The Big Idea:

How does an artist's point of view affect both the intended and perceived meanings of his or her art?

Activity overview

After you become familiar with several revolutionary modern and contemporary artists who used words to express their ideas and concerns, you will create a manifesto that conveys the views of a character from an artwork or a novel.

Look closely

Click on each artist button at right to view detailed screens about the artist and his or her works. Be sure to click on all images, view all videos, read all documents, and use the zoom tool to look closely at the works of art.

In this activity you will:

1. discover three artists and their political motivations
2. choose a character and list his or her qualities
3. write a manifesto in the character's voice
4. peer edit and review the manifesto
5. share with your class

You will be graded on:

1. your research notes from Making Sense of Modern Art
2. detail and thoroughness of character sketch
3. creativity, style, and use of language in manifesto
4. manifesto presentation
5. reflection

New terms:

manifesto, revolutionary