Narrator:
Here are two of the most famous artists who ever lived.
But while they were alive, hardly anyone knew who they were! They just painted because that’s what they loved doing.
This is Vincent Van Gogh.And this is Frida Kahlo.
They never knew each other. They were born in very different times and places.
Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands, in 1853.He didn’t start learning to draw until he was 27 - but then, he fell in love with painting!
Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico in 1907. When she was a young girl, she had a serious illness called polio, and afterwards she always walked with a limp. Other children were unkind to her because of that…
She thought she’d become a doctor – but when she was 18, she was hurt in a bus crash. Afterwards, she had to spend a long time in bed getting better. Her mum brought her paints and canvas. She didn’t have much to draw – so she looked in a mirror and painted herself.
Vincent Van Gogh didn’t have any money, he felt lonely, and was often ill. But the longer he kept on painting, the more he felt it was all that mattered…
He found his own particular way of painting. Sometimes he painted very simple things – like a chair. But even then, the colours he used, and the way he used brush strokes, made something that was bright and special.
He often painted himself. But not because he wanted to… Lots of artists at that time paid someone to come into their studio and spend hours just standing still – that was called being a ‘model’. Van Gogh didn’t have enough money to pay anyone to model – so instead, he did self portraits.
When Frida Kahlo was just 20, she met Mexico’s most famous artist. She wasn’t shy, and showed him her drawings. He told her she should carry on being an artist, but only paint what she really felt was important.
So she did. Frida felt different to other people, and she thought that being herself was important.
She didn’t try to be like European painters - she filled her art with her love of the traditional Mexican way of life.
And so… both artists found their own special way of making art.
That didn’t make things easy for them - because most people thought their pictures were a bit strange, and didn’t want to buy them.
But when they died, their paintings were still around. And as time went on, more and more people started to see something special in their work.
So, they became very famous… but they never knew!
This animated film compares the lives of Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, two famous artists from different time periods, who both found passion and purpose through their unique painting styles.
Vincent Van Gogh was born in the Netherlands in 1853 and discovered his love of painting at the age of 27. He created vibrant and unique artworks, even though he sometimes struggled financially and often felt lonely.
Frida Kahlo, born in Mexico in 1907, used her art to express her love of Mexican culture and her unique perspective, especially as a woman whose life and body was impacted by a bus accident in her teens.
Both artists had unconventional styles that were not widely recognised during their lifetimes. But their paintings have since become beloved, making them two of the most famous artists ever to live.
Teacher Notes
Themes in the film include:
- Art as a record of perspective and everyday life
- Changing attitudes towards art throughout history
- Self-expression
Before the video
- What does an artist do?
- Do you know the names of any artists?
Bring out four pieces of art: two by Vincent Van Gogh (one early in his career and one later), and two by Frida Kahlo (one early in her career and one later).
During the video
00:18 - Why are Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo both important? (Both are famous artists)
00:33 - What type of art did Vincent fall in love with? (Painting)
01:04 - What did Frida Kahlo paint when she was in bed? (Herself, she painted a self-portrait because there wasn’t much else to draw)
01:29 - What did Vincent paint? (Simple things, like a chair)
02:20 - Where was Frida from? (Mexico. She was Mexican and proud of their way of life)
02:42 - What did Vincent and Frida leave behind after they died? (Their artwork)
After the video
Return to the four pieces of art and ask if pupils can guess which two are by Vincent and which two are by Frida. Explain how one is an early work and one is a later work.
Focus on one of the paintings (a good example is Vincent Van Gogh’s ‘The Potato Eaters’)
- What does this painting tell us about life in the past? What are the people in it wearing? Where are they? What are they holding and eating?
- How is it different to the artist’s other work (which was created earlier or later)?
- Do the two painters have anything in common?
Provide a timeline with the dates the two artists were born and ask them to place the four paintings on the timeline in chronological order.
- If you could choose one painting by Vincent or Frida to hang in your room, which would it be and why?
- Frida loved the way of life in Mexico and painted lots of objects, plants and animals she saw. What would you paint to show your way of life?
Pupils could create artwork that shows their way of life like Frida, filled with objects, plants and animals special to them, as well as a self-portrait. Afterwards, you could ask what it felt like to paint a self-portrait, returning to Frida and Vincent’s habit of painting themselves.
This film is suitable for teaching History at KS1 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 1st Level in Scotland.
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