Religious Art: or how to teach it.

Or attempt to teach it. Or whatever.

Last week, while incomplete, we did create and learn about a form of religious art; icons. Obviously, we can't do that again. Because it would be boring. It would be repetitive. So, how to teach religious art again in a different way.

What have I been teaching my kids? Or attempting to teach them? The motivation of art, of course! Eureka! It's the entire class in four words. Let's shorten it! MOTIVATION.


Awesome, now that we have that figured out, now that we are putting in to practice what I'm actually teaching, we can move on to how to actually do it.


Motivation can be defined as the general willingness or desire for something to do something. The motivation behind religious art is quite simply to inspire one about religion. To suddenly have the profound emotional effect on one concerning religion.

This to me is the very definition of religious art:

When I first say this picture, it grabbed me. It was in a hallway with tons of other art. In no way was it actually on display. I walked one step in front of it and turned right around. Then I stared at it. Never before had a piece of art work truly effected me like this did. It was like a punch in the gut, but not in a painful way. I had to blink back tears a little bit. It that impacting. I really don't think you can just look at this picture once and feel nothing, even if you have no religious background. It's has the ability to create an emotional impact in a split second. That to me is what all religious art, and all art in general, aspires to be. 

This is going to be the emphasis of our art class this week. How art can just sucker punch you in the tear ducts. How art can just grab your emotions just by showing you an image. Not just religious art does this, but all art. All art tries to grab you and get a profound emotional response. 

This does it:

This does it too:

This really does it:

They ALL make you stop and stare and feel. That is art. Religious art just wants to do it where religion is concerned. That is all I want to teach this class. The motivation of art in a few simple sentences. 

Other things I will be doing this class:

1. Not be making a craft of my own to help students have an idea of what we're doing. I'm just going to throw some art supplies at them. Not literally, mind you. That's violent. 
2. Not talk so much. Aspire to minimalism. 
3. Remember that my pet peeve is sending children home with wet glue.
4. Allow children way too much time than necessary so they do not feel rushed and because it is very fun to talk to the person next to you. 

Teacher in Training.

I wish to be this teacher:

But the truth is, that I'm not always that teacher.

 No, I am not Zooey Deschanel singing happy songs. I cannot even play the piano. I'm not even a music teacher. I'm an art teacher. I am not from a movie. Which is a good thing, because a kid dies in this movie. If I just ruined the climax of The Bridge to Terabithia for you, I won't apologize either. Because if you are over twelve and have not read that book than your childhood is already a lost cause. If you are under twelve, then I'm am in fact very sorry I ruined your childhood.
  The point is I am not perfect like the above Ms Deschanel. In fact, last week in art class nothing worked out to well. I've heard some rumors that children still liked it, but I did not. I was very upset with myself. If I were an art student, I would be disappointed with my teacher. In fact I sort of wanted to curl up in a ball and watch television for the rest of my teaching commitment.
  What could have went to wrong you ask? Did a child die like in the above movie? No, that did not happen. The above movie is slightly melodramatic.
   Nothing worked out for me last week in class. I was tongue tied when describing the Byzantine Empire's effect on art. I kept describing it as shiny. I think 'shiny' was all my students really took away. Then again it is very shiny.

But really... just shiny. That was it. I blanked out. 4th and 5th graders are intimidating. Don't you forget that. I tried to tell everyone that the Byzantine Empire was an empire of 'Gold, and God.' I even had everyone write that in their commonplace books. I told them all it was a sea port town which made tons of gold from trading. I told them it was the Eastern half of the Roman Empire. I told them it was a united empire under a singular, state religion of Christianity. Gold and God. But all everyone took away was shiny. Because that was all I kept saying. And all they kept saying. 

  Then we moved on to the craft. Which was all glue orientated.

Don't be fooled by its exterior. It is a terrorist.

 I was so happy with the glue before hand, because there was troughs of it in the art supplies closet. However, no one cared to point out to me that it was Nazi glue that refused to dry. So everyone got sent home with wet glue and shiny, gold paint in dixie cups. Not my finest moment. 

  I'm not sure anyone learned anything last class. Except maybe me. I learned that I am not infallible and that some glue is evil. Perhaps that's a big enough lesson to be proud of learning...