Part of a Masterpiece, by John W. Healy

With this lesson that merges masterpieces with technology, students will get to see themselves as great works of art

Not too long ago, I visited an antiques store in upstate New York. I originally thought it might be like taking a trip into someone's attic. When I entered the store, it appeared to be much more than that. Walking through a contiguous set of cluttered rooms bathed in amber light, I could hear vintage music playing on a hand-cranked Victrola. With all of its warmth and intimate charm, I felt like I was in someone's home. There were countless valued possessions that were remnants of a distant time. Golden-framed paintings of hand-harvested fields, horse-drawn carts and other outdated technologies graced the walls. I couldn't help but think, "Where are the people and families who cherished these household chattels?"

Historical paintings can be perceived by children as the accumulated bits and pieces we gather throughout our lives and forget about in our attic. Once an active part of our lives or the lives of others, they are now stashed and forgotten. A museum field trip may be viewed as a fun excursion to someone's attic.

Another time and place
Original art is very much an expression of its time and place. Creating as well as collecting art can be a pivotal, vigorous part of the artist's life as well as those who share that life in varying degrees. Viewing the artist's work is a way to share a component of that life. Think of a great book you've read where the author speaks to you from a distant time. A painting from a master speaks volumes and transcends language.

A meaningful connection
For centuries, art has been passed on from one generation to the next; paintings now worth millions were created with very few expectations. When given a choice, an artist will gravitate to what is important to him or her and express strong emotions. There are shared universals in the human condition that are timeless. Imagine if your students only read contemporary literature – how would they learn about the parables and wisdom inherent in the classics? The challenge is to connect this subject area to students in a meaningful way and clearly show them how historical art can be a part of their lives.

Step into a painting
Ask your students to imagine entering and becoming part of a historical work of art. That should get their attention! If they stepped into a time machine, they could travel back to a distant moment and become contemporaries of the masters. Modern computer technologies offer the challenge to visit and become part of a piece of art. Students may choose to share the composition of the masters as a model or as a visitor walking through a scene. What could make historical art more applicable than to put our students in it?

To be a selected master-artist's model would be very flattering for a child. Mona Lisa del Giocondo, born in 1495, now shares her canvas with my student Amanda Garcia, born in 1995.

For this art lesson, Amanda visited a number of museum websites and selected a classic favorite, the portrait of Mona Lisa. She then superimposed herself as Mona Lisa – she calls it the "Amanda Lisa."

Here's how to do it
Amanda carefully compiled the following steps of how to complete this project using Adobe Photoshop. There are a number of computer programs with which you can also do this school project. I've found, however, that Adobe Photoshop works well and is very cost-effective.

1. Using either a digital photo of themselves or a scanned photo, ask your students to insert their photo into a blank document.

2. They can then search the Internet for a picture of the Mona Lisa or any other famous painting that appeals to them and insert that image into the same document.

3. Using the Crop tool, ask students to crop around their head and then place it over Mona Lisa's head (or the head of a subject of another painting of their choosing).

4. Your students can now make any necessary size adjustments and erase any parts of the original image that are near their photo and may now look out of place.

5. Students can then match their own skin color to the Mona Lisa's skin color and fill in using the color palette or other technique of their choosing.

6. Under the "Texture" option, students can select "Canvas" to make their faces look like an actual painting.

7. Print out on a color printer and voila! A masterpiece!

Dr. John W. Healy teaches art at Woodland Middle School, East Meadow, NY.