Bon Voyage
French V students take a trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Some people would say the finest art in the world was created in France. What those people may not know is you don’t have to go to France to see it. In fact, you’ll find it right here in Kansas City, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, or as locals call it, the Nelson.
On March 6, French V students from Liberty took a field trip to the Nelson with their counterparts from Liberty North’s class, where they got to look at different types of French art, including realism, classicism, idealism, romanticism and impressionism.
“My experience at the Nelson was amazing,” senior Mackenzie Kytasaari said. “I loved getting to analyze the classical art and being able to come up with my own interpretations looking at the modern art.”
Before they visited the Nelson, the students shared what they looked forward to most.
“I’m excited to be able to learn about the different paintings and the movements, as well as spending time with all of my classmates,” senior Khushi Talati said.
This trip was not only educational, it was also a way for the students to decompress.
“A lot of the art work made me feel happy,” senior Taylor Hays said. “I think there were a few pieces that were supposed to make you feel sad because they had darker landscapes, but for the most part they made me feel excited.”
With this unit as a guide, the student are starting to see how art influenced the French, as well as the rest of the world.
“Right now, we are going over how art has affected French culture, and in turn, how French people have really pursued and changed art over the generations,” Talati said. “We’re going through Europe’s art movements, how they’ve developed and the effect the arts have made on every other aspect of life.”
The students were given the opportunity to experience the art they were studying.
“We saw a lot of art from impressionists, especially French artists,” Hays said. “We then saw realism and romanticism. I enjoyed the impressionist paintings the most because they didn’t use such structured styles – they were more free and imaginative.”
Along with the art, French teacher Laura Snead had another activity she thought her students would enjoy.
“We went to Christopher Elbow’s ice cream shop called Glacé,” Snead said. “Christopher Elbow is a graduate of LHS and his ice cream is as good as anything in France. So while the art is visually beautiful, the ice cream satisfies the sense of taste.”
Overall, many students enjoyed admiring the different types of art.
“I think it’s really interesting,” Talati said. “I’m excited to learn about it because I feel as though we don’t get to learn about the arts and the effects they’ve made in regular classes.”
