Virtual Museum Tour- Van Gogh Museum

I went on a few museum tours from the list provided. The Museum I decided to take my second-grade class on is the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands I was able to explore the museum by looking at 360-degree videos, by time and color. I did the virtual tour which seemed to be a bit unorganized. I preferred looking through the museum’s website afterward.

I would take my second graders to this museum. I would take the class all around and see different photos he painted. One that stuck out to be the bedroom. I think this would be a fun piece of artwork that I could recreate into an activity with the second-grade class. I would have them look at this photo and then would have my students draw photos of their bedroom. For this art project with my second-grade students, I would use oil pastels. This way, the students can explore the colors and smudging. I would love to see the artwork and how each student varies and how they view their own rooms. I might show them this picture while on our probe board while they begin their art project. I would do this so it provokes ideas and creativity, it may remind them to draw their windows or bed how it is in their bedroom.

Another piece/area I may focus on is his paintings of nature like trees, flowers, and oceans. The colors he uses are exceptional, along with the different shades of color which show textures. For example, at the Seascape near Les Saintes-Mairies-de-la-Mer I see so many different blues and greens in the oceans and it makes me want to explore my own abilities and painting water. It inspired me because it looks so simple and unintentional however it is evident that the placement of each stroke and color was intentional. You can see the white water crashing. I would definitely focus on these paintings with my students.

Some questions I might ask my second graders regarding these paintings would be:

1) How many shades of blue do you see?

2) What colors might you mix to get all of these different shades of blue?

3) How do you think Vincent van Gogh was feeling when he created this piece of art?

4) What story do you think he was trying to tell?

5) Who do you think are on the boats?

6) Where do you think they are going?

Another follow-up activity I could plan would be to recreate this work of art with its own twist. I would provide paint and allow my students to explore mixing the colors to create different shades and have them paint this beautiful picture. I would provide them with an oak tag or even a canvas, different color paints, and different-sized paintbrushes. I would display the photo on the board so they can seek inspiration from this photo. After they complete this activity, I would do a follow-up writing prompt and ask them to tell me the story about their own painting.

I enjoyed having the opportunity to take a virtual tour of this museum. I have not done anything like this before and plan to do so with my students. As a Teacher Assistant at my school, I plan a special “Wild Card’ activity each week for Fridays and I plan to do something like this but modified for my students. I look forward to implementing it in my classroom.