When I think of Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling, I picture him lying on his back atop huge scaffolds, working in this position for years and years. I’m not sure if I was formerly taught this, but come to find out, it’s a widespread misconception! He did work atop tall scaffolds, but stood upright with his head craned back to paint. Not surprisingly, that dude was fed up with the Sistine Chapel ceiling by the time he was done.
The Michelangelo project in Discovering Great Artists, p. 25, still goes off the assumption that Michelangelo laid on his back to paint the ceiling. The directions in my lesson plan mimic this, as it is much easier to tape paper under a table than to erect scaffolding to reach the ceiling, but if you find a solution that allows students to stand and paint above their heads, please share!
Materials:
Cardstock, with printed images from the Sistine Chapel (see below)
Tape
Tables
Option 1: Paint brush pens (Pro: less supplies to bring. Con: less colors, and $0.60/pen vs. $0.30/watercolor pencil)
Option 2: Watercolor pencils, small paint brushes, water, cups, paper towels
Below is the lesson plan and images:
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