Domenico Ghirlandaio

Planning suggestions include ideas for transitioning from the masterpiece discussion to the project. Curriculum Integration offers suggestions for extending this lesson with further art activities, adding language arts connections, or relating this lesson to other curriculum areas.

PLANNING

Talk about portraits and how they tell about people. How would you pose for a portrait? What objects, or attributes, would you include in your portrait? How would you dress? What expression would you have on your face? Look at a recent photo of yourself and tell what it shows about you.
Talk about picture frames. How does a frame make a picture seem more finished or important? Find frames in your home or school and choose one that you like. Is it fancy or simple? What colors in the frame go with the picture? If you were making a frame, what kind of design would you choose?
Review the How to Draw a Face guide. Look at the different face shapes in the pictures. Notice the placement of eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Feel the features on your own head and compare them with the sizes of the eyes, ears, nose, and mouth in the guide.

CURRICULUM INTEGRATION

Learn about portrait artists in your community. Invite a local portrait artist to talk to the class about how he or she captures expression and individual identity in a portrait. Talk about how artists show the cultural backgrounds of people. Have students write about how their portraits reflect their own backgrounds. Write about how a portrait artist might show the cultural heritage of some of the students in the class.
Art: Renaissance painters tried to paint realistically. Look for other portrait paintings from the 15th century and compare the realism of those with that of Francesco Sassetti.
Art: Oil painting was first introduced during the period Ghirlandaio was alive. Find out about the differences between tempera and oil paint. What pigments and binders (egg or oil) were used in each? How did early artists mix and store paints?
Language Arts: Write biographies or autobiographies to go with the pictures. Mount stories next to the portraits. Create a class portrait gallery with biographies.
Music: Listen to Italian Renaissance music, such as Vecchie Letrose.
Social Studies: Along with the portraits, display objects from each student's cultural heritage, such as clothing, photographs of family members, or pictures of a distant homeland.
Social Studies: Find examples of portraits painted of famous people. Discover the importance of painting portraits both throughout history and in different cultures. Or do this project around President' Day and make portraits of the presidents. List different uses of portraits in today' world.
Social Studies: Traditionally, students have their portraits taken at school each year. These portraits become part of the students' records. They create a chronological and visual record of each student' growth. Additionally, some parents have their children' pictures taken annually at portrait studios or on holidays. Research portrait artists in own community or state. Discuss other traditions for the use of portraits.