Art Classes: Level IV

Level IV-Art Lesson 7: The Convent in L’viv

Learn to use chiaroscuro to give 3-dimensionality to a Renaissance building

This lesson is suitable for students in grade 6 through adult.

Art Lesson Description:

This lesson is based on a plaque depicting a convent in L’viv, Ukraine. The convent’s past tells much about the history of Ukraine and Poland:

It was built when L’viv was part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the 16th century), and is one of finest examples of late Renaissance architecture in the city.
Originally it was a convent and a hospital that was surrounded by walls and a moat to keep invaders out. The hospital was a refuge for wounded soldiers, paupers, and cripples.
The Soviets turned the complex into a warehouse and a museum of photography.
It has recently reopened as a convent.

The lesson asks the artist to solve some interesting problems:

To learn to shade objects with corners.
To learn some differences between Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

This lesson includes both POWERPOINT and VIDEO versions of the lesson plus 2 downloadable printouts: a warmup and a drawing of the convent.

List of Supplies for Each Student:

1 L’viv convent warm-up (this is included with the lesson)
1 fine tipped permanent black marker (#ad)
1 sheet of 11" x 14" drawing paper (#ad)
2H, HB, and 4B drawing pencils (#ad)
Kneaded eraser (#ad)
Graphite bar (#ad)
Blending stick (#ad)

Suggestions for Cross-Curricular Connections:

Literature: Read The Winter Horses (#ad) by Philip Kerr, a thrilling story set in Ukraine during WWII that will help you learn about some of Ukraine's history.

Social Studies: Find out how many nationalities have claimed L’viv as their territory. Learn about the Holodomor—the great famine of 1932-33 in Ukraine.

Read Ukraine: An Illustrated History (#ad) by Paul Robert Magocsi to learn about the amazing, tumultuous history of Europe's second largest country.
Learn about hairdos of the Baroque period.

Art and Architecture:

Learn about the differences between Renaissance architecture and Baroque architecture.
Listen to Greathall Production's story, Masters of the Renaissance
See an example of Baroque sculpture

Math: Find out how the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio influenced Renaissance architecture.

Other art lessons that feature Ukraine: The Ukrainian Rooster, the Face With Hidden Surprises, The Ukrainian Cat, The Carpathian Church, and the Eastern European Firebird.