Lesson Overview:
A lily, a rose, a columbine, a violet, a pansy, an iris—all are pleasingly decorative to the casual observer. For the medieval and the renaissance artists, flowers were part of a rich visual symbolism. In this lesson, students explore how botanical illustrations contribute to the telling of story in a 12th, 13th and 14th century religious painting. Students will learn about these symbolic flowers and discuss their connotation. The examination of plant representation in illuminated manuscripts, Books of Hours, miniatures, and paintings is used as a means of learning the botanical symbolism, and developing students' artistic impressions of flowers. Students will also gain knowledge of the science of flowers and their structural qualities.
Length of Lesson:
Five 45-minute class periods
Notes:
This lesson is particularly suitable for grade 8.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- learn what a Mary Garden is and its significance in medieval history and renaissance art.
- identify flowers and learn their symbolism.
- examine botanical illustrations found in illuminated manuscripts, Books of Hours, and paintings.
- interpret the meaning of flowers in a painting.
- create a personal representation of their favorite symbolic flowers in a grouping.
- learn the botanical properties of flowers.
Supplies:
- Live flowers
- Botanical illustrations or live specimens of the following: lily, rose, lily-of-the-valley, pansy, violet, morning glory, iris (fleur de lis)
- Images of paintings, photographs and other visual aids representative of a Mary Garden. These can come from a variety of sources.
- See books listed in Sources section
- Slides/transparencies, color printouts of Web pages (See Sources section)
- A chart: Iconography of Flowers
- Newsprint paper, watercolor paper, brushes, can for water, watercolors or tempera paint, watercolor pencils, tape, paper towels
Instructional Plan:
Note for teacher: Create a mini-gallery, displaying pictures, of the various types of flowers we will discuss. Pictures can be obtained from calendars of flowers, gardening magazines or gardening/floral catalogs.
Display a vase of mixed flowers at the front of the room on a table drawing students' attention to the flowers. Ask the students how they felt when they saw the flowers. Ask them what thoughts came to their mind; happy feelings, sad feelings, made you feel good, did they make you smile, did they bring memories, did you want to touch or smell, did you like the way they looked, did you wonder why they were there, etc. Have a student record the answers on the board or a flip chart to refer to later.
Note for teacher: It would be best to display real flowers in the vase if possible. This way you can also use them later in the lesson to demonstrate the parts of a flower. If you have a wholesale florist in your area you might contact them to see if they would donate a variety of flowers for your lesson. A large-scale florist shop might also do the same. Otherwise, you can use dried silk or if necessary plastic.
Introduction
Begin the discussion with the botanical illustrations you have placed around the room. Review with the students the names of the flowers and discuss their attributes according to form, color, texture and season of bloom. Have students record their answers on the Attributes of a Flower Chart worksheet to refer to at a later time in the lesson.
Bring your students to the computer lab (or, if Internet access is not available, continue onward to the next worksheet activity.) Review the interactive quiz, The Great Plant Escape, and allow the students to review the flower parts. Distribute Naturegrid.org's Flower Parts worksheet to the students and have them follow along as you review the parts of the flower. If you have been able to obtain real flowers, distribute one to each student so that they can follow along with the discussion.
Explain that flowers also have a symbolism associated with them. Ask students if they have heard any expressions related to flowers and attributes. List a couple on the board and ask if they can come up with any other examples.
- "pure as a lily"
- "rose of beauty"
- "modest as a violet"
- "fresh as a daisy"
These evolved from the "meaning" of flowers during the medieval and renaissance time. The examples in the Modern Flowers' Attributes student guide shows you emotional meanings attached to them in our day and time. Discuss these meanings with the students. What attributes do the flowers themselves have that would give them the symbols attached to their name.
Students should realize that many flowers had been known by symbolic meanings since the days of antiquity. Most of their attributes had been linked to mythological deities like Venus, Diana, Jupiter and Apollo. Many flowers were venerated not only for their beauty but also for their religious significance.
With the Renaissance's heavy reliance on Classical and religious themes, many saw the world of Nature as a mirror of the Divine. During the Renaissance most all art depicted religious themes. Tell students that these same flowers that once adorned Medieval and Early Renaissance gardens and art from the 13th to the 15th century can still be found in today's gardens. Explain that from the 12th century botanical symbolism started in France and continued to be seen in the early Renaissance in many Italian paintings in the 14th century. Many artists found ultimate expression of flowers and foliage in stone, wood and metal. These artists "wreathed their capitals with leaves and branches of natural vegetation and adorned their walls with growing plants and the orchard." Among those identified were columbines, roses, lilies, snapdragons, primroses, and lily of the valleys, violets, daisy's and many more.
During this time patrons supported artists. Patrons usually fell into two categories: wealthy merchants like the Medici family or members of the church. Saints and stories from the bible were rich subjects for the work of these artists. The Virgin became a central figure not only in subject matter for paintings but also in what were called Mary Gardens. These were small secret gardens within a garden. The secret garden had great symbolic meaning in its representation of not only Eden but the purity of Mary. It has its recorded origins in medieval and renaissance religious art in which prints and then paintings of the Virgin and Child are depicted in an enclosed garden surrounded by symbolical flowers. Explain that many of these flowers because of their symbolism were used by artists in their paintings related to the Virgin's life.
Bring your students to the computer (or, if Internet access is not available, provide printed images from the National Gallery Web site.)
First, visit the Online Tour of the exhibit "The Flowering of Florence: Botanical Art for the Medici" which shows the wide variety of decorative art objects representing plants, fruits, and flowers from the Medici collection. These are straightforward, non-symbolic images of flowers that emphasize the Renaissance love of science and Classical learning.
Next, direct students to the images in the National Gallery of Art's collection, particularly those in the Online Tour: "The Early Renaissance in Florence". Notice the difference in treatment of flowers in religious images; they are treated in flat colors, often at unnatural angles or growing in places they could not realistically grow. You may wish to review the following paintings with your students:
Painting: Individual Symbolic Flower Gardens
Begin the discussion by referring back to the symbolism discussed. Using the botanical illustrations and handout list of flowers as references, ask them to make a list of the flowers that they would like to have in a garden and include their meaning. Ask them how they choose them, by symbolic meaning or because they liked the flower. It should be by symbolic meaning because they are planning a garden with a theme. This should be a painting of a garden that will tell a story through its symbolic message. Have them go back and look over what they chose. Does it accomplish the goal?
At this point in the activity, distribute sheets of newsprint paper for sketching, watercolor paper, water-colored pencils, water color paints, brushes, cups of water, and paper towels to each students (if supplies are limited 2 or 3 students can share).
Students will create their own impressionistic painting of a favorite flower. Have the students begin to think about the composition of the piece. Have them do several thumbnail sketches. Refer to your elements and principles of design. Walk around the room and observe and help. Demonstrate different painting techniques. Allow students to share their illustrations, explaining why they chose to paint this particular flower and define its symbolism.
Assessment:
Use the Assessment Rubric to evaluate your students' work. Assess the students on the following criteria:
- Can the students identify flowers in painting,i.e. illuminated manuscript, Book of Hours, altarpiece?
- Can the students explain how the flower helps to reveal information about the artwork?
- Create an artistic presentation of their favorite flower found in a Mary garden?
Sources:
Print:
- Florendo, Andrea Oliva. Liturgy Of Flowers In A Mary Garden. New York: Rosetti della Virgine Books; 2004.
Web:
Authors:
-
Andrea Oliva Florendo, Art Instructor
CUNY
Queensborough, NY
