Arts Centre Melbourne and Lemony S Puppet Theatre present

Picasso and

His Dog

Post-show teaching resources

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Picasso and His Dog Post-show teaching resources

Written and prepared by Katy Warner

At Arts Centre Melbourne, we recognise the vital role the arts play in developing

creativity, critical thinking and empathy in young people. That’s why every year we

curate a program of incredible theatre works that will inspire and challenge, spark

curiosity and foster creative thinking in your students.

We believe it is essential to follow-up the theatre experience back in the classroom.

Our teachers’ resources are designed to assist teachers in this journey.

These resources have been created for students from Prep to Year 4.

The content is designed so teachers can adapt and develop activities and discussion

topics according to the needs of their students, existing programs and wider school

context.

Curriculum Links

Learning Areas Capabilities

The Arts Critical and Creative Thinking

English Intercultural

The Humanities Personal and Social

Contents VISITING THE THEATRE ........................................................................................................................... 2

RESPOND ................................................................................................................................................. 3

THE ART OF PABLO PICASSO ................................................................................................................... 6

PICASSO AND LUMP .............................................................................................................................. 14

RESOURCE LIST ...................................................................................................................................... 22

APPENDIX .............................................................................................................................................. 24

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VISITING THE THEATRE THE ARTS | CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING | PERSONAL & SOCIAL

Talk with the class about their recent visit to the theatre. Consider the following

questions:

What do you remember about the theatre?

o What did it feel like when you first entered the building?

o What did the building remind you of? What made you curious about the

building?

o How did you feel when the play started?

o How did you feel at the end of the play?

o Would you like to go back to the theatre?

Why do you think people make theatre?

o What would Picasso and His Dog be like if it was a movie instead of a

play? What would be the differences?

o How is watching a play different from watching TV or going to the

movies?

o Which do you prefer? Why?

Do you know any of the job titles of people who make theatre and who work

in theatre? (e.g. actor, director, front of house, usher, etc.)

o How many people do you think it took to make Picasso and His Dog?

What roles did you see? Which ones were more hidden?

o What role would you like to have? (e.g. Actor, Puppeteer, Puppet-

Maker, Lighting Operator) Why?

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RESPOND THE ARTS | ENGLISH | CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING

MEMORY MAP

A useful way to begin your discussion about the play is to simply ask your class to

share as many memories as they can about the performance. It is very important

that this is not made to feel like a test, but just a chance to share.

You may like to do a think, pair, share session, and have partners report their

memories back to the rest of the class, or do a whole class brainstorming session on

the whiteboard.

It might be helpful to break the play up into these separate elements:

The characters

Who did we meet?

What were they like?

What did they do?

The story

What was it about?

What happened?

Where did it take place?

How did it make you feel? Did you laugh? Cry? Feel confused?

The performance

What did the show look like? What did we see?

Was there music? What was it like?

Did anything surprise you in the performance? Anything make you curious?

Did the story remind you of anything that you have read or heard before?

Do you think other people in the audience liked the show? What makes you

think that?

What are you curious about after seeing Picasso and His Dog?

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REFLECTION, RESPONSE AND INTERPRETATION

You may like to capture your students’ reflections and responses in a more formal

way. These tasks can be great additions to portfolios. The Appendix includes some

templates that you may find useful.

It is valuable to extend student reflection beyond: did you like the show?

Consider:

Tell me about a moment that surprised you? Made you laugh? Made you

curious?

How would you describe this show to your Mum / your little brother / your best

friend?

What did you enjoy about the show? Why?

What would you have liked to have seen more of in the show?

WHAT IS AN ARTIST?

Let’s start with the big discussion question: What is an artist? Ask students to

brainstorm, discuss and share their ideas:

What does an artist do? What do they look like?

What do they need? Where are they from?

Why are they important? Do you know any artists?

Hopefully, through the discussion, students will understand that artists cover a range

of different art forms and can be absolutely anyone!

Share with students this quote, from Pablo Picasso:

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to

remain an artist once he grows up.

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Do you think you are an artist? Why or why not?

Why do you think grown-ups stop being artists?

Students might like to share this quote with the grown-ups in their lives and

find out what they think …

PABLO PICASSO

Pablo Picasso is such an interesting and significant figure, and students will probably

be intrigued to know more about him (and his work) after seeing the show.

For older students, you may like to use this as a research project about Picasso.

Who was Pablo Picasso?

What did he do?

Why is he so important?

Teach students the song, Picasso Polka from Songs in the Key of Art. Lyrics are

included in the appendix and you can access the song online.

Picasso and His Dog happens within Picasso’s studio, with the set based on

Picasso’s actual studio at Villa De California in the South of France. With a trick of

light and puppetry techniques, the studio transforms throughout the play from a star-

lit sky to a dream scape and then to a deep stone cave where ancient cave paintings

are revealed.

What is an artist’s studio?

What would you expect to find in there?

What would you do in there?

How would you describe it?

What would be in your artist studio?

