Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Tipping, and I'm really looking forward to learning with you today about meaning and symbolism in art, through drawing and painting.

We're going to do lots of thinking, talking, and exploring together in this lesson.

So shall we get started? Let's go.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to investigate an artwork to find symbols, and interpret their possible meaning.

Before we start, I would like to introduce you to some keywords.

We'll be using these keywords during the lesson, so it might be a good idea to write these words down.

The key words we'll be using today are symbol, symbolism, interpretation, culture.

I'm gonna say those again, and I would like you to repeat them after me.

Symbol.

Symbolism.

Interpretation.

Culture.

Now let's think in more detail about what these keywords mean by taking a look at their definitions.

A symbol is an object, shape, or image that stands for, or represents, an idea or meaning.

Symbolism is the use of symbols to communicate ideas, emotions, or stories in art.

Interpretation is how we explain or find meaning in what we see.

And culture is the shared ideas, customs, and art of a group of people.

Pause the video here to make a note of these key words, and when you're ready to continue, press Play.

These are the learning cycles that we'll be working through together in today's lesson.

Understanding symbols and interpreting symbols.

In this first learning cycle, we're going to explore different symbols, and learn to understand them.

What do you think the word symbol means? And can you think of any symbols you see in everyday life? Pause the video here, and have a discussion with your partner, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

What did you think? Well, Aisha says, "Flags can symbolise a country or culture, and road signs are symbols for messages or actions." And Lucas says, "Emojis are symbols.

They're used to represent an emotion, idea, or object through a simple image." What did you think of? Artists often use objects, colours, animals, or shapes to represent ideas, convey meaning, or tell stories without words.

This is called symbolism.

Symbols can make us think, feel, and imagine.

Symbols can be found through our everyday life, including through emojis, flags, different road signs, colours, mathematical symbols, like plus, minus, and the percentage sign, brand logos, or even arrows for directions.

So there are lots of different symbols that we can see.

And artists have used symbolism for thousands of years, from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics to modern designs, like signs and emojis.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What is a symbol in art? Is it an object the artist has made, a colour the artist likes, an image that stands for an idea or meaning, or a type of paint.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that symbol in art is an image that stands for an idea or meaning, you are absolutely right.

Well done.

Universal symbols, like road signs, are often designed to be easy to understand.

However, many symbols can contain multiple meanings, and artists can use them to create meaningful works filled with symbolism.

You can see this artwork here with some hands, a rainbow, and an Earth symbol.

Many artists and artworks feature symbolism.

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter who used personal and cultural symbols, such as hearts, animals, and indigenous objects, to tell stories about identity, pain, and heritage.

Many artists and artworks feature symbolism.

Venitas is a type of still life painting from Europe in the 16th to 17th centuries.

They often use symbols like skulls, wilting flowers, and hourglasses to symbolise the transience of life.

There are many different meanings we can find from objects.

Some of them might be easy to identify.

What might this crown symbolise? Pause the video here, and have a discussion with your partner, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

What did you think? Maybe it symbolises wealth or royalty, or maybe just being a leader.

Some objects that have common symbolic associations might be birds that symbolise flying, a skull might represent death or danger, a crown might symbolise power, wealth, or status, a heart for love, and maybe a candle for time passing.

Look at this object here.

What do you think it might symbolise? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

What did you think? Well, perhaps you looked at the light bulb, and you thought about ideas, energy, electricity, or light.

Then you can see the plant in the soil.

Maybe that symbolises growth, nature, or the environment.

And then these objects together might symbolise green, renewable energy, or the idea of technology that helps nature.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

What does symbolism mean? Using symbols to tell stories, using symbols without considering their meaning, using symbols based on their colour only, using symbols to communicate meaning.

Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think about the answer to this question, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said symbolism means using symbols to tell stories, and using symbols to communicate meaning, you're absolutely right.

Well done.

This brings us to our first learning task.

I'd like you to choose an object and create a mind map of possible symbolic meanings for it.

Now, you should choose from the provided images here, or select your own symbolic object.

So we've got a rose, a book, a candle, and a window here.

So pause the video here and give yourself enough time to have a go choosing an object, and creating a mind map of possible symbolic meanings for it, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

How did you get on? Which object did you choose? Well, let's have a look at this example.

Maybe if you chose the book, you thought about ideas and thinking, imagination, and the idea of escaping to another world.

Maybe you thought about going on an adventure, or stories and characters.

Maybe passing time, or knowledge, wisdom, and learning.

So there's lots of symbolic meanings that this book can have, and here are some examples.

So well done if you were able to think of different symbolic meanings for your object.

This brings us to the second parts of our lesson.

We're going to be interpreting symbols.

Symbols can mean different things in different cultures, or to different people.

For example, the colour red symbolises good fortune, luck, and celebration in Chinese culture.

Meanwhile, in many Western countries, red is associated with love, danger, and action.

The Mexican Dia de los Muerto, the Day of the Dead festival, takes place each year to celebrate and remember ancestors.

