Pandora's box

• Kunst
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

In the next 4 double periods

you'll create the most moving art 

out of the most troublesome content!

You'll get to know the art of Alexander Calder and learn about 'modernism'.

Objectives for this double period

1 - You know the myth of Pandora's box and can relate 

      it to your art and daily life.

2 - You can recognize the characteristics of Alexander

      Calder's art.

3 - You start building a Calder mobile by drawing

       silhouettes and cutting them out.

...but where do you find the content?

The practical part is fun and easy...

For the practical part you'll follow the teachings of the artist that invented mobiles, Alexander Calder.

For the content you'll peek into Pandora's box...

①

②

What do you know about Pandora's box?

( For example: disease, hunger, hatred, jealousy...)

                                     Ancient Greek Myth

 Prone to curiosity, Pandora lifted the lid of the box that Zeus had forbidden her to open. By doing so she released all the evils of the world that would plague humanity from then on.

                                  

HOPE was the one good thing that came out of the box!

For this new assignment you need to be courageous!

Work in pairs

Make a list of all the terrible things you can think of.

You have 3 minutes!

To start with:

Who can come up with the longest,
most horrifying list?
(Note at least five curses.)

Artists  don't look away from

the content of Pandora's box.

They use it to make art. 

In which other professions would you have to deal with
the content of Pandora's box?
(Note at least three professions.)

Doctor

Lawyer

Fireman

Crimonologist

Financial analyst

Virologist

Politician

Plumber

Soldier

Psychologist

Engineer

IT specialist

Now, the question is: What to do with all those bad things? 

why not try to keep things in balance?

As nobody can avoid them  completely,

The artist Alexander Calder

(1898-1976)

was the grandmaster of creating playful balance.

Let's have a look at his work 

for artistic inspiration.

What makes Calder an inventor?

1. His sculpture moves with slightest wind.
2. He let's people touch his sculpture.
3. He mixes metal, wood and wire.
4. He uses colours that evoke dramatic associations.

Which information is WRONG?
Calder's mobile 'Mariposa' (1951) is made of

1. geometrical forms
2. abstract forms
3. irregular, organic forms
4. larger forms on top and smaller forms at the bottom

Which element makes the speaker think that it resembles a flower? 

Drag the element into this field.

Piet Mondrian

Claude Monet

Henry Moore

Moebius

Joan Miró

Which artists inspired

Alexander Calder?

Drag the artists works 

into this field.

At the end of this double period 

- You have drawn two silhouettes 

   of terrible things and 

   one of 'hope' in your workbook.

- You have cut out at least one form

   with a silhouette.

Time for this task: 60 minutes

Step 1

1- Choose 2 terrible things out of your list. 

2- Think of a symbolic image for each of those things. 
 

     Draw the two images in the form of silhouettes in 

     your workbook. (Keep it simple enough to be able to 

     cut it out later!)

3- Do the same for 'hope'.

 

1- Draw the outline of a form onto a 

     sheet of black paper with a pencil. 

     The form might be organic, 

     irregular or geometrical.

2- Size: about 10 x 15 cm.

3- Draw a thick border around the vorm. 

     It might be irregular, but at one point 

     the border must be at least 2 cm thick 

     (for the attachment of the wire). 

Step 2

 7- Draw one of your silhouettes into the form. 

      Make sure that your silhouette is 
      simple enough, so that you can cut it out 

      with a cutter. 

      Important is that it has several 

      contact points with the thick border.

8- Cut out the form and the silhouette 

     with a cutter.

 

Step 3

If you have time left,

continue with the following steps.

Repeat steps 4 to 8 for the second form. 

Make that form a bit smaller, ca. 9 x 13 cm.

Step 4

As there can only be ONE 'hope' in the mobile, 

agree with your teammate on which of your 

designs you'll use.   

Choose a coloured sheet of paper for hope. 

Repeat steps 4 to 8 for 'hope',

but make it slightly bigger: ca. 15 x 18 cm.

Divide the work on 'hope' between you.

Step 5

The silhouettes might have a low relief:
Cut out smaller pieces of black paper that relate 

to the form of your silhouette. 

