Art
Masterpiece Lesson Plan
by Mindy Sanders
Artist
biographical info.
(Most of the intro. info. is taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quentin_Matsys)
When you try to find out information about
Quentin Matsys you can see that his name is spelled many different ways. Not because he chose to, but because
the records were not clear. His
first name is also recorded as Quenten or Kwinten and his last name as Massys,
Metsys, or Matsijs. (Show Printout of different spellings)
Quentin Matsys was born in 1465 in
Leuven, Belgium (Show Map) where legend states his father trained him as an ironsmith
before he became a painter. He was a
painter in the Flemish tradition (Flemish is the Dutch language as spoken in
Flanders, the northern part of Belgium).
After studying in Leuven, he moved to Antwerp by 1491. Near the front of
the Cathedral of “Our Lady in Antwerp” is a wrought-iron well, known as the
“Matsys Well,” which according to tradition was made by the painter-to-be. Matsys was a founder of the Antwerp
school, which is a term for the artists active in Antwerp, during the 16th and
17th centuries.
Legend states that Matsys
abandoned his career as a blacksmith to woo his wife, who found painting to be
a more romantic profession, though Karel van Mander
claimed this to be false, and the real reason was a sickness during which he
was too weak to work at the smithy and instead decorated prints for the
carnival celebrations.
The roots of Matsys'
training are unknown, but his style reflects the artistic qualities of Dirk Bouts. When Matsys settled at Antwerp at the
age of twenty-five, his own style contributed importantly to reviving Flemish
art. Matsys departed from Leuven in 1491 when he became a master in the guild of painters at
Antwerp.
Matsys work is considered
to contain strong religious feeling—characteristic of traditional Flemish
works—and is accompanied by a realism that often favored the grotesque.
Most of the emphasis in Matsys’
works lies not upon atmosphere, but to detials: emphasizing the melancholy
refinement of saints, the brutal gestures and grimaces of gaolers (jailors) and
executioners. Strenuous effort is devoted to the expression of individual
character.
Matsys had two sons, Jan
and Cornelis who were both painters.
Matsys’ grandson, who was named after him, Quentin Metsys the Younger,
was also an artist and he painted the Sieve
Portrait of Elizabenth I of England.
Matsys
died at Antwerp in 1529. [He lived
to be 64.] In spite of his religious devotion, several of his relatives died as
a result of their faith. His sister Catherine and her husband suffered at
Leuven in 1543 for what was then the capital offence of reading the Bible: he being decapitated, she
allegedly buried alive in the square before the church. In 1629 the first
centennial of Matsys' death was marked by a ceremony and erection of a relief
plaque with an accompanying inscription on the facade of the Antwerp Cathedral.
Benefactor Cornelius van der Geest is said to be responsible for the wording,
stating: "in his time a smith and afterwards a famous painter",
keeping in accordance with the legends surrounding Matsys' humble beginnings.
One of Matsys’ most famous paintings, A Grotesque Old Woman (or The
Ugly Duchess) (Show the picture of it) is perhaps the best-known of his
works. It served as a basis for John Tenniel's depiction
of the Duchess in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It
is likely a depiction of a real person with Paget's disease,[5]
though it is sometimes said to be a metaphorical portrait of the Margaret,
Countess of Tyrol, who was known as Maultasch,
which, was used to mean "ugly woman".
Historical info about
the era
Do any of you know what a money changer is? A money changer is a person who exchanges
the coins or currency of one country for
that of another. This trade is thought generally to be the origin of modern banking in Europe.
Have any of you ever seen money from a different country? (Show
money from other countries)
During
medieval times in Europe, many cities and towns
issued their own coins, often carrying the face of a ruler, such as the
regional baron or bishop. When outsiders, especially travelling merchants, visited towns for
a market fair, it became necessary to exchange his foreign coins to local ones
at local money changers. Money changers would assess a foreign coin for its
type, wear and tear,
and possible counterfeit,
then accept it as deposit, recording its value in local currency. The merchant could
then withdraw the money in local currency to conduct trade.
