Dear Humanities Kids,
 

Let's review, shall we.....The Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures

#1. Journal #5 (PART 1): Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures

Let's review regarding the Minoan culture........

1. We know that the Minoans were highly advanced. Include three aspects regarding their society which indicate this.

2. How do we know so much about the Minoan culture, especially when we haven't been able to decipher their writing.

3. Explain the connection between the "bull jumping ceremony" and the myth regarding "Theseus and the Minotaur."

4. How did the Minoan culture feel about women. Justify your response.

5. Explain the connection to Plato's "Atlantis" and the Minoan culture.

6. What caused the decline of the Minoan culture.

1. We continued with our discussion of the important Greek civilization. We reviewed the Minoans by completing the above entry, and then we moved on to Mycenae, Olympia and Athens. If you missed class, PLEASE obtain this information from someone else in class.

HOMEWORK:
1. Please read pages 3-14 in your book.
2. Notate, using all your colors, 5-7 points for each page concerning the introductory information about Greece. Due on Wednesday, Oct. 3rd. 

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012

Dear Humanities Kids,

1. I returned your "Artist's Intent" essays. WELL DONE, my young friends! Students were instructed about the "revision" process. Each time you are given a writing assignment in Humanities, you will always be asked to revise your original paper. The revision IS AN ASSIGNMENT, and goes into the computer as 75 points. If you complete the revision, then 10 points will be added to your original score.

IF YOU DID NOT COMPLETE THE ORIGINAL ASSIGNMENT, "ARTIST'S INTENT," THEN YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE REVISION. UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO USE YOUR HOMEWORK COUPON FOR THE ORIGINAL ASSIGNMENT.

2. We returned to your handout regarding ancient Greece, specifically our discussion of the earliest Greeks, the Minoans.

3. Students were then asked to refer to their annotations for today, while they viewed a video that detailed the ancient Minoans. 

Journal 5: "Points of Interests about Minoan Culture"

Please divide your entry in half vertically. On the left write "Movie" and on the right record "Reading." Please list the points of interest you found from the reading. Now as you view the video regarding Minoan culture, please list aspects that you found interesting as well. I look forward to visiting with you.

HOMEWORK:
1. "ARTIST'S INTENT" Revision is due on THURSDAY!

Friday, September 21st,2012

Dear Humanities Kids,

If you  missed class, we completed the following:

EXAM #1

You will need to come during Flex in order to take your exam. I need you to take care of this next week (25th or 26th). In the future, do not miss class on a TEST DAY!

HOMEWORK:
1. Please read/annotate/notate your information regarding Greece for TUESDAY, the 25th. You need 3-5/page and you can use ALL YOUR COLORS.

Have a great weekend!
Cheers,
Crampton 

Hello, Humanities Kids,

Hello, Humanities Kids,

Hi, Guys,

If you missed class, we started by having a practice session for your test, which is scheduled for Friday, September 21st.

We looked at the following piece by Mary Cassatt called The Bath and then discussed the composition, color, balance/harmony, movement and mood established by the piece. Remember that part of your exam on Friday pertains to doing the same evaluation. Make sure you refer to the five images I posted last time. Review and research them in order to make sure that you have a strong understanding of the composition, color, balance/harmony, movement and mood for each. I HAVE INCLUDED A FORMER STUDENT'S RESPONSE BELOW THE IMAGE.

Elisa Wilson Wilson, 1

Mrs. Crampton

Mythology

September 22, 2001

The Bath by Mary Cassatt

The Bath by Mary Cassatt embraces the natural love between a mother and a child. Through the design elements of composition, color, balance, mood and movement one greatly appreciates Cassatt’s intent, and the viewer develops a deeper understanding for Cassatt's depiction of the mother and child.

The composition of The Bath focuses the audience’s attention on the child. The eye is immediately drawn to the child, and then to the mother. This draws attention to the emotion of the moment. Cassatt has also used circles in the piece to indicate unity and peace between the mother and child. One can see the circle in the basin, the shape of the heads, and in the circular form of the pitcher. The background of the painting appears muted or slightly fussy, which helps bring the attention to the mother and child. The overall arrangement of subjects gives the viewer a sense of peace.

The color used indicates a moment of peace. Cassette used white for the little girl to indicate her innocence and naivety. The mother appears in a stripped dress using light green, pink and white. These colors let the audience know that the moment is serene. The red colored carpet, although subtle, lets the audience know that the relationship between the mother and child is genuine.

Cassatt has created a balance in the work, as the mother and child are placed in the middle of the piece. No contention or disharmony exists here. The balance gives the viewer an understanding of harmony and relaxation, as these are the emotions experienced by the two subjects.

The movement of the piece begins first with the child. The audience sees the little girl and then the eye is drawn down toward the basin. The mother washing the child’s foot helps the audience understand the connection between the two of them. In addition, both subjects are looking in the same direction towards the child’s feet as the mother gently cleans them. This positioning helps the audience follow the gaze to the feet of the child.

The audience becomes captured by the peaceful and relaxed mood set by this piece. Cassatt clearly valued relationships, especially those among children and mothers. The mother portrays concern for the child’s well-being by securing the child in her lap with one hand, while the other hand gently caresses the girl’s foot. These actions appear natural, and help the viewer recognize the significane of the relationship.

Dear Humanities Kids,

1. Your first EXAM is scheduled for Wednesday, September 19th. Prepare this way:

a. What are the Humanities?

b. Why is studying the Humanities so important?

c. Why should an "observer" learn more of the time period and artist's personal life prior to making a judgement about a piece of art?

d. Define the following terms and make sure you can apply them: Composition, Mood, Color, Balance/Unity, and Movement

e. Students will randomly draw one piece of artwork from the "hat." They will then need to evaluate the piece using the above elements. We did this in class with "The Raft of the Medusa." In order to assist you with this section of the exam, I have included the pieces of artwork below. Realize that you won't know your focus until the day of the exam; however, you can easily learn more about them through some research. Remember that I am going to ask you to comment on the composition, color, mood, balance/unity and movement in the piece that you select.

"Judith and Holofernes" by Artemisia Gentileschi

"Flagellation of Christ" by Piero della Francesca

"Melancholy" by Durer

"Burial of Count Orgaz" by El Greco

"Penitent Magdalene" by Georges de la Tour

Today in class we discussed the different perspectives gained from the research you did concerning each of the controversial pieces. We shared those perspectives with each other.
We then created our own Jackson Pollock pieces based upon what we learned about him in class.

HOMEWORK:
1. Locate information for TWO of the FIVE art pieces  included above. You can easily locate the information via the Internet. Focus on composition, color, mood, balance/unit and movement.
2.STUDY FOR YOUR FIRST EXAM, cute kids!