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Rembrandt's Stolen Work, Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee |
My favorite new project this year was one I came up with when I was struggling with middle school behavior. I tried to think of something to really reel them in, and I couldn't think of anything more intriguing than my own favorite art story. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist of 1990 fascinates me, and I have watched documentaries, listened to podcasts and even visited the museum several times. It happens to be right next to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and SMFA where I went to graduate school! I knew if I told them about the robbery, the theories, and the reward offered for the still missing artwork, they would be hooked.
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Gardner Museum: March 18, 1990 |
We started by learning about Rembrandt, chiaroscuro, and specifically Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee. They studied and discussed the painting, and I explained how it was Rembrandt's only seascape. This makes it "extra valuable"! They then watched a video about the heist. We followed up with our own seascapes, done with simple wet on wet watercolor washes and ink drawings done in sharpie. I let them look at step-by-step drawing guides for the boats. Their work is really beautiful. I love how they each made theirs their own.
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Frederick, Grade 6 |
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Lan, Grade 6 |
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Alana, Grade 6 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFznpGoKewAd8bq7sojBxFteJ837d4hoFhiQ0B7gwx8YZ4NNJbPCHvtzqZgEp-2ZeU6qs_e_eeEi8H6VSq03dK8zb8D3Z7MI0APTRrk_AeyXC_tVRrzqnPLJU2dVZfv4pn-ctrtkXPc9lpTH_6tdfkfwGg9CgeSHMhC27P8fMcHo6IBZEOQGUyT27TBg=w400-h301) |
Lucy, Grade 6 |
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Mateo, Grade 6 |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3rsrmcGpDTnMDGvO4kP4-4jJWH91sR6Qq9ArdN4Kah-WUlSJBrLsDGUk9UCHN-oGhw2NWjpjPRvSk0ruqQiGgq75szCPk5B313LQsmPRCnwRI97KwlXK5lo8Y55qxLMNSKTdcYf27jBcmB4jilM56IPMa6dNaAO57qtSauaReyO45dNUm19S8Q8jAkA=w400-h313) |
Jojo, Grade 8 |