Download India Lesson 3-5 w/o production - Aloha

INDIA
“India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the
mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grandmother of
tradition. Our most valuable and most astrictive materials in the history of man
are treasured up in India only!” – Mark Twain
Grades 3-5 PowerPoint Lesson Plan
OBJECTIVES
HISTORY: Places an artwork in its historical context.
Students will examine how religious diversity in India has resulted in a broad
range of mediums and styles in its art. Students will also examine the elephant
as a theme in the art of India.
CRITICISM: (Informed talk about art.
Students will identify the use of shapes and forms in Indian art, specifically art
depicting elephants.
AESTHETICS: Questioning the nature, value and beauty of art.
Students will discuss the beauty and/or value of art that is specific to a religion or
culture.
PRODUCTION: Creating art.
Students will produce a twirling elephant puppet that incorporates shapes and/or
forms.
VOCABULARY
Note to volunteers The vocabulary will be in bold italics throughout the lesson.
They will be defined within the text of the lesson and do not need to be presented
separately. The definitions used in this section of the lesson are very detailed
and intended for adults only.
There are a number of religions in India which have shaped the art and culture of
India, yet three in particular dominate. They are:
Hinduism: the most dominant and ancient religion in India today is Hinduism.
1 PowerPoint Presentation
82% of the Indian population is Hindu, and this religion is more than 5000 years
old. Hindus believe in a supreme spiritual force that is in all things and people.
The ultimate god is supposed to be Brahman, the absolute reality, which is
formless and infinite. For the sake of worshipping the infinite reality with the
limited human mind, gods have been personified and associated with different
attributes. There are three major deities that came to dominate Hindu beliefs.
They are: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Two of these main gods, Vishnu and
Shiva, are believed to descend to earth from time to time. Taking human form
they become deities called avatars who have many adventures on earth. There
are hundreds of avatars in Hinduism. Each of these minor gods is worshipped.
Although Hindus believe in one High God that exists within each person, they
worship many different deities in their daily lives. Hindus believe in reincarnation.
A person’s position in each life is determined by his or her karma. Karma states
that deeds performed in the present life determine a future birth. Hindus (as well
as Buddhists) believe that human beings are too impure to achieve closeness to
the divine in a single birth. Instead, they are born repeatedly, each time with the
chance to better their position, so that ultimately they are pure enough to achieve
freedom from the cycle of rebirth. The three paths to escape the cycle of rebirth
are duty, knowledge (sought by meditation and yoga) and devotion to God.
Buddhism: Buddhism originated as an offshoot of Hinduism. It was founded by
Siddhartha Gautama who came to Enlightenment through meditation and then
spent the rest of his life teaching his beliefs. Buddhists, like Hindus, believe in
reincarnation. Central to Buddhism is meditation. Buddhist teaching advocates a
middle course between self-mortification and pursuit of ambition. Buddha’s Four
Noble Truths are: life involves suffering; the cause of suffering is desire;
elimination of desire leads to cessation of suffering; the elimination of desire is
the result of a method or path that must be followed. The Noble Eightfold Path
(right mode of seeing things, right thought, right speech, right action, right way of
living, right effort, right mindedness, right meditation) leads to the cessation of
pain. Through these steps Nirvana is achieved, a state beyond thought which
frees one from the perpetual cycle of birth, suffering, death and rebirth. Buddhism
was founded in India during the 5th century.
Islam: the largest non-Indian religion is Islam, and Muslims comprise about 12%
of India’s population. India has the second largest population of Muslims in the
world after Indonesia. Muslims, the followers of Islam believe in a supreme being,
Allah. Muhammad is a prophet of Allah and the founder of Islam. Allah inspired
Muhammad to write down Allah’s messages of guidance in a sacred book called
the Koran. All Muslims are required to carry out the five basic duties of Islam
which are: belief in Allah and his prophet Muhammad; ritual prayer five times a
day facing Mecca; fasting during the holy days of Ramadan; alms giving; and
going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. Islam was brought to India in the 13th century by
invaders.
