ART AND ARTISTS

Through history, people have used art to express their thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears. Artists create objects and paintings that reflect their ideas about themselves, their culture, how they view the world. Their depictions don’t necessarily mirror the casual observer’s view of everyday life. As Vincent van Gogh put it: “Instead of trying to render what I see before me, I use color in a completely arbitrary way to express myself powerfully.” To learn more about art and artists, use the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

Here are the best sites for getting your schoolwork done or for just having fun.

LEVEL 1

Metropolitan Museum of Art--Winslow Homer’s Family Guide: Winslow Homer’s paintings “Snap the Whip” and “The Carnival” are classic scenes of American life. Learn how to look closely at details in a painting to see the many ideas an artist conveys.

https://www.metmuseum.org/htmlfile/education/homer.html

Twisting and Turning--The Work of M.C. Escher: The artist created interlocking patterns, or tessellations, that both mathematicians and artists admire. Explore some of his drawings of impossible buildings and fanciful animals.

https://artforkids.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa071697.htm

A Walk Through Monet’s Garden: Learn about Monet and how he was considered an Impressionist painter because he tried to capture the effect of sunlight through splashes of color on the canvas.

https://artforkids.miningco.com/library/weekly/aa070797.htm

LEVEL 2

African Art--Aesthetics and Meaning: “Nobody likes to live without beautiful things,” said a Guro weaver to explain the beautifully carved pulley he made for his loom. Explore African art through sculpture, jewelry and crafts. Learn about different cultures and the meanings of their creations.

https://www.lib.virginia.edu/dic/exhib/93.ray.aa/African.html

National Gallery of Art--The Collection: Take the art tour of the week, or search extensive collections of paintings, sculpture and graphic art from the Middle Ages to the present.

https://www.nga.gov/collection/collect.htm

The Museum of Finnish Art--Ateneum for Children: Discover the stories and hidden meanings in five art expeditions. Take a guided tour of paintings, drawings and sculptures grouped by the themes of joy, sorrow, solitude, companionship and compassion.

https://www.fng.fi/fng/html2/en/art/collecti/ateneum/children/

LEVEL 3

Los Angeles County Museum of Art: An assortment of art treasures. Tour an exhibit of Mexican masterpieces by Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Rufino Tamayo and others described in both English and Spanish. View works by well-known European artists such as Rembrandt and Degas, as well as examples from ancient Islamic and Far Eastern cultures.

https://www.lacma.org/Exhibits/

The WebMuseum, Paris: Learn how artists at different periods chose certain techniques to express their ideas and views of the world. Includes special exhibits on famous paintings, and Japanese art and architecture.

https://www.sunsite.unc.edu/wm/

National Museum of Women in the Arts: View art history through the works of women artists from the Renaissance to the late 20th century.

https://www.nmwa.org/legacy/tour/legacy.htm

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s column was designed by Lucila Chen, Nicole Patel, Karen Richter, Anna Manring and Stan Woo-Sam.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

What season of the year is depicted in Winslow Homer’s painting of the children’s game, “Snap the Whip”?

Clue: See Metropolitan Museum of Art--Winslow Homer’s Family Guide

Tell Us What You Want To Know

Got a paper or project coming up? Just curious about something? Send us a topic, and we’ll consider it for a future Launch Point column. Write to us at The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. E-mail us at educ@latimes.com or leave a phone message at (714) 966-4550.

Answer to last week’s Quest:

Seeds are alive, but they must be placed in a suitable environment before they can germinate.