“Late have I loved You, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new!” —St. Augustine
Ever Ancient, Ever New leads children to God by Benedict XVI’s “way of beauty.” Level 2 tells the “story of art” from the High Renaissance to the Modern era, paying special attention to how the art of each period was influenced by the religious and philosophical beliefs of the time. The first half of the book focuses on the magnificent art of the Baroque period, including a valuable discussion of the Council of Trent’s guidelines for sacred art. The second half summarizes the artistic movements after 1700 until the present, then concludes with a unit on American art during the 18th to 20th centuries.
Discussion of each artistic period is accompanied by:
- Detailed picture studies of period masterpieces that teach students the “language of art”
- A lesson in art theory with a focus on the principles of design (unity, variety, contrast, movement, proportion, emphasis, repetition, balance, and rhythm)
Art Pad 2 provides homeschool-friendly art projects that teach fine arts skills while reinforcing and complementing the lessons in art theory and history from the text. Art Pad 2 includes:
- 36 weeks of easy-to-follow project instructions
- Projects themed to match the textbook
- Project templates on colored cardstock and artist’s paper
- Clear lists of additional, easy-to-find supplies
Ever Ancient, Ever New, Level 2 teaches:
- Art History: High Renaissance, Northern Renaissance, Mannerism, Dutch Golden Age, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Pre-Raphaelites, Realism, Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, Modern Art, and American Art
- Art Theory: Principles of design (unity, variety, contrast, movement, proportion, emphasis, repetition, balance, and rhythm); chiaroscuro and tenebrism; efficient/loose brushwork; warm and cool colors; tints, shades, and tones; color saturation/intensity; color and mood; local, optical, exaggerated, and arbitrary color; visual weight; symmetrical and asymmetrical balance; actual, implied, and visual movement; irregular rhythm through line, shape, and brushstroke; abstraction; and the rule of thirds
- Art Appreciation: Over 90 picture studies of masterpieces such as Velazquez’ The Coronation of the Virgin, David’s The Oath of the Horatii, and Childe Hassam’s The Fourth of July.
- Art Practice: Fine arts skills such as advanced human figure drawing, working with acrylic paints and oil pastels, still life drawings and paintings, extreme view and two-point linear perspective, crosshatching, contour drawings, grid drawings, using saturated and desaturated colors, creating regular and irregular rhythm, using exaggerated and arbitrary color, compositional skills, advanced painting skills, and more!
Prerequisites & Scheduling: It is highly recommended that the student complete Level 1 before beginning this program. Ever Ancient, Ever New, Level 2 is designed to be completed over two years in 7th and 8th grades, but could also be used by 6th-12th graders. Essay and research ideas for high school students are included in the introduction.
