Mealtime! The Potato Eaters (1)

• Art and design
• Primary Education
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)

Introduction

The students will each make a sketch at home of the evening meal. At school, they will make paintings based on these sketches in the lesson 'Mealtime! The Potato Eaters (2)'. Suggestion: before assigning the homework, give the introductory lesson 'Do you know Vincent?'.

Instructions

This lesson has two parts: 

- the homework assignment 

- a follow-up lesson in class (50 min.): 'Mealtime! The Potato Eaters (2)' 

General learning objectives

The students will:

- look at the painting The Potato Eaters before the homework assignment and learn more about how that painting came about.

- make a sketch with notes at home of their family's evening meal, writing down where they are eating, what they are eating, and who is at the table.

Materials for the homework assignment 

 • One print-out for each child of the worksheet 'Mealtime!'

Background information 

In 1885, Vincent van Gogh painted The Potato Eaters. He wanted to show what country life was like in those days and how hard people had to work to make a living. The farmers in the painting lived in Nuenen, Brabant. They worked hard but were very poor. Their evening meal was simple, and so was their home. They probably didn't really have potatoes with coffee, an unusual combination. But by showing the figures in the painting eating potatoes and pouring coffee, Vincent could give each one an active role.

Worksheets

VGM_worksheet_Mealtime.pdf

Story: Let's take a closer look at this painting by Vincent.

Question:

• What's the first thing you notice about this painting? Why is that?

• What colours did Vincent use here?

• How can you tell that the painting was painted a long time ago?

Question:

• Besides the potatoes, is there any other food on the table?  > No. These farmers were poor and did not have much else to eat.

• What are they drinking with the potatoes? > Coffee (or maybe a coffee substitute like chicory)

• Does anyone here ever have potatoes and coffee at home?

What are you having for dinner tonight?

Homework assignment

Explain: Tomorrow (or another time) we will make paintings in class of our evening meal, like Vincent's painting of the potato eaters.

Explain: First, you will make a sketch (or photo) of your own evening meal.

Then discuss the worksheet. You can tell the children to fill in the front and use the back for the sketch. They can also make notes on the colours of the things in the sketch: the walls, the clothing of the people at the table, etc.

Best of luck!

(And enjoy your meal...)

Finally, you can ask the children to bring the completed worksheets to class with them the next day (or another time).

The Potato Eaters , 1885