
• Create a still life using objects from your home. Place the objects near a source of light. Sketch the scene, paying particular attention to the highlights and shadows created by the light source.
• Search for images of other works by Douglas and choose one. Write a paragraph comparing your chosen work with Aspiration. How does the artist's representation of light support the narratives he communicates in each work?

Write the Essential Question on the board. Ask: How does knowing and using visual vocabularies help us understand and interpret these three works of art?