Henri Matisse: Jazz & Poetry on Paper (High School and Middle School)

Lesson Overview

The student will be able to explain the connection between poetry and Matisse’s visual imagery and demonstrate that relationship in their own original artwork.Instruction will begin by reading a poem by Baudelaire as a class and discussing its imagery and tone. Students will then be introduced to Matisse and the time period in which he worked (early-mid 20th century France). Students will be shown an example of Matisse’s early work and understand his affinity for and artistic connection to poetry. Students will select their own poems and create artwork inspired by them.

Duration

Multiple days

Lesson Type

Traditional Lesson

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6, 7, 8

Visual & Performing Arts

For more advanced students, try to use the poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé instead. Instruct students to look up words they do not know.
The art activity itself could vary widely in medium or other constraints. For students with low or impaired vision, for instance, the medium could be clay or other 3D media. Younger or less experienced students may be better suited to working with materials with which they are already familiar.
Extend the lesson as an ELA activity by asking students to compare different translations of the same Baudelaire poem and analyze how and why they may differ in style.

For students learning French, try to work from the original French poems and translate them as they work.

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Lesson Created By: Glenna Barlow