Genres of Paintings Painting Genres    

Lesson 7: Cityscape - Paris Through the Window

by Marc Chagall

Directions

Study the artwork for one week.

Over the week:

• Examine the artwork.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Recite the artist and artwork names.
• Read about the artwork's genre.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

Marc Chagall's 1914 painting, 'Paris Through the Window,' shows a surreal window-view of the city of Paris in France. A two-faced man with a heart on his hand appears in the lower right-hand corner. A cat with a human face sits on the window ledge, perhaps watching the man in a hat holding a triangular parachute and floating through the air. A man and woman in black float horizontally. A train choo-choos itself upside down. The window frame and sky are a kaleidoscope of bright colors and geometric shapes. A chair back in the lower right appears to sprout real flowers. The buildings of Paris and unmistakable form of the Eiffel Tower provide the backdrop for the delightful absurdity.

Vocabulary

Surreal: Resembling a dream.
Surrealism: An artistic movement aiming to liberate the mind using the imaginative powers of the subconscious.
Eiffel Tower: An iron tower built in 1889 on the Champ de Mars beside the Seine River in Paris, France.
Turban: A man's headdress, consisting of a long length of cotton or silk wound around a cap or the head, worn especially by Muslims and Sikhs.

Concepts

1. Cityscape artwork depicts the buildings, people, streets, urban transportation, and activities of large cities.
2. Artwork featuring smaller towns may be referred to as townscapes.
3. Cityscapes were recognized as a distinct genre of art starting in the Netherlands in the 17th century.
4. Cityscapes show multiple vantage points, including bird's eye views, panoramic views, street-level views, or window-level views.
5. Examine Erwin Pendl's bird's eye cityscape drawing, 'Bird's-Eye View of Vienna from Getreidemarkt,' Louis-Léopold Boilly's street-level cityscape, 'Passer Payez,' and Camille Pissarro's window-level view cityscape, 'Boulevard Montmartre.'

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

Zoom in to find the following in the artwork:

• Eiffel Tower
• Someone Two-Faced
• Window
• Something Upside Down
• Cat with Human Face
• Horizontal People
• Buildings of Paris
• Parachuting Man
• Heart

Activity 2: Narrate the Artwork

• After studying the artwork, narrate the scene shown aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Color the Country of France   

• Click the crayon above and complete page 14 of 'Third Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Activity 4: Color the Artwork   

• Click the crayon above and complete page 15 of 'Third Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Activity 5: Create Your Own Surreal Art   

• Click the crayon above and complete page 16 of 'Third Grade Art History Coloring Book.'
• Create your own surreal drawing or painting. Perhaps base your artwork on a dream you had in which something impossible happened.

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the artwork?

1 / 10

Answer 1

The main characters are the two-faced man, the human-faced cat, the horizontal man and women, and the parachuting man.

1 / 10

Question 2

What is the setting of the artwork?

2 / 10

Answer 2

The setting is a dream-like version of Paris, France.

2 / 10

Question 3

What geometric shapes do you see in the painting?

3 / 10

Answer 3

Geometric shapes include the rectangles of the window, the triangular prism buildings, The diamonds, triangles and trapezoids of color in the sky, the rectangles and cone of the train, and the square and rectangular windows of the buildings.

3 / 10

Question 4

Which elements of the painting are surreal?

4 / 10

Answer 4

Surreal elements include the man with two faces, the cat with a human face, the upside-down train, the horizontal man and woman, the man with the triangular parachute, the chair back sprouting flowers, and the rainbow-colored sky.

4 / 10

Question 5

Why do you think Chagall gave a man two faces? Why do you think one face is blue?

5 / 10

Answer 5

Answers vary.

5 / 10

Question 6

Why do you think Chagall gave the cat a human face?

6 / 10

Answer 6

Answers vary.

6 / 10

Question 7

Which famous manmade landmark is in this painting?

7 / 10

Answer 7

The famous Eiffel Tower landmark is in this painting.

7 / 10

Question 8

Which things are inside the window?

8 / 10

Answer 8

The chair and the two-faced man are inside the window.

8 / 10

Question 9

What is the vantage point in the painting - bird's eye, panoramic, window-level, or street-level?

9 / 10

Answer 9

This painting shows a window-level view of Paris.

9 / 10

Question 10

Into which genre is this painting classified?

10 / 10

Answer 10

This painting falls into the cityscape genre.

10 / 10

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the artwork? The main characters are the two-faced man, the human-faced cat, the horizontal man and women, and the parachuting man.
2. What is the setting of the artwork? The setting is a dream-like version of Paris, France.
3. What geometric shapes do you see in the painting? Geometric shapes include the rectangles of the window, the triangular prism buildings, The diamonds, triangles and trapezoids of color in the sky, the rectangles and cone of the train, and the square and rectangular windows of the buildings.
4. Which elements of the painting are surreal? Surreal elements include the man with two faces, the cat with a human face, the upside-down train, the horizontal man and woman, the man with the triangular parachute, the chair back sprouting flowers, and the rainbow-colored sky.
5. Why do you think Chagall gave a man two faces? Why do you think one face is blue? Answers vary.
6. Why do you think Chagall gave the cat a human face? Answers vary.
7. Which famous manmade landmark is in this painting? The famous Eiffel Tower landmark is in this painting.
8. Which things are inside the window? The chair and the two-faced man are inside the window.
9. What is the vantage point in the painting - bird's eye, panoramic, window-level, or street-level? This painting shows a window-level view of Paris.
10. Into which genre is this painting classified? This painting falls into the cityscape genre.

References

'Cityscape.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.