Historical Context Art Teacher Resources

Class members are presented with the image of a painting and asked to record their first impressions and analysis. They then research the time period in which it was painted and discuss how their research impacted their first impression...

Tenth graders discuss collage and photomontage techniques and artists, and how the art form can convey cultural or current issues. They research a collage artist, then design a topical or personally symbolic collage. Present their...

Everyone sees art differently. An informative resource focuses on the image analysis of an allegorical statue. Scholars study the photo of the statue and complete a worksheet based on their findings. To finish, academics participate in...

As part of their study of the film adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, class members analyze how Robert Mulligan uses the film lens to depict the historical period and social issues presented in Harper Lee's novel. A superior resource...

What strategies do historians use for interpreting visuals? This simple worksheet lists four questions that learners can use to approach and analyze historical photographs, fine pieces of art, etc., as well as an opportunity to apply the...

Artists working in different media often explore the same themes—to model how these same themes weave their way through different forms of artistic expression, scholars analyze images by Dorothea Lange, identifying key themes in her...

Young scholars analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural...

Seventh graders examine different pieces of Dutch Art. They identify its social and political meanings by using cultural and historical information. They examine maps of the time period as well.

Students discuss and examine the work of artist Cai Guo-Qiang.  In this art lesson, students analyze how cultural and historical factors impact the visual arts. 

Students explore popular music in its historical context. In this music instructional activity, students examine the lyrics, musicical arrangement, and video imagery of selected songs to interpret the messages and themes of the songs.

Students analyze paintings to determine characteristics of women and attitudes toward them in different time periods. They create a portrait of a woman and discuss their views of women through their own artwork.

Students analyze Dorothea Lange's photographs and identify key themes in her work. In this photograph analysis activity, students discuss and analyze the images of Lange and identify her themes. Students research the historical contexts...

Students compare two nineteenth century family portraits using historical data, statistics, and historical context. Students analyze their own family pictures adjusting the criteria to the current decade. Lastly students study the...

Use a five-lesson unit to investigate how different cultures use art for common purposes, such as the marking of special events, celebrations, and the validation of human experience.

Students study introductory history and cultural purposes of selected Japanese dance forms. They analyze the philosophical beliefs, social systems, and movement norms that influence the function and role of Japanese dance in the lives...

Students examine theme in the photography of Dorothea Lange. In this photography lesson, students analyze photography taken by Dorothea Lange and identify themes that run through each. They design an exhibition that shows how the theme...

Learners compare life masks and photos of Abraham Lincoln that were made before and at the end of the Civil War. In this "Faces of War" lesson, students analyze images of Lincoln in a historical context and create a timeline of event.

Students analyze the lyrics, instruments, sounds and technology from the song "Vertigo" by U2. They view a video presenting interviews with the band and complete a stage design for the live playing of the song.

Students discuss the difference between primary and secondary sources and consider how an exhibit is researched. They design and create a montage that reflects themselves in a social and historical context.

Learners analyze 19th-century paintings that depict celebrations in various ways. In this visual arts lesson, students view samples of paintings during the Industrial Revolution and discuss the effects of that time period on society....

Students survey free jazz and fusion. They explore how free jazz and fusion reflected American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s.

Fifth graders explore cool jazz and how it reflected American culture in the 1940's and 1950's.

Students sing the national anthem and analyze the lyrics. They work in cooperative groups to sequence the lyrics, research the cultural and historical context of the anthem and record a class performance.

Students analyze photographs from an historical perspective. They examine photos on the Study of Spanish-Speaking People of Texas website, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.