Art works, particularly paintings, can reveal a good deal of information about places and what they looked like in the past. This lesson has students look at some historical paintings on the Internet and describe the things the paintings reveal about the places they depict.

Geography, art, music, literature, history

Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"

Two to three hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Art history books

Students will

• discuss the geographical features that some works of art reveal about the places they depict;
• view some paintings on the Internet, and describe what each painting shows about the place it depicts; and
• write paragraphs explaining what they have seen and learned from one of the paintings.

Find an art history book in the library, and show students some art works that depict landscape, city scenes, or other geographic subjects (as opposed to portraits, still life, or abstract art). Ask them to explain what each painting reveals about the place it depicts. Which places appeal to them the most and the least? Why?

Have students examine some paintings in more detail on the Internet. Below are a few examples from the WebMuseum, but students may wish to explore sites of famous museums, such as the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Have them choose at least four paintings from a variety of artists and places. Again, the paintings should focus on places rather than people or objects.

Caillebotte Constable Degas: Aux courses en province (At the Races in the Country) Hopper Millet Monet

For each painting, have students write the title, artist, date of the painting, and place where the painting was set. As they look at the paintings, have students list the things the painting reveals about the place: the landscape, architecture, climate, types of people, lifestyle, etc.

In a class discussion, ask students to explain how the subjects of art history, geography, and history are related. Explain that in high school and college, these subjects are generally kept in their own separate departments rather than being linked together. Do students think this is a good idea? How might it be useful for the three disciplines to collaborate?

Have each student choose one of the paintings they have seen online and write a paragraph answering the following questions: What do you like about this place? What does this painting reveal about the place? What does it reveal about the time period?

Find a few songs that depict historical events, processes, or periods and that also describe places or landscapes. You can probably find some good ones by browsing your own music selection at home. A few examples from the 1970s and 1980s are:

• "Ohio"—Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• "Woodstock"—Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• "Hotel California"—Eagles
• "Allentown"—Billy Joel
• "Rain on the Scarecrow"—John Cougar Mellencamp

Each of the songs on this list depicts a process or event in recent history and a particular place in the United States that experienced this process or event. Each song conveys a certain mood related to the history and geography that the lyrics discuss.

Play the songs for the class, and ask students to identify the events and places that the songs depict. As an optional activity, have students draw pictures that they feel reflect the geographical and historical themes and moods of the songs.

Ask students to write paragraphs and/or discuss as a class the ways in which the music helps them to understand the places and events.

Ask students to think about the songs that they like. When those songs are on the oldies station someday, what will they reveal about today's geography, events, and culture?

Louvre Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
NPR: Milestones of the Millennium
National Geographic: Xpeditions Activity—Geo-Generations
WebMuseum