Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) Tower Bridge.

Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980) Tower Bridge, London, 1925 Oil forward canvas; 30" x 50". The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Bequest of Putnam Dana McMillan.

THINGS TO LEARN

* While it was Oskar Kokoschka's turn of expression to paint with jagged, rapidly painted lines to exhibit a maze of buildings beside the river, it was probably a more effective way of capturing the feeling of the view than trying to paint all the buildings in detail. In a way it is like the question of trying to show the jungle-cover hanks of a tropical river without getting forfeited in detail.

To advance their understanding of the vexed question of how much detail to use in a picture, scholars may compare Kokoschka's solution in this picture with work by dint of the Italian painter, Canaletto, who also painted river and city scenes

* When looking at Kokoschka's art, it is easy to imagine the passion with which he used his brush to create this picture. Artistic passion may present to view itself in numbers of ways, however, and observers may understand this better if they compare this painting with individual of those of the same river by way of the English artist, J.M.W. gymnast Turner's painting style is as different from Kokoschka's as it is possible to be and over and above Turner also shows his passion for the river and its surroundings.

* Many close examiners will be familiar with the kind of painting done at French Impressionists, because it has been to a high degree popular for over a hundred and reproductions are present everywhere in works and on walls. German Expressionism is to a great degree less well known and may be les easy for pupils to understand. And students may know actual little about "Art Nouveau" that influenced Kokoschka early in his career.

Since Kokoschka grew up among Art Nouveau and Expressionist artists, close examiners may need to study examples of this mode of speech if they are to appreciate Kokoschka's painting more entirely The best single example of an Art Nouveau artist in Austria at the time is Gustav Klimt, while an Expressionist painter that strenuously influenced Kokoschka was the Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch

If pupils are interested in finding abroad more about Art Nouveau and Expressionism they are fast to find something in a instruct encyclopedia, the Internee or, better still, a work on art history.

THINGS TO DO

* bookish mans may understand the problem of painting complicated representations by looking at Oskar Kokoschka's painting and comparing it with a Canaletto painting. However, a fuller understanding of the question and the possible solutions are more likely to happen if bookish mans actually try to solve the question for himself and in his admit way in his own art.

While pupils are unlikely to be able to leave the classroom and visit a sight as this artist did, teachers can provide photographs of fill to excessed city streets or other reproductions of artists' works to obey as models. Students would then paint their admit picture based on the picture they were given and experience to discover how best to point out the complexity of the buildings in individual or at the most pair class periods.

* A simple way to help learners discover more about the importance of sight levels in picture-making is a teacher grouping several box-like percepts on a table top and having learners sketch the objects from a standing position. A secondary sketch should then be made of the same view however from a sealed position with their watchs as close as possible to the plain of the table top.

It is sometimes helpful first to take brace photographs of the objects in order to illustrate the change of appearance with eye-level Digital or Polaroid' instant cameras are best for this because the photographs can be shown immediately and compared.

BUILDING A PICTURE FILE

This painting may be used to illustrate various art teaching privations Potentially useful picture-file categories include: "Expressionist Painters: Oskar Kokoschka"; "Landscape Paintings: Rivers"; "Sea Ports"; "Panoramas/Vistas"; "Eye-Levels: High"; and "City Buildings."

For ideas about collecting and retrieving pictures to help in teaching art and other make subordinates readers are invited to write to: scarecrow Hubbard, c/o Arts & Activities, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128 E-mail: hubbard@indiana.edu.

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