Glue them onto each other in order to give the silhouette volume 

and/or more details.

'Hope' might be three dimensional:

Draw a second form with a silhouette and cut it out.
Cut a straight line in the middle of the form, 

from the lower border to the centre. 

Also cut a straight line into the first form, 

but from the upper border to the centre.

Assemble both forms by sliding one into the other

Advanced

Criteria

- You named five or more curses that were released from

  Pandora's box and three or more professions that are related to

  those curses.

- You recognised the characteristics of Calder's art in at least

   two quiz questions.

- You drew silhouettes for two terrible things and for 'hope'

   in you workbook. You expressed the subject matter in an

   original way.

- You cut out at least one form and silhouette with neat cuts.

  Advanced: 
- You created a low relief that fits the silhouette well.

- You created a 3D form that strongly conveys the idea of

   hope. 

In conclusion - Keywords

Pandora's box

Curiosity

Troubles an woes that plague mankind forever

Hope  

Alexander Calder

Mobile

Note three things that you have learned in this lesson

On what would you like to get additional information?

Next lesson

You learn about Calder and Modernism.

We read the full story of Pandora.

You cut out all forms for your mobile.

You start assembling the mobile by using wire and pliers.

END OF THE LESSON

The next slide shows the 5-minute 'silent drawing task' 

that is given to the pupils in the beginning of the lesson.

In the second lesson the class reads two versions of the myth of Pandora's box. Here underneath you'll find the two texts and the question that can be discussed in class. 

Silent drawing task

  

Draw the outer contour 
(= outline) 

of these two figures 

as precise as possible.

Follow with your pencil 

the outer edges of the shape.

 

Draw them in your workbook.

5 minutes

Example

Figure 1:

Figure 2:

Pandora's box - the legend                         READ ALOUD

Version 1

According to Greek mythology, in the beginning, the earth was free from toil and misery. The land was covered with flowers and the rivers flowed with milk and honey. Earth was inhabited only by men, who had been created by Prometheus. He made them of clay and modelled them after the gods, which angered Zeus, the king of the gods. When Prometheus offended Zeus again by stealing fire from heaven to give to man, Zeus exacted revenge. He ordered Hephaestus, the god of the forge, to create Pandora, the first woman. The gods gave her many traits including beauty, curiosity, charm, and cleverness. Hence her name “Pandora,” meaning “all gifted” or, alternately, “a gift to all.”

Before he left Pandora on earth, Zeus handed her a beautiful box saying, “This is my special gift to you. Don’t ever open it.” As Zeus anticipated, Pandora’s curiosity got the best of her, and she opened the box, ending earthly paradise. From the small chest flew troubles and woes—sorrow, disease, vice, violence, greed, madness, old age, death—to plague humankind forever. However, Zeus did not realize that hope had been secretly added to the box by Prometheus. When Pandora opened the box and released trouble and woe into the world, hope was there to help people survive.

Source: National Gallery of Art, Washington, USA, https://www.nga.gov/learn/teachers/lessons-activities/origin-myths/pandora.html

Pandora's box - the legend                         READ ALOUD

Version 2

The story of Pandora’s box is a legend used by ancient Greeks to explain not only human weakness, but also how pain and suffering were first inflicted on the human race.

According to legend, Pandora was the first human woman on Earth. She was given many gifts, including beauty, curiosity, wit, intelligence, and strength – in fact, the name ‘Pandora’ in Greek means ‘one who bears all gifts’.

Pandora was also given another very special gift: a box. She was told that the box contained even more offerings but that she must never, ever open it.

Her curiosity eventually got the better of her, however, and Pandora opened the box. When she did, she quickly realized it contained illness, hardship, trouble and pain – not the beautiful gifts she had expected! Pandora tried to close the box and stop the suffering from going out into the world, but it was too late. She shut the lid on the box, trapping Hope inside.

Source: Macmillan Dictionary https://www.macmillandictionaryblog.com/pandoras-box

Question: In this version ‘hope’ is trapped in the box, whereas the curses were released into the world. Does this mean that there is no hope in the world?

Cutting and bending.

It's easy 

and results in a solid mobile.