OPPORTUNITY TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH DEGAS AS A PAINTER & A SCULPTOR

Nothing equals the experience of sitting in front of an original work of art, taking a close look at it, and talking about its origin, purpose, and beauty. With the support of the M.T. Abraham Foundation, the pedagogic departments at both the Herakleidon Museum (Athens, Greece) and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art (Israel) organized in-depth gallery discussions for children and teens that focused on specific aspects of The Complete Sculpture of Edgar Degas.

Workshops held for kindergarten and elementary school children (first 2 grades of the Secondary Greek Educational Program) at the Herakleidon Museum included a multimedia in the plastic arts workshop for elementary school children. The children learned how to use and apply different techniques, such as watercolor, mosaic and collage with recyclable materials.

An interactive guided tour of the museum’s exhibits gave the children the opportunity to get acquainted with Degas as a painter and a sculptor. Students became acquainted with, and further explored, the work of several Impressionists. A lecture on Degas and the Dance was given with the participation of a ballet dancer that explained each position according to different sculptures of dancers.

Educational programs for children, teens and adults carried out at the Tel-Aviv Museum of Art included lectures on Impressionism and its main figures, a professional dancer made references to the sculpted figures of Degas’ ballet dancers. Comparisons between paintings and sculptures that are similar in subject matter, composition or technique were discussed. In addition, animals’ workshop included a discussion about how art from various cultures portrayed members of the animal kingdom – in this specific case Degas’ horses – as well as the different materials used to make these works.