2 PowerPoint Presentation
Form: describes the volume, or the three-dimensional (height, width, depth)
aspects of objects that take up space.
Shape: an area enclosed by a line. Shape has two dimensions - height and
width. A shape does not have volume or take up space like a form does. Shapes
can be geometric (squares, triangles, circles, etc. - hard edged, precise) or
organic (free form - usually found in nature).
Note to volunteers To demonstrate the difference between shapes and forms
bring in a ball (form) and a circle cut-out (shape) for comparison so that the
students have a visual example of a shape and a form. A cut-out of a square or
rectangle could be compared to a box.
RELIGION GUIDELINES
Note to volunteers Please read the following statement from the U.S. Department of Education,
issued by Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley in June of 1998. (These guidelines were rereleased in December of 1999 without change.)
Teaching about religion: Public schools may not provide religious instruction, but they may teach
about religion, including the Bible or other scripture: the history of religion, comparative religion,
the Bible (or other scripture)-as-literature, and the role of religion in the history of the United
States and other countries all are permissible public school subjects. Similarly, it is permissible to
consider religious influences on art, music, literature, and social studies.
INTRODUCTION
Let’s play a game like 20 questions to start out Art Literacy today. I’m going to
give you some hints and I want you to see if you can guess what country we are
going to learn about today. When you think you know the answer raise your
hand. Don’t say the answer out loud so that everyone has a chance to figure out
the answer from the clues.
Note to volunteers If you don’t like these clues or you want to make them grade
level appropriate feel free to use different clues. Feel free to change the order of
the clues. Do not spend a great deal of time, this game is meant to be a quick
introduction to India.
1. This country is one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
2. Over 16 major languages and 1,000 dialects are spoken in this country.
3 PowerPoint Presentation
3. Over one billion people live in this country, which is, 4 times as many people as
live in the United States.
4. This country is only 1/3 the size of the United States.
5. Chess was invented in this country.
6. This country is home to the King Cobra.
7. Three major religions have origins in this country.
8. This country is home to the Asian elephant.
9. More scientists and engineers come from this country than any other country
besides the United States.
10. There are at least seven different classical dance forms along with numerous folk
dances.
11. The McDonalds in New Delhi serves lamb burgers in its Happy Meals.
12. The Taj Mahal is probably the most famous building in this country. It took 21
years to build the Taj Mahal.
13. This country has the largest film industry in the world known as Bollywood.
14. The practice of Yoga originated in this country.
15. The food in this country is typically spicy with a generous helping of various
spices and herbs.
16. This country is home to the tallest mountain range in the world – the Himalayas.
4 PowerPoint Presentation
HISTORY
ELEPHANT SEAL
India is a country of amazing variety and contrasts and is one of the oldest
civilizations in the world. The oldest known pieces of art in India are over 3,000
years old and are seals made of clay. This is an example of one of those seals
and even as long ago as 3,000 years, elephants were an important part of the
culture and an important theme in the art of India.
To understand the art of India, a person needs to understand the religions of
India. There are many different religions in India but when it comes to art there
are 3 that are more important than any others, they are: Hinduism, Buddhism
and Islam. While we learn about India’s art we’ll also learn a little about these
three religions.
EAST GATEWAY – GREAT STUPA AT SANCHI
The first religion we’re going to talk about today is Buddhism.
Have students say Buddhism out loud together.
