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Creative Thinking & Making
Historical & Cultural Contexts
Critical Thinking
Critical Response
Aesthetics
At a Glance:

Suggested Time Frame:

Introduction:                         10 mins
Homework Review:                20 mins
Discussion:                            30 mins

Total Time:                               1 hr.

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Learning Objectives and Cognitive Skills:

•Students distinguish between objective and subjective questions. •Students compare and contrast the aesthetic qualities of two rooms from the 1960s.
•Students draw parallels between aesthetic design and cultural context.

PA State Standards:

Arts and Humanities:

Historical and Cultural Contexts
9.2. A. Explain the historical, cultural, and social context of an individual work in the arts.
9.2. C. Relate works in the arts to varying styles and genre and to the periods in which they were created

Reading Writing Speaking Listening

1.2. Reading Critically in All Content Areas
A. Read and understand essential content of informational texts and documents in all academic areas.

 

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5


Aesthetics Lesson 2: Personal Aesthetic
Jump to: Activity | Image Gallery | At a Glance

 

Installation of Thornet barstool and steamer trunk from Warhol’s studio ca. 1964-1967 at The Andy Warhol Museum ©AWF.


Procedure:

1. Review how people make aesthetic choices everyday based upon personal preferences and ideas about goodness, harmony and beauty.

2. Introduce Objective/Concrete questions vs. Subjective/Sensory questions:

When buying a dress a person might ask the following questions before purchasing:


Andy Warhol, Brillo Box Dress and Fragile dress, 1964 ©AWF.

Objective/Concrete questions:

  • Where will this dress be worn? (To the office, to a fancy restaurant? The dress will reflect the activity it is meant for.)
  • Should it be short or long? (What is in style, what will other people be wearing? The dress will reflect the current culture, what is available or in stock).

Subjective/Sensory questions:

  • How do I feel in this dress?
  • Does this color please me? Do I like the way it fits?
  • Does it look good according to me and according to cultural norms?          


When purchasing an artwork a company or institution might ask the following questions:
The Andy Warhol Museum Self-Portrait Gallery, photo by Paul Rocheleau - All Art ©AWF.

 

Objective/Concrete questions:

  • Where will this painting be hung?
  • Does it fit in the space and complement the space’s function?
  • Do the colors, lines, and shapes work with the colors, lines, and shapes already in the room?
  • Does the artwork match or fit well with the historic period of the room?
  • Does the artwork share a similar context with the space in terms of subject matter?

Subjective/Sensory questions:

  • How does the work feel in the room?
  • Does it bring pleasure to the people working there?
  • Does it feel right or harmonious?

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3. Analyze the students’ homework samples about the aesthetics of their spaces. Talk about the concrete function of items they included and the sensory effect of their aesthetic choices. Are all of the items in their rooms of their own choosing or do other peoples’ aesthetics weigh in?

4. Use Aesthetics Handout 2.1 to compare and contrast the aesthetics of Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory and the renovations of the Red Room in the White House by Jackie Kennedy.
And / Or
Present the artist Yinka Shonibare and discuss how he also changes an environment using printed fabric in his artwork Victorian Philanthropist’s Parlour.

Homework:

Most people would say these objects are not art. What is art?

Discuss “Things that are not art”
Assign students to bring in something from home that is not art.
Students should list 4-6 reasons why the object is not a work of art.

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