Silhouettes

Did you know that the word "silhouette" is a French word that dates back to before the French Revolution?

The art of silhouette cutting originated in Europe in the early 1700's. Prior to the French Revolution, artists were hired as an amusement for the royal class. The artist would attend the many extravagant balls and cut out the profiles of the Lords and Ladies, capturing the latest fashions and elaborate wigs.
   While the aristocrats were having their silhouettes cut out and eating like kings, much of Europe was starving, especially in France. In the 1760's the Finance Minister of France, Etienne de Silhouette, had crippled the French people with his merciless tax policies. Etienne had a hobby of cutting out paper profiles, the latest fad. Etienne de Silhouette was so despised by the people of France that in protest the peasants wore only black mimicking his black paper cutouts. The saying went all over France "We are dressing à la Silhouette. We are shadows, too poor to wear color. We are Silhouettes!"

To this very day the black profile cutouts are called silhouettes.

 

French Club members painted and then collaged frames to display their silhouettes. (Collage, like many art terms, has French origins - it comes from the French word "coller" which means "to glue".)

Do you recognize any of these Calvert students?

 

 

 

Tête, Épaules, Genoux, et Pieds

7th Agers have been learning French words for body parts. In keeping with this theme, they are also learning the French version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes." Here we are practicing in class.

 

What a Zoo!

7th Agers continue to learn how to say and write French words for body parts, starting with facial features. To make it fun, students were given animal plates to trace, draw, and label in French. See all the animals now on display in the 7th Age Zoo, outside the French classroom.

Bon Anniversaire, Rodin!

Today, as you may have seen on Google's doodle, is the 172nd birthday of Auguste Rodin, the  French artist who created the world famous sculpture "The Thinker".



Bon Appétit!

French Club was cooking up a storm this week. The young chefs put their culinary skills to work by creating crêpe batter to take home to their families. They cracked eggs, melted butter, poured milk, measured flour, sugar, and salt, and then stirred and scraped until the batter was smooth and creamy. In addition, French Club members were treated to delicious, cooked-on-the-spot crêpes of many flavors: jambon et fromage (ham and cheese), chocolat (chocolate), framboise (rasberry), and sucre et citron (sugar and lemon).

 

A special thanks to Madame Whitman and Chef Henri for helping make this so much fun!

And thanks also to Madame Pietrowski for being the photographer while Madame Cooke cooked.

 

  

Interesting Fact:   Many ordinary English cooking terms, such as restaurant, chef, cuisine, entrée, menu, and dessert are derived from the French language. This is thanks to the dominant role France has played in developing fine cuisine in the western world.

New Artist of the Month

Each month in the French classroom, a 

 

 

Head of the Class

7th Agers were introduced to new French vocabulary this week for parts of la tête (the head). First, they practiced repeating the new words and using their own faces to point to each feature as they said it. Next, the students helped create faces on the board by adding the different features to colorful heads when the teacher called out the French words: les yeux (eyes), les cheveux (hair), le nez (nose), and la bouche (mouth). Students continued to practice by writing these words, in newly-learned Calvert script, on their classwork papers.

 

Boo-tiful!

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

 

 

From the French Club pumpkins

 

Bon Anniversaire, Statue de la Liberté!

Today marks the 126th birthday of The Statue of Liberty. Today is also its reopening, having been closed for the past year for renovations. It will now be easier to move around inside the monument and will be more accessible to visitors with disabilities.

 

 As Calvert French students know, this world-famous monument symbolizing freedom and opportunity was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States. The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor on June 19th, 1885. It was intended to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence, some ten years earlier.

The Statue of Liberty is made of copper and stands more than 300 feet high. Often called Lady Liberty, she faces southeast, making her a welcoming symbol for arriving ships.

Calvert's Waterlily Pond

7th Age girls were busy in French class cutting, painting, and glueing. After learning about Monet and his waterlily pond, the girls recreated the magic.They combined different paints to create their own unique colors, just like Monet did. These beautiful waterlilies are on display in the hallway alongside the new playground - stop by and take a look.

 

 

Reviewing with Renoir

With the help of a famous Renoir painting, 9th Agers are reviewing clothing vocabulary and constructing new descriptive French sentences. Look below the painting to see some sample descriptions; clothing words are in yellow.

 

Luncheon of the Boating Party

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1881

  

Onze personnes portent les chapeaux.
Deux femmes portent les chapeaux avec les fleurs.
Les femmes portent les robes longues.
Une femme porte une jupe longue et une chemise blanche et rouge.
Les hommes portent les chemises et le pantalon.
Il y a des hommes qui portent une cravate aussi.
Une femme porte les gants noirs.

This Renoir painting is currently housed in The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.


Ma Saison Favorite

For this month's French folder paper, 9th Agers wrote about their favorite season which included a combination of the months, colors, sports, holidays, and activities particular to each season. Students enhanced their writings with creative illustrations. This work is now on display in the hallway near the French classroom. Here are some samples; click on each one for a closer view: 

 

 

Renoir Recovered

As 9th Agers haved learned, our Artiste du Mois, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, is in the news.  A woman in West Virginia recently paid seven dollars for a small painting she found at a flea-market. She soon discovered that her purchase was a genuine Renoir painting. This painting, called "Paysage Bords de Seine", was stolen in 1951 from our very own Baltimore Museum of Art! It had not been seen since. The painting will soon go to auction and is expected to sell for $100,000 or more! French is truly everywhere, n'est-ce pas?!
 

Boo-tiful Display

Happy Halloween, from the French Club pumpkins!