WebQuest

Art in Advertising - A WebQuest for Grade 8 - 10

Credits: (left) Ferrero Rocher (Chocolate) advertisement (right) Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1482 -1486

Introduction
In this electronic age, people are more likely to recognize a work of art from an advertisement rather than from an art class or a museum. We are flooded with and influenced by such images everyday; on television, the Internet, billboards, store windows, and even the sides of buses. It is important to understand how advertisers use appropriated images to sell their products.

This WebQuest will get students thinking about the images they see everyday. They will give some thought to Visual Culture and art-inspired advertisements by answering questions, looking at images, and creating their own advertisement.

For this WebQuest you will need Photoshop and web access.

Task

Credits: (left)Pantene Advertisement (right)Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, 1503 - 1506

In this WebQuest you will look at art-inspired advertisements and learn about appropriation in art. You will be introduced to appropriation as it applies to contemporary art and visual culture, and how it affects your own art.

After looking at some images and answering a few questions, you will use appropriation and collage to create your own advertisement using an artwork of your choice to sell a modern product or service.

Process
Please answer the following questions in a new Word Document.
Save as - your last name_artadvertisement.
1. Take a minute to look at these art-inspired advertisements.
a. Have you ever seen any of these advertisements before? If so, which one(s)?
b. Have you ever seen the artwork before? If so, which one(s)?
c. Choose one of these advertisements and discuss why you think the company choose that particular work of art to promote their product. Is the advertisement successful? Do the product and the artwork relate to one another?

2. What is appropriation?
a. Do you use appropriation in your artwork?
b. Do you think it is okay to use someone else's artwork in your own?
c. Do you think appropriation is just a fancy word copying work, or even stealing work? When is appropriation acceptable, and when is it not?

3. Create your own art-inspired advertisement.

• Select a painting and a product or service you want to use for your own advertisement.

• Which do you pick first, the painting or the product?

• You are not limited to only painters, you may also use illustrators, sculptors, or any other kind of artist you want. DO NOT use anyone born AFTER 1900. If you are having trouble coming up with an artist's work, click here.

• If you are having trouble thinking of a product here are a few thoughts: What is your favorite snack, gum, brand of clothing, coffee, candy, etc... What products do you use when you wake up in the morning; toothpaste, cereal, soap, shampoo, etc...

• Once you have decided upon the images you will be using, use Photoshop to create your own collaged advertisement. Use the manipulation tools to create the collage. You may combine images, crop, paste, play with levels, etc... Stay true to the art image and try to blend the product in as if it is a part of the artist's original idea.
  

• Save the image as a .jpg file, no larger than 8MB, on the desktop, and BACK IT UP ON YOUR OWN PERSONAL DRIVE. Save as - your last name_artadvertisement."

• Document any images used in the making of your final image.

• Photoshop Help

Evaluation
Students will be graded on:

• Fulfillment of requirements
• Creativity
• Content
• Quality of collage

Conclusion
In the same Word Document you started earlier, write a short paragraph about why you chose the images you chose. Do the images relate to one another? Does the artwork you chose help to sell the product, if so how?

References
All references are used for educational purposes.
http://pzrservices.typepad.com/advertisingisgoodforyou/artinspired_advertising/