Buddhists created some of the very earliest known art in India. Buddhism was
the most important religion in India for about 1,000 years. (Buddha lived from
500-400 BC.) During this time Buddhists built thousands of stupas (STOO-pahs)
across India. Stupas are memorial mounds that contain the remains of a holy
person or a religious relic. Stupas (seen in the background) are beehive-like
structures and are very plain on the outside and have no interior. The artwork at
a stupa is on the gates – a gate for each direction. The stories of Buddha were
carved into the gates so that the people who visited the stupa could learn about
the religion since most of them could not read. Buddhists believe in
reincarnation, which means that when you die you are reborn into another life. A
person is born over and over again until he leads a life that is so good and pure
that he reaches Nirvana (a kind of heaven). Buddhists also believe that if you
are good in this life, your next life will be a little better (karma, pronounced KARmah), bringing you ever closer to reaching Nirvana. If you are a bad person, your
next life won’t be as good and you will be further away from Nirvana. Part of
leading a good life was contributing money to build these great stupas and to
support the monks and teachers of Buddhism.
Did you notice the elephants? They look as if they are carrying the weight of the
gate on their shoulders. Elephants have always been important in India because
they are so big and strong that they can do a lot of work. These elephants are
5 PowerPoint Presentation
carved from stone and are a sculpture. A sculpture is a form. A form is an object
that has three dimensions: height, width and depth. A form takes up space. This
is unlike a shape, which only has two dimensions: height and width. Shapes do
not take up space, they are flat.
Note to volunteers Use the visual illustration explained under the vocabulary to
show the students the difference between shapes and forms.
KAILASA TEMPLE OF SHIVA AT ELLORA
The next religion we’re going to talk about is Hinduism.
Have students say Hinduism out loud together.
Most of the people in India today are Hindus. Like Buddhists, Hindus believe in
reincarnation. They built temples so that they could “see” their enshrined gods. A
temple was built for one god. Temples weren’t just a place to worship the god,
they were also a magnificent monument or tribute to the god. Many of the
temples that the early Hindus created were carved right out of the hillside (seen
here).
According to Hindu writings, elephants are said to be the guardians of the four
directions and to hold the world of the gods on their backs and shoulders. They
stand guard over the points of entry and prevent any evil or polluting forces from
entering the world of the gods. This can be seen in this temple where rows of
elephants adorn the friezes along the lowest level of the temple.
ELEPHANT AT MAMALLAPURAM
This elephant is guarding the thresholds to these temples.
HINDU TEMPLE
Unlike Buddhist stupas, Hindu temples are covered with sculptures. Do you see
an elephant?
STANDING GANESHA
Even one of the Hindu gods has an elephant head. He is Ganesha (Ga-NAYSHah), and he is the son of the gods Shiva (SHEE-vah) and his wife Parvati (PARvah-tee). Ganesha is said to be the remover of obstacles and the god of
beginnings. Small, portable sculptures (seen here) of the Hindu gods were made
so that images of the gods could be carried in festivals and processions.
6 PowerPoint Presentation
1. Is this a form or a shape? (Form)
2. Would this sculpture look the same from the back and from the sides? (No)
3. Describe what it might look like from the back.
CRITICISM
CROWNED GANESHA
Here is another picture of Ganesha. Do you notice something unusual about this
god besides the fact that his head is an elephant head? (He has four arms.)
Gods in the Hindu religion are often pictured with more than 2 arms. To the
Hindus this is a simple way of showing the power of the god who could perform
many tasks at once. When gods are even more active they can have lots more
arms, some gods can even have 16 arms.
Sensory Properties: What do you see?
1. Why is the elephant in this painting different from the elephant sculpture seen in
the last slide? (This elephant is made up of shapes. He only has two dimensions
– height and width.)
2. What kind of shapes do you see in this painting? (Triangles on crown and
throne, circles on jewelry and crown, stripes on clothing, etc.)
Formal Properties: How is it arranged?
1. Where do you see repeated shapes that create a pattern? (The shapes in the
crown are repeated to make a pattern, the repeated lotus shapes create a
pattern, the arms are repeated shapes, the jewelry on the arms creates a
pattern, etc.)
2. Let’s try an experiment…Look at the lotus shapes on the top of the crown.
Where do you see the lotus shapes repeated? (The lotus flower held in one of
the hands.) Where is the next place you see the lotus shapes? (On the throne.)
