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Artopia

Artopia is a comprehensive web-based arts experience designed for middle school students, covering the visual and performing arts.

Visual and Performing Arts for Grades 6-8

Artopia is a comprehensive web-based arts experience designed for middle school students, covering the visual and performing arts. Students will learn art history via animated one-minute movies, be guided on how to closely examine important works of art, and view videos of professional artists at work.This project was supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. 

Please note many of the web videos include transcripts.

More in this Series

Series Dance - Artopia
Dance - Artopia

Step inside Artopia's Dance lobby!

Series Media Arts
Media Arts

Step inside Artopia's Media Arts lobby!

Series Artopia Music
Artopia Music

Step inside Artopia's Music lobby!

Series Artopia's Painting Lobby
Artopia's Painting Lobby

Step inside Artopia's Painting lobby!

Series Sculpture
Sculpture
Series Theater - Artopia
Theater - Artopia
Resource Type
Wild West | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Wild West | Artopia
Emil Armin A Closer Look Emil Armin produces a sense of depth in Wild West by changing the values of his colors. One way to change the value of a color is to mix in its complement, its opposite on the...
The Large Blue Horses | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
The Large Blue Horses | Artopia
Franz Marc A Closer Look In The Large Blue Horses, Franz Marc uses rich, bright colors and curvy lines. The curves of the horses are repeated in the hills in the background. Notice how the horses take...
The Life of John Brown, No. 11 | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
The Life of John Brown, No. 11 | Artopia
Jacob Lawrence A Closer Look Sometimes artists tell stories without words, as Jacob Lawrence has done in The Life of John Brown, No. 11 – John Brown Took to Guerrilla Warfare. This painting is part of...
The Piebald Horse | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
The Piebald Horse | Artopia
Paulus Potter A Closer Look Paulus Potter has chosen a handsome spotted horse as central to this painting. What visual devices does he use to bring attention to the horse? Look at the various textures...
Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse) | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse) | Artopia
Marsden Hartley A Closer Look Marsden Hartley paints with contrasting colors in Painting No. 4 (A Black Horse), using warm colors (reds, yellows and oranges) and cool colors (blues, violets and greens...
Race Horses at Longchamp | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Race Horses at Longchamp | Artopia
Edgar Degas A Closer Look As an Impressionist, Edgar Degas painted impressions of what he saw. He didn't paint as many details as artists did in the Renaissance, for example. Many Impressionists made...
Horse Stable | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Horse Stable | Artopia
Gerard ter Borch A Closer Look Genre in art represents what life is like in a particular place and time. If an artist came to your art class and painted you and your classmates working on your artwork...
Horse, Pipe, and Red Flower | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Horse, Pipe, and Red Flower | Artopia
Joan Miro A Closer Look Joan Miro presents a collection of various objects in his painting Horse , Pipe and Red Flower. Take some time to identify the objects that are somewhat hidden in this picture...
Horses Actors | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Horses Actors | Artopia
Maria Izquierdo A Closer Look Horses Actors is a good example of asymmetrical balance. If you draw an imaginary line down the middle of the painting you can see that the two halves are very different...
Madonna and Child Enthroned | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Madonna and Child Enthroned | Artopia
Giovanni dal Ponte A Closer Look Giovanni dal Ponte's triptych has a strong sense of balance. The center panel shows Mary and Jesus Christ with Saint Lawrence and Saint Stephen on either side. Notice...
Fuji from Kogane-Ga-Hara, Shimosa | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Fuji from Kogane-Ga-Hara, Shimosa | Artopia
Ando Hiroshige A Closer Look In Fuji from Kogane-Go-Hara, Shimosa Hiroshige wants the viewer to notice Mt. Fuji on the horizon. He uses an Asian art technique called the split fountain, a gradual...
Arion on a Sea Horse | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Arion on a Sea Horse | Artopia
William Bouguereau A Closer Look What do you notice first in Arion on a Sea Horse? Is it the lyre, the small harp that Arion is holding? William Bouguereau draws our attention to the lyre by making it...
A Man and a Horse by a Stream | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
A Man and a Horse by a Stream | Artopia
Hua Yan A Closer Look Hua Yan uses lines to create the shapes of the man, horse and trees in this painting. He then uses more lines to show details within these figures. Line is the most basic element...
Spike Lee | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Spike Lee | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan 1957-present Spike Lee was born on March 20, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, the eldest of five children, to William “Bill” Lee, a jazz composer and bassist and Jacqueline...
Mary Pickford | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Mary Pickford | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan 1892-1979 Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart,” was born Gladys Louise Smith on April 8, 1892 in Toronto, Canada. She began acting at the age of five. Supremely...
Nam June Paik | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Nam June Paik | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan 1932-present Nam June Paik was born on July 20, 1932 in Seoul, Korea. He studied music, art history and philosophy at the University of Tokyo, and in Germany at the...
Cindy Sherman | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Cindy Sherman | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan 1954-present Cindy Sherman was born on January 19, 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey and was raised on Long Island. She earned a B.A. in Fine Arts from the State...
Mariko Mori | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Mariko Mori | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan 1967-present Mariko Mori was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1967. Born into one of the world’s wealthiest families, she worked as a fashion model during the late 1980s. Mariko...
Frances Marion | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Frances Marion | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan. 1887-1973 Frances Marion was born on November 18, 1888 in San Francisco, California and was a descendent of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, better known as The...
The Lumière Brothers | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
The Lumière Brothers | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan. Auguste (1862-1954) Louis (1864-1948) The Lumière Brothers, Louis, October 5, 1864 and Auguste, October 19, 1862 were born in Besançon, France and brought up in Lyon...
Thomas Edison | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
Thomas Edison | Artopia
1847-1931 Thomas Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio. At an early age, he showed a fascination for mechanical things and for chemical experiments. Around the age of 12, Edison lost...
Antoni Gaudí | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Antoni Gaudí | Artopia
Illustration by Maria Manhattan Antoni Gaudí was born on June 25, 1852 in Reus, Spain. A sickly child, he spent his days closely observing the natural world. He studied architecture at the Escola...
The Horse Fair | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
The Horse Fair | Artopia
Rosa Bonheur A Closer Look Rosa Bonheur uses gradient value to create the illusion of three-dimensional form in The Horse Fair. Gradient value is a gradual change in the lightness or darkness of a...
For the Light | Artopia

Photo

Grades

  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
For the Light | Artopia
Susan Rothenberg A Closer Look What do you think the artist Susan Rothenberg is trying to express? Does the title For the Light help you understand this painting? Notice how simple Rothenberg's horse...