Five Minute Museum: Blue Boy

Thomas Gainsborough, self portrait

My visual art lessons are taught in 5 minute chunks at the beginning of the lesson period. Those lessons that focus on an artist or a particular masterwork are labeled "Five Minute Museum." (This is a term used in the TAB program to remind teachers that the bulk of the art period is reserved for student led art creation.) Five Minute Museums give students exposure to the elements of art as used by great artists but the lessons take only a few minutes. The art remains available for student reference after the lesson as part of the classroom art library.

The curriculum sets this lesson as one of the masterworks studied in third grade but the plan is useable at any grade level.

LINK TO THE LESSON PLAN

All of the paintings in the lesson plan are in the public domain and can be downloaded in various sizes from Wikimedia Commons.

The Blue Boy, 1770

Pinkie, 1794 (Thomas Lawrence)