Raise your hand in the air and move your arm so that you follow the lotus
shapes from the crown, to the hand, to the throne, and back to the crown. What
has your arm done? (Gone in a circle.) Why do you think the artist used so many
repeated shapes that create patterns? (So that when a person looks at a
painting and his/her eye follows the pattern of shapes he/she looks at the whole
painting. This is called visual movement.)
3. Do you see any other shape patterns that create visual movement? (Dots on
crown, earrings, bracelets, necklace.)
Technical Properties: What media, tools and techniques were used?
1. What materials were used to make this picture? (Paper, paint, brushes.)
2. What materials would you use if you wanted to make an elephant form? (To
make a sculpture you would need materials to carve or sculpt such as clay, stone
7 PowerPoint Presentation
or wood. You would also need the tools to carve or sculpt such as knives,
chisels, hammers, etc.)
Expressive Properties: What mood or ideas does it express?
1. Most Americans are not familiar with images like this one; showing a god that
has an elephant head and four arms. What are your feelings about this picture?
(Possible answers: confusion, interest, strange, etc. – there is no right answer.)
2. Does this picture make you think that this is a powerful god? Why or why not?
AESTHETICS
Note to volunteers These questions are meant to be open-ended and there is
no right or wrong answer.
BABY KRISHNA SITTING IN THE LAP OF LORD GANESHA
The art of India seems exotic or unusual to us because it was inspired by
religions and a culture that are not familiar to most Americans. We don’t always
understand the meaning or significance of the artwork from India.
1. Is art less valuable if we don’t understand the meaning behind it?
2. Is there such a thing as “universal art” or art that everyone in the world could
understand?
3. What might a “universal” subject be?
HISTORY (cont.)
TAJ MAHAL
The last religion that we’ll talk about today is Islam.
Have students say Islam out loud together.
Islam was brought to India by invaders from other countries (Persia [Iran] and
Afghanistan) in the 600s. People who are followers of Islam are called Muslims.
Muslims believe that there is only one god and his name is Allah. They do not
believe in reincarnation like the Hindus and Buddhists do. The Muslims that
came to India became very powerful and very rich. They became rulers and
deeply influenced the art of India.
Do you notice anything different about this building when you compare it to the
ones we’ve seen? (The surface of the building doesn’t have any sculptures of
humans on it.) The Muslims that came to India felt that it was wrong to make an
8 PowerPoint Presentation
image of a person – they felt that Allah was the only Creator and that if a person
made an image of a person or other living creature he was making himself a
creator and competing with Allah. Because of these beliefs Muslims would
decorate buildings with plants or abstract and geometric designs that didn’t show
living creatures. No elephants here!
Is a building a form or a shape? (Form – a really big form!)
ELEPHANT STABLES
One of the great Muslim rulers was named Akbar the Great. Akbar loved
elephants. He had so many elephants that he had huge stables built to hold them
(seen here). Elephants were used in royal processions, they were ridden on tiger
hunts and even into battles. Akbar also loved to learn about art, music and
dance.
AKBAR RESTRAINS HAVAI
Akbar was so interested in art that he commissioned many miniature paintings by
artists that had come from Persia just like his ancestors. Persians were famous
for miniature paintings, which were very, very small. Akbar often combined his
love of elephants with his love of paintings – which can be seen here.
Even though Akbar was a Muslim he allowed paintings of humans and other
living creatures because he and many others felt that this was okay since the
figures in a painting didn’t cast a shadow like a living creature or a sculpture or a
form would.
Why wouldn’t the figures in a painting cast a shadow? (Because they are
shapes, they are flat, they do not take up space so they can’t cast a shadow.)
After looking at the art of India we can see that elephants have been important in
India for thousands of years. Today, elephants are still used for different kinds of
work – they are very important for logging and for work in forests. They are also
ridden in festivals and processions and are beloved by the people of India. We
have also seen that the religions of India have had a great influence on the art of
the country. Today, religion and culture still influence the art of India.
9 PowerPoint Presentation