Art Alive Sr 1: Creative Writing Inspired by Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergere

Throughout history artists — in painting, music, dance, and literature -  have always inspired each other to greatness.  Now it’s your turn! Be inspired by Edouard Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergere, long considered to be one of the finest examples of modern art, to create your own beautifully innovative poems, descriptions and stories. 

Our one-time class will focus on a single work of art:  Edouard Manet's iconic A Bar at the Folies-Bergere from 1882.  Beginning with a brief history of both the artist, his influences, his style, and artistic sensibilities, together we will analyze this spectacular puzzle of a picture, then use this work to inspire our own poems and stories to continue the artistic journey from Manet the 19th century painter to you, a 21st century writer.  

Art Alive Jr 2: Creative Writing Inspired by Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergere  is a true creative writing class, combining art history with creative writing, This  is the first in an ongoing series of planned Art Alive creative writing classes.  Other artists in the series will include:  Pablo Picasso,  Jean-Honore Fragonard,  Edward Hopper, Johannes Vermeer, Salvador Dali, and more. 

How this class will work:

We will spend the first part of class learning the artistic background of the artist and painting as well as a general understanding of the time period examining the fashions, politics, sensibilities of the time and place.

The second part of the class will expand on our thinking to improve vocabulary, give poetry prompts as well as provide storystarters to spark creative writing oral responses. In class prompts to include:

acrostic poems
haiku poems
descriptive paragraphs
storystarters. 

At the end of the session, each learner will receive an individual  written response from me expanding on their oral writing ideas from the class to give them the impetus and guidance to expand on their in-class responses.