Celebration

There is value in recognising and observing special events through ritual and with joy and happiness.

9 February 2018

Tet is coming, and there is no better time to learn about folk paintings that have for over nine centuries decorated the homes of Vietnamese families celebrating the arrival of spring. Before pulling out the brushes and paint palettes, we looked into the graphic charm of these images, with their simple edges, often humorous and brightly coloured to reflect an optimism for the Lunar New Year.

For their unit on Celebration, Year 6s and 7s studied the themes, motifs, and formal qualities of Dong Ho woodcut paintings, Vietnamese folk paintings dating back to the 11th century, that are displayed during Tet, the country’s celebration of the Lunar New Year. In their drawing studies, students considered how the images communicate folk allegories and popular stories, mythical and historical figures, social activities and good luck wishes for the new year. They then chose one design to paint onto board and practiced colour mixing and flat colour mixing in their paintings.

Skills

• Communicating proportion
• Image composition: arranging visual elements purposefully and effectively
• Painting techniques: handling brushes, and mixing and applying paint
• Flat-colour painting: attempting to achieve a printed quality by manipulating paint

Understanding

• Cultural context and significance of Dong Ho paintings historically and today in Vietnam
• Themes and social commentary
• Formal characteristics (e.g. line, colour, proportion, composition, etc.)
• Colour theory: how to mix paints to create specific hues, tints and shades

Knowledge

Presentations: In this mini Exit Point activity, students had an opportunity to develop and demonstrate their research and public speaking skills. Students demonstrated the development of their technical skills and conceptual understanding of the topic with PowerPoint, video, or poster presentations to the class.

After completing their paintings, students gave presentations on what they learned about Dong Ho folk painting and its important role in celebrations of the Lunar New Year in Vietnam.