Briarcliff Students Study Spanish Art

From Briarcliff Manor School District: Eighth-grade students at Briarcliff Middle School studied the styles of three well- known Hispanic artists – Salvador Dali, Frida Khalo and Pablo Picasso – as part of an interdisciplinary Spanish/art unit before creating their own self-portraits.

“Students worked in groups to learn about the artist's life and times,” said art teacher Jessica Dubin. “They looked at and recorded observations about paintings by each artist. They shared their research with one another via a web-based presentation device called ‘Sway.’”

Following the group research, students began drawing a self-portrait, beginning with a focus on proportion and facial features. As the portraits progressed from pencil drawings to painted pieces, students prepared to study each other’s work during a gallery walk.

During the walk, students observed and noted styles used by their peers, including which artists they were inspired by. They were evaluated on their Sway presentation, group discussion, sketch, painting design, painting craftsmanship, self-reflection and gallery walk.

Images Courtesy of Briarcliff Middle School