Rembrandt's Cabinet of Curiosities

You need:

1. drawing sheet 12 by 12 cm
2. indian ink
3. dip pen
4. pencil
5. black construction paper
6. glue
7. various shells

Rembrandt was a painter, etcher and draftsman, but also an art dealer. In 1656 he went bankrupt and to pay the creditors his possessions had to be sold. An official made a list of all the things that were in Rembrandt's house. There was, for example, a large collection of objects from various continents in the art chamber, also known as 'cabinet of curiosities'.

In the room were dried animals, shells, spears from Indonesi, glass from Venice, a lion's skin and a box with coins and tokens. Sailors of the VOC often took the objects with them to the Netherlands as souvenir.

Etching of a shell, Rembrandt, 1650 (Rijksmuseum)

Discuss how ethings are made. Why does an etching make more money then a painting or drawing? Why does the artist have to scratch his signature in reverse on an etching?  

View etchings by Rembrandt. What stands out? 

• very detailed
• there are just lines
• shading for dark areas
• lifelike
• black and white

First let students practice in using indian ink. How do you make thick or thin lines? How do you make light or dark areas? What is hatching? 

Students draw a shell like Rembrandt did.  Draw with pencil, trace it wiht ink. Make hatch lines for the dark area's.

Paste all student art works together on a black construction sheet: Rembrandt's Cabinet of Curiosities. 

Life-size Keith Haring groupwork

Show Haring's works and discuss them: 

• comic like people
• few details
• thick black outlines
• bright colors
• dashes that indicate movement 

You need:

1. life-size drawing sheets.
2. tempera paint
3. brushes grote vellen schetspapier 

Paste drawing sheets together. There must fit a child on it. 

Make groups of 4 students. Trace one student of each group using a black marker.

 Students paint the traced figure in one color. Fill the rest of the sheet with patterns in black paint. 

How to make an impressionist painting

You need: four pieces of drawing paper (briefkaart)

1. tempera paint
2. brushes
3. jar with water
4. paper towels
5. dark blue construction paper

Famous impressionist painters are Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Auguste Renoir, and Edouard Manet. The last one once said: "I paint what I see and not what others want to see. "
Impressionist paintings are snapshots, a quick impression. Up close you only see dots,  from a distance you see these dots together make an image.
View and discuss impressiont paintings. What do you see? Why do wel call this impressionistic? What is an impression?

To do: 
Step 1: Paint on the 4 sheets a beach in yellow and 3 colors. Be sure your 4 sheets are all the same.
Step 2: Put one of the 4 sheets away, it's ready.
Step 3: Paint a yellow sky on the other 3 sheets. Pick white and yellow at the same time on your brush.
Step 4: Put one of the 3 sheets away, it's ready.
Step 5: Take a smaller brush and make dots in the water using blue and white. Make dots in pink, orange and white in the sand.
Step 6: Put one of the 2 sheets away, it's ready.
Step 7: Paint on the last sheet a simple sailing boat in the water.
Step 9: Paste the paintings on a sheet of dark blue construction paper

I once came across this art work on Pinterest, but can't find it back Is this your lesson? Please contact me so i can add your name.