Lakoon and His Sons by Hagesandros, Polydoros, and Athenadoros of Rhodes.
Probably 1st century A.D. copy of 2nd century B.C. original.
Big Ideas: War, sacrifice, family, message, death, fear.
Tiger Artist Possibilities: I believe that this work of art from the museum's Cast Gallery is a great example of story. Furthermore, it is a very specific moment from a story that has been exaggerated for dramatic detail. I would simplify the story into easily understood terms with dramatic excitement. Then, asking the students how they felt. And then I would ask what the artist did in order to make them feel that way: How the artist was able to display the emotion and drama in this piece.
Guiding Questions for Students:
- What aesthetic choices show human emotions?
- Which ones show drama? Or make a viewer feel uneasy?
- Why do you think the artist chose this medium, and the size?
- Does this seem like an everyday event or a particularly memorable one?
- In what ways can it relate to our personal experiences?
- What are the big ideas in this work?
- Why would an artist in this time period choose to tell this story?
- What other information do we know about this historical story?
Key Artistic Concepts:
- Dramatic/thematic work, energy.
- Aesthetic choices: Realism, facial emotion, diagonals, scale.
- Expressionism.
- Fear, passion, sacrifice, family.
- Story.
- What makes a person want to tell a story? What particular moments make a story special? What makes a story memorable? Who is the artist trying to tell the story to?
Using Lakoon is a great idea. It reminds me of Cindy Sherman's film noir stills where she creates an entire story in one image. Here the artist tells the climactic moment of the Trojan Horse legend in just one dramatic piece. You wrote:"I believe that this work of art from the museum's Cast Gallery is a great example of story. Furthermore, it is a very specific moment from a story that has been exaggerated for dramatic detail."
ReplyDeletePersonalizing this idea by asking the students about the stories they want to tell and which moment is worth capturing makes for a great lesson.