The yellow, green, pink, blue house?

• Art and design
• Primary Education

Introduction

The pupils paint their own versions of Vincent's yellow house – but they can use any colours they like.

Instructions

General learning objectives
- This lesson will introduce the class to Vincent van Gogh and one of his most famous paintings.
- Using a worksheet, the children will paint their own versions of Vincent's house, choosing their own colours. They will also decide for themselves how to fill in the background (the rest of the street).

Preparation
Print out the worksheets (slide 8) and put the art supplies in place.

Materials required
- - Each pupil will need a copy of the worksheet 'The Yellow House' in A4 or A3 format.
- Scissors
- Art paper or sturdy blue paper (A3 or A2)
- Gouache in a variety of colours
- Paint bowls, trays or palettes
- Brushes of different thicknesses
- Jars of water
- Old newspapers or paint mats
- Painting smocks or aprons

Optional variations
1. Have the pupils paint the house on blank paper, instead of using the cut-out from the worksheet.
2. 2. As soon as the paintings have dried, have the class add colour accents – with oil pastels, for example.
3. If you have extra time, have the class make coloured houses by cutting and pasting the leftover materials, instead of painting.

Background information
The painting The Yellow House (1888) shows the house that Vincent van Gogh rented in the southern French city of Arles. He painted famous works of art there, such as The Bedroom and Sunflowers.

Worksheets

The yellow, green, pink, blue house.docx.pdf

Ask the class what they see on the interactive whiteboard. Do all houses look like that? And what is missing from the house on the board? Ask for volunteers to draw in some of the missing parts (with a finger or whiteboard pen). Use the pencil function at the lower right. You can also add words to the drawing.

Not all homes are the same. There are many different kinds. What do we call these kinds of homes?  terrace(d) houses/row houses/townhouses  – block of flats/apartment building – (detached) house – bungalow/cottage/cabin
What kinds of houses and homes do the pupils live in?

Tell the class: Vincent made a painting of the street where he lived, with the house where he was living in the middle.

Detail of The Yellow House (The Street), 1888

Continue: It's the house with the green doors and windows. Vincent painted on the ground floor. On the upper floor, he had his bedroom (with closed shutters in the painting) and a guest room (with open shutters).

Discuss the painting. Talk about questions like: - Is Vincent's yellow house really yellow all over? What other colours do you see? - What else do you see in the painting? Where do you see it? (Terms: bottom, top, side, left, right, upper, lower, middle, centre, foreground, background). Do you think it would be fun to live in the yellow house?

The Yellow House (The Street), 1888

Continue: Vincent liked the colour yellow very much. It was his favourite colour. Question: Is yellow your favourite colour too? Who has a different favourite colour: [red, green, blue, purple, pink, and so on]? Continue: Suppose your favourite colour is pink. Then you might paint Vincent's house pink...

Then go over the steps: 1. Cut the house out of the worksheet (A4 or A3 format). 2. Paste it to a sheet of art paper or sturdy blue paper (A3 or A2). 3. Paint Vincent's house your favourite colour. 4. Paint the sky and the other houses in the street.

Then go over the steps: 1. Cut the house out of the worksheet (A4 or A3 format). 2. Paste it to a sheet of art paper or sturdy blue paper (A3 or A2). 3. Paint Vincent's house your favourite colour. 4. Paint the sky and the other houses in the street.

While the class paints, leave the image of the yellow house on the board. When the pupils are done, discuss their paintings and ask them to talk about what they painted around the house. Put up the finished paintings in the classroom or in a central place in the school.