Through bright colours and skull symbols, it shows how different cultures use symbolism for storytelling through art and craft.

You can see this Mexican Day of the Dead skull there, how beautifully decorated and colourful it is.

Hieroglyphs and symbols are found throughout ancient Egypt culture, often on pyramid walls and Pharaoh tombs, like Tutankhamun's.

Rich in symbolic animals, for example Anubis and scarabs, and objects, these artworks tell religious and spiritual stories.

Because symbols can contain many possible meanings, it's helpful to know how to interpret them.

Interpretation refers to how we explain or find meaning in what we see.

Asking questions like, "What can you see?" or "What could it mean?" helps reveal the possible meanings, and helps us to interpret symbols.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

Symbols always mean exactly the same thing in every culture.

Is this statement true or false? Pause the video here and give yourself a moment to think, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that's false, you are absolutely right.

But why is that statement false? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner about why this statement is false, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

What did you discuss? Well, maybe you said something similar, like, "Symbols can mean different things in different cultures or to different people." Well done.

When multiple symbols are brought together into a single image, it can change and influence the meanings we interpret from it.

What do you see and what do you interpret in this image? Pause the video here and have a discussion with your partner, and press Play when you're ready to continue.

What did you see? Well, you might find that there are different interpretations of the same object, artwork, or symbol.

Like Laura here.

She says, "I see a skull, which makes me think of death, and a candle, referring to time running out.

Together they tell a story of life being short." But Andeep says, "I see a smiling skull, painted blue, and decorated with patterns beside a warm candle.

I think it symbolises that there is light and colour, even in the darkness." So you can see how both Laura and Andeep have interpretations that are different from looking at the same artwork.

Combining symbols into a single image or artwork can help artists to tell a story.

Objects, people, animals, and colours can be placed in a scene intentionally to communicate a certain idea.

So for example, looking at this artwork here of butterflies, a thought bubble, and a head.

What could that mean? When interpreting artwork or an image, firstly, identify the objects that you can see.

So we've got the skull, we've got flowers, and we've got a candle.

Next, consider what the objects might mean.

So the skull might mean death, time, or ancestors.

The flowers might mean beauty, life, or nature, and the candle might mean light, warmth, or time.

Then reflect on the story being told with the symbols.

And following these steps can help you interpret an artwork or image.

Let's take a moment to pause and check our understanding.

When looking at an artwork, what could you do to help interpret it? Only look at the colours and use of tone, ignore all objects, and focus on colour only, count how many people are in it, look for symbols and think about what they mean.

Pause the video here and give yourself some time to have a discussion with your partner to think about the answer to this question, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

What did you think? If you said that you should look for symbols and think about what they mean, you're absolutely right.

That will help you to interpret an artwork.

This brings us to our final learning task.

I'd like you to choose a symbol and interpret its meaning.

Create a sketch of your chosen symbol.

And you could choose the object that you selected for task A, or choose a new object to create a symbol.

You could choose maybe from one of the following: a tree, a leaf, a rose, a skull, a book, a candle, a window, or a clock.

So pause the video here to do the first parts of this learning task, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

How did you get on? Were you able to choose your object and create a symbol sketch of it? Well hopefully you had a go at choosing a symbol, and you drew a sketch of that symbol ready for the next part of this learning task.

Now that you've chosen your symbol, I'd like you to explain how this symbol could be used in an artwork to tell a story.

You could share your ideas verbally, or you could write some bullet points.

So pause the video here, and give yourself enough time to have a go at explaining how this symbol that you've chosen could be used in an artwork, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

How did that go? Well, let's have a look here.

If we've selected something like the leaf, and Sam here says, "I made a sketch of a leaf.

I think leaves could symbolise a connection to nature, telling a story of growth, and how things start from small beginnings and grow to great heights over time." So well done if you are able to verbally explain, or to write some bullet points, to explain your symbol, and how it could be used in a story.

And then the final part of this task.

I'd like you to think, pair, and share.

Share your work, and interpret the meaning of a peer's symbol.

So pause the video here, and give yourself enough time to do that, and press Play when you are ready to continue.

How did you find that? Did you look at symbols that other people had drawn and interpret them? Well, having a look here, Izzy might have said, "When I saw your leaf sketch, I interpreted it as a symbol of nature and the environment.

You could add man-made objects to symbolise human impact on nature." And Sam says, "That's a really interesting interpretation, Izzy.

I like the idea of contrasting symbols to create meaning.

Maybe I could add more symbols to show my idea of growth more clearly." So well done if you were able to take a look at a peer's work, and interpret the meaning of their symbol.

Before we finish this lesson, let's summarise what we've learned about symbolism and stories in art, craft, and design.

Artists use symbolism to share stories and meanings without words.

Symbols often carry layered or multiple meanings and different cultures use different symbols for similar or different ideas.

We can analyse and interpret artworks by identifying symbols and suggesting their meanings.

Thank you for joining me in this lesson today.

I hope to see you in the next one.

See you next time.