L’Art, C’est Fantastique!
The boys in the Grade 9 Enriched French and Grade 10 French programs recently completed a unit on art that culminated in a visit to the Mystical Landscapes exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The unit incorporated many of the objectives in our Strategic Plan, including challenging our boys with strong and inspiring academic programs and connecting our boys to the world beyond the school.
“We had deep and meaningful conversations about art – en français,” said Rachel DeBlois, Grade 9 French teacher. “In class, the boys also recreated several paintings from the exhibit. They then used the paintings as their inspiration to create a story. Some of the stories were very imaginative and thought-provoking – it was wonderful to see.”
Two other Senior School teachers also joined the boys during the unit, sharing their knowledge and passions. Art teacher Myles Vivares, who speaks fluent French, went to the AGO with the boys and shared his insight about how the artistic landscape has changed over the years. History teacher Keith Farrar also visited the Grade 9 Enriched French class to explain the significance of World War I as depicted in some of the art pieces, like Verdun by Félix Vallotton.
“We’re an urban school. We’re lucky to have the AGO close by so we can be completely immersed in art,” said Mme DeBlois. “It was great to see Mr. Vivares and Mr. Farrar engage with the boys and chat about their areas of expertise.”
Grade 9 student Simon Peterson loved writing about art and didn’t expect to be painting in French class. He particularly liked subject mix.
“I got a taste of difference courses – history, French and art,” he said. “By integrating all of these things, it really made French fun. We also tried to replicate famous pieces of art, like Starry Night by van Gogh. You don’t often paint in classes other than art, which is pretty cool.”
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Royal St. George's College is an independent school for boys located in The Annex neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school admits boys from Grades 3 through 12. Our mission is to challenge and inspire each of our students to become the best version of himself.