Van Gogh Bedrooms

Third Grade Art Lesson
4 Class Periods

Van Gogh Bedrooms, Third Grade Art Lesson

 

About the Artist:

Vincent van Gogh was born in Holland in 1853.  Vincent first taught himself to draw by looking at drawing books.  Vincent van Gogh's art career only lasted ten years.  During that time time he sold only one piece of artwork.  Van Gogh spent most of his life very sad, sick and alone.  Van Gogh died July 27, 1890 from a gunshot accident.  He was only 37 years old.  Today he is considered a master artist. 

Artist Vincent van Gogh

 

About the Artwork:

Van Gogh completed his first version of The Bedroom while living in the town of Arles.  Van Gogh painted a total of three versions of The Bedroom.  The room itself looks neat and tiday and contains just a few key possessions.  These items can help us learn more about Vincent van Gogh's character.  The Bedroom is often considered a self-portrait.  Van Gogh expresses himself through the room's objects, with bold colors, dyanmic lines and wild brushstrokes.

 

 The Bedroom by Vincent van Gogh.

 

Day 1:

 

1.  Students learned a brief biography of artist Vincent van Gogh.

2.  Van Gogh's masterpiece, The Bedroom, was discussed in great detail.

3.  Students filled out a worksheet that helped them critique the masterpiece.  The worksheet also began the brainstorming process for their bedroom designs.

4.  Students took a 12 x 12 piece of tag board and folded in halves to create four equal boxes.

5.  Students cut on one of the fold lines to the center of the paper to create the diorama for the project.

 

Day 2:

 

1. Students planned out the floor and wall areas of their bedrooms.  Construction paper, wallpaper, carpet and wood scraps were used for inspiration.

 

Day 3:

 

1. Students glued the diorama in place to create a three-dimensional room. 

2. Students were shown several tips and suggestions on how to create furniture for their bedroom using tag board scraps.  Creativity was highly encouraged.

 

Day 4:

 

1. Students used the last day of class to put finishing details on projects.  Students were allowed to used construction paper scraps, magazines and fabric scraps. Creativity and craftsmanship were stressed.

 

Student Examples: