Genres of Paintings Painting Genres    

Lesson 13: Still Life - Sunflowers

by Vincent Van Gogh

Directions

Study the artwork for one week.

Over the week:

• Examine the artwork.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Recite the artist and artwork names.
• Read about the artwork's genre.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh created two series of still life paintings featuring sunflowers. The first series featured loose sunflowers lying horizontally. The second series featured sunflowers in vases. This painting, 'Sunflowers F458,' is a repetition of an earlier painting from the second series. In this painting, sunflowers in various states, many missing petals, others with crooked stems, bloom from a yellow vase adorned with the name, "Vincent." The surface supporting the sunflowers and the wall behind the sunflowers are in shades of yellow. This painting is currently hosted in the Van Gogh museum in the Netherlands.

Vocabulary

Dutch: Relating to the Netherlands, its people, or their language.
Still Life: A painting or drawing of an arrangement of objects, typically including fruit and flowers and objects contrasting with these in texture, such as bowls and glassware.
Sunflower: A tall North American plant of the daisy family, with very large golden-rayed flowers. Sunflowers are cultivated for their edible seeds, which are an important source of oil for cooking and margarine.
Inanimate: Not alive and showing no sign of life, especially not in the manner of animals and humans.
Museum: A building or institution dedicated to the acquisition, conservation, study, exhibition, and educational interpretation of objects having scientific, historical, cultural or artistic value.

Concepts

1. Still life genre artwork features inanimate objects such as flowers, fruit, books, musical instruments, and bowls and other dinnerware.
2. Still lifes may include small bugs or other living creatures, but breathing, moving things are not the focus of paintings classified in the genre.
3. Although still lifes are not a well-respected form of painting artistically, still lifes sell well commercially.
4. Still lifes may contain animals, although the animals in still lifes are typically non-living unlike animal art where the animals are alive.
5. Four common types of still life include 1) Flowers, 2) Fruit, 3) Non-living animals, and 4) Symbolic.
6. See below examples of the four common types of still lifes: 1) Hans Memling's 'Vase of Flowers' (Flowers), 2) Fede Galizia's 'Maiolica Basket of Fruit' (Fruit), 3) Giacomo Francesco Cipper's 'Still Life of Fish and Shellfish' (Non-living animals), and 4) 'Vanitas' by Harmen Steenwijck (Symbolic).

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

Zoom in to find the following in the artwork:

• Van Gogh's First Name
• Vase
• Walls
• Horizontal Surface
• Stems
• Leaves
• Petals
• Seeds

Activity 2: Narrate the Artwork

• After studying the artwork, narrate the scene shown aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Map the Artist

Zoom in on the map of Europe to find the country of the artist, the Netherlands.

Activity 4: Color the Netherlands on the Map   

• Click the crayon above and complete page 29 of 'Third Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Activity 5: Color the Artwork   

• Click the crayon above and complete page 30 of 'Third Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the artwork?

1 / 5

Answer 1

There are no human characters, which is typical of most still lifes.

1 / 5

Question 2

What is the setting of the artwork?

2 / 5

Answer 2

The setting is most likely indoors in a yellow room.

2 / 5

Question 3

How many sunflowers are in the painting?

3 / 5

Answer 3

There are fifteen sunflowers in the painting.

3 / 5

Question 4

Vincent van Gogh painted two series of sunflower paintings - the first featured loose sunflowers and the second featured sunflowers in vases. From which series is this painting?

4 / 5

Answer 4

This painting is part of the second series, as the flowers are in a vase.

4 / 5

Question 5

Into which genre is this painting classified?

5 / 5

Answer 5

This painting falls into the still life genre.

5 / 5

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the artwork? There are no human characters, which is typical of most still lifes.
2. What is the setting of the artwork? The setting is most likely indoors in a yellow room.
3. How many sunflowers are in the painting? There are fifteen sunflowers in the painting.
4. Vincent van Gogh painted two series of sunflower paintings - the first featured loose sunflowers and the second featured sunflowers in vases. From which series is this painting? This painting is part of the second series, as the flowers are in a vase.
5. Into which genre is this painting classified? This painting falls into the still life genre.

References

'Sunflowers (Van Gogh series).' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Still Life.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.