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Lesson Plan
California State University

Expressionist Art Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Great lesson for upper elementary young scholars who think that all art has to look "real." Through the images of Edvard Munch's work, students come to understand the role emotion can play in creating visually compelling work.
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Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Biography: Wassily Kandinsky Art for Kids

For Students 9th - 10th
Kids learn about the biography of Wassily Kandinsky, artist and painter of the Abstract Expressionist art movement on this site.
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Handout
Van Gogh Gallery

The Van Gogh Gallery: Helen Frankenthaler

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical account covers the life and career of American painter Helen Frankenthaler, a transitional artist between Abstract Expressionism and color-field painting.
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Website
PBS

Pbs: American Masters: Alexander Calder

For Students 9th - 10th
From the PBS series, American Masters, this is the biography, a video, and related links for the American abrstract expressionist sculptor Alexander Calder.
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Website
Other

National Gallery of Art: Against the Grain the Woodcuts of Helen Frankenthaler

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of 43 woodcuts that echo the same expressionistic style as Frankenthaler's more well known paintings.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Abstract Art: Mark Rothko

For Students 9th - 10th
This website from Abstract Art presents a blurb on Mark Rothko, an abstract expressionistic painter.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Abstract Art: Mark Rothko

For Students 9th - 10th
This website from Abstract Art presents a blurb on Mark Rothko, an abstract expressionistic painter.
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Handout
Other

Nebraska Center for Writers: Weldon Kees

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Weldon Kees (1914-1955?) was not only an important minor poet of the mid-20th century American literary scene, he was also a fiction writer, playwright, cultural critic and impresario, filmmaker and photographer, abstract expressionist...
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Handout
Art Cyclopedia

Artcyclopedia: Jasper Johns

For Students 9th - 10th
Artcyclopedia provides a Web guide to museum and scholarly resources online about Jasper Johns (b. 1930), an American Abstract Expressionist, pop artists, and sculptor.
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Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian American Art Museum: Hans Hofmann

For Students 9th - 10th
The Luce Foundation Center for American Art in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, presents this short biography, a photographic portrait of the artist and an example painting with a map to its exhibit location in the museum, by the...
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Handout
Art Cyclopedia

Artcyclopedia: Paul Jenkins

For Students 9th - 10th
Contains several links to museums, galleries and other sources related to Paul Jenkins' famous paintings.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Helen Frankenthaler, the Bay

For Students 9th - 10th
Helen Frankenthaler was known for using a specific process of pouring paint on to the canvas rather than painting the colors onto the surface with a brush. View a picture of "The Bay" and read about her technique in this essay.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Warhol, Marilyn Diptych

For Students 9th - 10th
Andy Warhol's iconic Marilyn Monroe Diptych invites the viewer to consider the consequences of the increasing role of mass media images in our everyday lives. View pictures and read about his techniques and influences in this essay.
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Handout
Van Gogh Gallery

The Van Gogh Gallery: Hans Hofmann

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical account covers the life and career of Hans Hofmann, German-American abstract expressionist painter.
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Handout
Van Gogh Gallery

The Van Gogh Gallery: Joan Miro

For Students 9th - 10th
Biographical account covers the life and career of Spanish Surrealist painter Joan Miro.
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Handout
Art Cyclopedia

Artcyclopedia: Da Da Art Movement

For Students 9th - 10th
The biography of the European DaDa art movement. Use this site out for more information, artist links and images.