Activity
The Activity below is from: http://www.juneauschools.org/uploads/elementaryart/Sixthgrade/lessonplans/observeQuestionWritelesplan.pdf)
 |
| Photo taken from wikipedia |
(Pass out Blank papers, have the kids fold them in half and only use
the top half for now.) Before you tell the students anything about “The
Money Changer and His Wife”, have them examine the painting quietly and write
down 5 questions about it beginning with who, what, when, where and why. After they are done writing their
questions, have a few students volunteer to share their questions. Begin with “who” and stay with it until
about five good questions have been asked by the students. Move on to what, then when and so
on. Encourage them to be specific
and give detail within the questions, i.e. “Who is the person in the velvety
red dress wearing the hat with white flaps?” In this type of questioning, more information is gathered.
When students are done using the “five w” questions to
gather information and have heard lots of ideas, have them improvise a
progressive story about the painting.
The teacher will begin by starting the story with two or three
sentences. Tell the students they
can take over the story at any time by raising their hands. For instance:
“Isabella was reading her prayer
book while waiting for a customer to come into the store. She liked to make good use of her time
because she had a lot to do that day.
Peter was sitting beside her weighing and counting the money from the
last customer. It was a bit chilly
in the room that day, but…..
When the story seems to be done, give the students
information about the painting, The Money
Changer and Hid Wife. Discuss
how we may see things differently because of the times in which we live.”
(Have the kids put their papers aside for a while, but save them for
later.)
The Story Behind the
Painting
“The Money- Changer and His Wife [features] a professional man
transacting business. He [has] a scale checking the weight of coins. The painting [portrays] the
importance of developing commerce and financial transactions. This became a
prominent part of the secular life in the 16th century Netherlands. The values of society were changing from
religion to economy. Money distracted Christians from their religion. This was made obvious with the banker’s
wife showing more interest in watching her husband count money than reading her
prayer book.” (cias.rit.edu/~lel7081/2010-2011/Class/WesternArt/III/.../ExamI.doc).
A painting with a moral
In this painting Matsys “depicted … human vices and to reminding
viewers of the frailty of human existence. Metsys is often considered one of
the founders of the genre-highlights in this work. The shiny gold, pearls (a
symbol of lust), and jewelry have distracted the wife from her spiritual duty,
reading a work of devotion. The objects in the background have been carefully
chosen to strengthen the work's moral message. The snuffed-out candle and the fruit
on the shelf-an allusion to original sin and a reminder that we are all doomed
to return to dust-are symbols of death. The carafe of water and the rosary
hanging from the shelf symbolize the purity of the Virgin. Finally, the small
wooden box represents a place where faith has retired” (http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/moneylender-and-his-wife).
Element of Art or Principle
of Design
“The two subjects are depicted half-length, seated behind a
table. The scene is tightly framed, making them the focus of attention. They
are in perfect symmetry. The man is busy weighing the pearls, jewels, and
pieces of gold on the table in front of him. This is distracting his wife from
the book she is reading-a work of devotion, as the illustration of the Virgin
and Child shows. The mirror placed in the foreground-a common device in Flemish
painting, allowing the artist to create a link with the space beyond the framed
scene-reflects a figure standing in front of a window. On the right, a door
stands ajar, revealing a youth talking to an old man” (http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/moneylender-and-his-wife).
“The coins are
greatly detailed. A small
container is given depth from the amount of highlighting Metsys uses” (http://www2.students.sbc.edu/ogborn03/euroart116/metsys.html).
Depth and Perspective Activity
Were going to
do a little experiment. (Pass out pennies and have the
kids pull out and use the bottom half of the paper you passed out earlier.)
1.
Place the coin under the paper and rub lightly
with the pencil. Do this several
times on the paper in different locations, not too far apart but not touching.
2.
Again move the coin. This time the coin can touch previous rubbing. Rub a little more firmly to produce a
darker image; but do completely not draw over previous rubbing.
3.
Again move the coin. Now be sure that the coin intersects previous rubbings and
rub a bit harder to produce an even darker image. Do not completely cover previous rubbing with new rubbing.
Notice that the image on the paper appears to be a pile
(with depth) of random coins.
Hidden Pictures Activity
Since our painting today has hidden meanings, we are going
to do a hidden items activity. (Pass out the Hidden Pictures papers)
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