The Fall of the Roman Empire

One of my favorite times of the year is when I begin to explore Impressionism and Expressionism. Often times students and I (with our imaginations) transform the art room into a time machine to travel back in time to learn of our past and how it influences us now. This week we’ll be stepping into a classical senate and dividing classes into two groups to discuss the importance of each era. Each group will conduct its own research and present evidence of artists’ work to support its cause. Two students take the floor at a time, each member of each group will have a chance to take the floor and prove his/her point, plus argue against the teammate of the opposing group.

The idea came to me late last night watching the 1964 film, The Fall of the Roman Empire. One never knows where inspiration will come from! This should prove a great introduction into Impressionism and Expressionism, with projects following dedicated to both that will likely take us right to summer.