The False Mirror

Rene Magritte is Very Neat

image found on wikipaintings.org

Our Day of the Dead skull printmaking took us two class periods to get through in order for everyone to make their two prints, so similarly to the Mona Lisa activity, I introduced my students to Rene Magritte's The False Mirror.  I then proposed that each student work on drawing an eye and draw an imaginary scene or something that they often think about, in place of the iris.  I left each table with a few guides to help them with drawing the eyes and remind them of their task. I think this helped the students maintain their independence from me while waiting to print.

Each student made an Rene Magritte inspired drawing while waiting to print; if they had already printed, then they had the whole class period to work!  I gave them oil pastels for this lesson and encouraged them to color boldly and/or to layer colors for different effects.  I love seeing their imaginations at work!