Gilgamesh

Karl asked me to have students do some paintings that will be projected onto a wall during the Gilgamesh play of dreams that Gilgamesh shares with his mother. The first is of a big meteorite coming down from the sky. When it cools into a boulder, Gilgamesh carries it on his shoulders. In the second dream he finds a golden axe that he picks up and puts into his belt.

The students in the first through fourth grades took their assignment very seriously! I gave them India ink, a limited palette of watercolors, and gold paint to express their ideas. We talked about how people would stand and what their gestures would be if they were looking up at a meteor coming down from the sky, and how to express the emotions they would be feeling. Working on this project encouraged many of the children to experiment with new subject matter and expression.

Here are paintings of the meteor coming down from the sky:

Gilgamesh sees and lifts the boulder onto his shoulders:

He finds a golden axe: