University of Michigan
Symbolism in Visual Images
Brief essay on visual symbolism in literature and art. Provides examples and nice images. Shows that visual images can have the same type of symbolism as literary works.
Department of Defense
Do Dea: Art Appreciation: Unit 1: Orientation
In this first unit of a course on Art Appreciation, students are instructed in how the entire course is organized, what to expect, what course symbols mean, rubrics used in assessment, and what plagiarism is. The next section explains...
A&E Television
History.com: What Prehistoric Cave Paintings Reveal About Early Human Life
Some of the oldest known art may hint at the beginning of language development, while later examples portray narratives with human and animal figures. What does the oldest known art in the world tell us about the people who created it?...
J. Paul Getty Trust
J. Paul Getty Museum: In Focus: The Tree
Celebrate a universal symbol of life, the tree, represented by different forms of visual art at this virtual exhibition.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Draw a Math Story From the Concrete to the Symbolic
Contains plans for four cross-curricular lessons that ask students to write simple addition and subtraction stories after reading a number of models. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to PDF...
The National Gallery (UK)
National Gallery, London: Ite: 'Madame De Pompadour at Her Tambour Frame'
See an example of how one teacher used the painting of Madame de Pompadour in her classroom to develop a lesson for a personal still life.
PBS
Art21: Louise Bourgeois
A great site by PBS that features a biography on the artist and links to art work, videos clips and interviews. On this page there are also links to lesson plans and other artist pages. In all, a very informative site.
Other
Buddhist Artifacts the Support of Spiritual Realization
A site by Tulku Thondup explaining the significance of Buddhist art in Tibet. This is an excerpt from a talk given at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1990. The basis is how the Buddhist devotees in Tibet use religious objects as tools...
PBS
Pbs: The Story of India: Saraswati
PBS explores one of the world's oldest religions, Hinduism, with a highlight of the goddess Saraswati. Identifies her importance and role in the Hindu lifestyle and where she is most often worshiped. Describes how she is depicted in art,...
PBS
Pbs: The Story of India: Lakshmi
PBS explores one of the world's oldest religions, Hinduism, with a highlight of the goddess Lakshmi. Describes how she is depicted in art, the symbolism behind her four arms, and other important symbols that she is most often associated...
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Australia
Provides an overview of the culture of Australia. Gives basic information on topics such as geography, ethnic makeup, languages, symbolism, economy, food, customs, social stratification, family life, education, religion, politics, etc....
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Argentina
Provides an overview of the culture of Argentina. Gives basic information on topics such as geography, ethnic makeup, languages, symbolism, economy, food, customs, social stratification, family life, education, religion, politics, etc....
Countries and Their Cultures
Countries and Their Cultures: Austria
Provides an overview of the culture of Austria. Gives basic information on topics such as geography, ethnic makeup, languages, symbolism, economy, food, customs, social stratification, family life, education, religion, politics, etc....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Scroll Paintings (Lesson Plan)
Students apply knowledge about Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and work collaboratively with classmates creating scroll paintings in this instructional activity. The Book of the Dead is referred to in teaching students about Ancient Egypt...