Iconography: Art and Literature

Students read many pages about The Opera by Charles Garnier. In this opera lesson plan, students read 8 pages on the background, artwork, music, dancing, and technicalities of this opera.

Gene Demby interviews three Muslim comic book fans to get their response to Marvel's newly re-imagined superheroine, Kamala Khan, a Muslim-American teenager.

The Museum of Modern Art provides this educators' guide to Dada and Surrealism. Featuring the works of such artists as Jean Arp, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, and Meret Oppenheim among others, the guide is ideal for art history and...

Compare and contrast the distinctive characteristics of art forms from various cultural, historical, and social contexts, and describe how the same subject matter is represented differently in works of art across cultures and time...

Learn about the Indonesian tradition of wayang golek, or puppet theater. Storytelling is brought to life when the class explores the Ramayana and the ancient art of puppetry. The instructional activity begins with a discussion of the...

What is the difference between Hercules and Spiderman? Both are heroes, right? Kids identify the characteristics that make a hero, and analyze the differences between heroes of long ago and today. They write creative stories describing a...

Before the class makes abstract art, they see contemporary examples and analyze them. They look at art made by abstract artists under the age of 33 then use similar techniques to create an interesting collection of their own. The lesson...

Students are introduced to the culture of African American art. Using the internet, they research the events surrounding the Harlem Renaissance and discover how it produced a wide variety of art and literature. To end the lesson, by...

Young scholars examine American Indian artifacts through historical, cultural and artistic lenses. They explore the philosophy behind the Smithsonian Institute's new museum to honor American Indian history and traditions.

Seven major abstract art movements are analyzed by learners in groups. Each group analyzes various works by determining which work belongs to which movement. They then read Flatland, engage in an art and literary analysis discussion,...