Begin with the following questions:
Why do we tell stories?
How do we learn about stories?
Are they always truthful?
Before displaying the picture, explain to students that they are going to look at an image that illustrates an ancient Greek myth.
Ask students if they can name any myth they may have heard (myths about
Hercules are usually the most popular). Review the Narrative Art Vocabulary.
If you are planning to have the students look at Venus and Adonis, ask them to
imagine what the goddess of love and beauty would look like. If you look at the
sculpture Pluto Abducting Proserpine, ask students how they would imagine the
god of the underworld, ruler of the dead.
Write down the words they use to describe the goddess or god. You may write
today's date, including the year, above the list.
Explain to students that next they are going to look at how the artist imagined the
goddess or god in the year the image was made.
Before displaying the image, read students the related story (download the stories above). Ask them which
moment in the story they would choose to portray in a picture.
Display the image.
What moment in the story has this artist chosen to portray?
What is happening at this moment?
How does the artist help us understand this moment in the story?