Traditional Painting Techniques in the Contemporary Classroom

Maureen Budka*

Honors EXCEL Program, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation Category: Oral-Human Engagement (Oral Presentation #11)

Student’s Major: Art Education

This research project explores the practical implementation of traditional Renaissance painting techniques in the typical secondary art classroom. The project began with a trip to San Gemini, Italy to study four art making techniques commonly used during the Italian Renaissance: fresco painting, egg tempera painting, gold leaf gilding, and sgraffito. In high school art classes, these techniques may be mentioned in theory during art history lectures but they are rarely put into practice. Based on the theory that students learn best when actively participating in learning tasks, the techniques were adapted to create a five-week art curriculum appropriate for high schoolers. The resulting lessons are interactive and multidimensional, consisting of art activities, historical examples from various cultures, and connections to contemporary art. The traditional techniques were altered to utilize safe and affordable materials. The project culminated in a workshop offered to other art educators on WVU's campus, where the lesson plans and traditional art making techniques were taught. The objective of this project is to create engaging lessons that art educators can use to teach art history in their own classrooms.

Funding: Honor EXCEL Program

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Other, Honors EXCEL Program