MiSs Rs ArT RoOm

Flanders Fields Poppies

Learning Targets

I can...

• Create an original Flanders Fields Poppies using painting techniques learned in class
• Use color combinations (complementary, analogous, primary), shape variation (geometric, organic, free form), and texture (actual, visual, implied) inspired by French Humanitarian (1878-1961) Madame Anne Guerin
• Use landscape techniques (perspective, layering, spatial awareness) and design principles (proportion, composition, balance) based on Commemorative Activism
• Define Landscape (a genre that depicts natural scenery such as mountains, trees, rivers, and forests) 

Lesson One
Day One, Art Start

1. Poppy Field Near Argenteuil (1873) Claude Monet

2. Read The Poppy Lady: Moina Belle Michael And Her Tribute To Veterans by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh 

3. Discussion Questions "How did Anna Guerin's idea for an Inter Allied Poppy Day differ from Moina Michael's initial Victory Emblem concept in the United States? In what ways did her plan create a charity model by paying French widows and orphans to manufacture artificial poppies? What strategies did Madame Guérin use to pitch the poppy flower to the veterans organizations of different nations? Why did her distribution of French-made poppies phrase out as Allied nations like the United States and Australia set up their own local veteran factories? What does her travel record reveal about her personal commitment to the Allied cause? How did her prewar work promote French culture in Great Britain help build the networks she later relied on for her humanitarian campaign? Why was Madame Guerin's name lost to history for a century compared to other wartime figures?"

Lesson Activities 

1. Use ruler, compass, straightedge to draw the scenery (background, foreground, middle ground) of the Flanders Fields Poppies

2. Add details (buildings, animals, plants, landscape) within the positive space (foreground, middle ground, flowers) and scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies 

3. Use oil pastels to outline the positive space (foreground) and scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies 

Day Two, Art Start

1. Retrieve Flanders Fields Poppies for Assigned Tables 

2. Poppy Field (Giverny) (1890-1891) Claude Monet

3. Discussion Questions "How do modern grassroots research projects help to uncover identities of women lost to history? How does Madame Anne Guerin's personal legacy fit into Remembrance Day? How does the historical narrative of the remembrance poppy flower vary across different countries such as the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia? How do poppies represent world history, gratitude, and peace to various people? Did you know poppy flowers are France's official national symbol of remembrance for veterans? Did you know the blue cornflower, bleuet de France, is the flower for war victims? Did you know a French woman named Madame Anna Guerin helped turn red poppy flowers into a global symbol of remembrance? How did her experiences shape her career as an educator and public speaker? How did John McCrae's iconic poem In Flanders Fields inspire Madame Guerin to transition from handing out charity buttons to distributing artificial flower boutonnieres?" 

Lesson Activities

1. Add patterns (swirls, clouds, stars) into the scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies 

2. Use color combinations (analogous, complementary, primary) to fill in the scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies

3. Use primary colors (red yellow blue) to fill in the scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies 

 Day Three, Art Start

1. Retrieve Flanders Fields Poppies for Assigned Tables

2. Set Up Studio Area (watercolor, paint brushes, water buckets, oil pastels) 

Lesson Activities

1. Add highlights (reflective light, light source) within the scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies 

2. Add shadows (reflective shadow, cast shadow, shadow) within the scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies

3. Add details (animals, buildings, flowers) within the scenery (foreground, middle ground, background) of the Flanders Fields Poppies

Artist Examples

Student Examples 

Field of Poppies 

Learning Targets

I can...

• Create a Field of Poppies using painting techniques learned in class
• Use form (two dimensional, three dimensional), line type (horizontal, vertical), and space (positive, negative) inspired by American Humanitarian (1869-1944) Moina Bella Michael
• Use perspective techniques (depth, illusion, scale), and design principles (repetition, composition, movement) based on American Art
• Define Movement (path the viewer's eye takes through a work of art)

Lesson One
Day One, Art Start

1. Large Poppies (1942) Emil Nolde
2. Read The Poppy Lady: Moina Bella Michael and her Tribute to Veterans by Barbara Elizabeth Walsh
3. Discussion Questions "Do you know of the Poppy Lady? Who started the poppy tradition? What is Moina Bella Michael's legacy? What sort of person do you think she is? How do you think she is feeling at this moment? what did she do to help the children of her community? What does this action say about Moina? How do you think Moina feels about the effects of war? How do you think the soldiers are feeling at this moment? In what ways does Moina demonstrate compassion for the soldiers? Do you think Moina's flowers had a positive effect on the mood in the room and on the soldiers?" 

Lesson Activities 

1. Choose 12" by 15" Watercolor Paper
2. Add a horizon line in the middle ground to separate the background (sky) from the foreground (grass, flowers) in the drawings
3. Add scenery (flowers, grass, bugs) to the foreground (field) in the Field of Poppies

Day Two, Art Start

1.  Retrieve Field of Poppies for Assigned Table
2. Watch Famous Poppy Field Scene in Wizard of Oz
3. Discussion Questions "What do you notice about the difference between this scene (black and white) from the Wizard of Oz, and this one color? The Wizard of Oz was one of the first films to ever be produced in color. What do you think people thought or felt about this at the time and why? If a painter were to create this scene, what would it be called (landscape)? What do you notice about the flowers closest to you and the flowers that are close to the horizon line? What do you notice about the color? How do you celebrate Veterans Day? Why is the poppy a symbol we use to remember veterans?" 

Lesson Activities

1. Add flowers (roses, carnations, tulips, irises, sunflowers, poppies) to middle ground (horizon line) of the drawing
2. Add details (clouds, birds, petals) in the background (sky) of the drawing
3. Use black sharpie marker to outline the foreground, middle ground, and background of the Field of Poppies

Day Three, Art Start

1. Retrieve Field of Poppies for Assigned Table
2. Set Up Studio Area (tempera paint, paint brushes, water bucket)

Lesson Activities

1. Use tempera paint to fill in the positive space (flowers, bugs, grass) of the poppy painting
2. Use tempera paint to fill in the negative space (clouds, birds) of the poppy painting
3. Add highlights (reflective light, light source) and shadows (cast shadow, shadow) to the Field of Poppies 

Artist Examples

Student Examples