Compare the students’ ideas of an artist studio with the version they saw on stage in

the play. Share images with them of Picasso’s real studio.

You may like students to create a written and or visual response about their own,

imagined artist studios.

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THE ART OF PABLO PICASSO THE ARTS | THE HUMANITIES | CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING | PERSONAL & SOCIAL

PICASSO’S ART

There are many books about Pablo Picasso suitable for younger students (see

Resources List) – read a book with the class about Picasso.

Discuss with students what is meant by realistic and abstract art. Show them how

Picasso’s art changed from realism to abstract / cubism styles with some examples

of his work.

Pablo Picasso: Cubist Art Lesson

(YouTube) is a great resource which clearly

explains the differences between Realistic

and Abstract art.

Watch from 1:16 for a good introduction to

Cubism for lower primary students.

The video includes an explanation / analysis of Picasso’s Three Musicians, which is

pitched beautifully to younger audiences.

Picasso’s life took many turns and he went through a Blue Period in his art, a Rose

Period, and a Cubistic Period. Ask you students what his work looked like in these

periods and why he developed each one.

The Blue Period

This work was created fairly early in Picasso’s career, during what would come to be

known as his Blue Period. At this time Picasso was living in poverty and struggling

to survive as an artist. As he looked at the city life around him in Barcelona and

Paris, he saw many unhappy and poor people who were outcasts from society. They

became the subjects of his art, painted in a palette of blues, greens, and grays to

add to the somber mood. (Guggenheim)

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Show students some examples of Picasso’s work during this time. Examples, and

the websites from which to view them) include:

The Blind Man’s Meal

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Old Guitarist

Art Institute Chicago

Blind Beggar with a Boy

Pushkin State Museum of

Fine Arts

There are many thoughts as to why Picasso so often painted in blue from 1901 to

1904. One idea is that he was too poor to buy a variety of colors, but it is more

probable that he was using colour to show emotion.

After showing students examples of the artworks ask them:

What they noticed about the paintings.

Consider what emotion they think Picasso is trying to show through the use of

those colours?

Describe how Picasso’s use of colour adds to the impact of this work.

The Rose Period

The Rose Period is the time when Pablo Picasso used cheerful orange and pink

colours. During these few years, Picasso was happy in his relationship with his

girlfriend and this has been suggested as one of the possible reasons he changed

his style of painting. Harlequins, circus performers and clowns appear frequently in

the Rose Period.

Show students some examples of Picasso’s work during this time. Examples, and

the websites from which to view them) include:

Family of Saltimbanques

National Gallery of Art USA

Garcon a la pipe

(Boy with a Pipe)

Private Collection

Mother and Child

(Acrobats)

Staatsgalerie, Germany

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After showing students the artworks, ask them:

What they noticed about the paintings.

How do these artworks contrast to the cool tones of the Blue Period?

Consider what emotion they think Picasso is trying to show through the use of

those colours?

Describe how Picasso’s use of colour adds to the impact of this work.

Consider: What are warm tones and what are cool tones? What emotions or feelings

do warm tones bring out in us, the viewer? How about cool tones?

Find examples of warm tone and cool tone images (you may like to use Picasso’s

works or go for a broader range of images). Draw Venn Diagram on the white board

and ask students to place miniature artworks in the diagram depending on their

colour schemes.

Cubism

During his long career, Picasso experimented with many different artistic styles.

Picasso, along with another artist called Georges Braque (a French painter), were

the main artists who developed a new style called Cubism. Cubism was a new way

of seeing the world. Picasso didn’t believe that art should copy nature and wanted to

show the difference between a painting and reality. Cubism became about how to

see an object – Picasso believed that we don’t see an object from only one angle or

perspective. And he found a way to show this through his art, with paintings,

drawings and collage.

Show students some examples of Picasso’s work during this time. Examples, and

the websites from which to view them) include:

Weeping woman

National Gallery of Victoria

Bather with Beach Ball

MoMA, NYC

Head of Man with a Hat

MoMA, NYC

Green Still Life

MoMA, NYC

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Picasso’s famous painting, Three Musicians is on display at MoMA. The gallery’s

website has a wonderful audio recording for kids which explains and ‘unpacks’ the

image. You can see the image and hear the recording via their website:

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78630

Using Three Musicans ask students:

What do you notice?

Is this how you imagined a painting called Three Musicians would look?

How does this painting make you feel?

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CREATE LIKE PICASSO

Non-Art teachers (or those not

feeling too confident about their

drawing skills!) may like to have a

look at this short YouTube video

from Sketchbook Skool: How to

Draw Like Picasso

The video breaks down in simple terms how you can create Picasso-like portraits

using simple shapes and a crayon!

A great way for teachers to gain confidence in using Visual Arts in the classroom.

MR PICASSO HEADS

Use Mr. Potato Heads to create collaborative Mr. Picasso Heads! In small groups,

students mix up the body parts and add them to the head in a way that Picasso may

have done. Students should discuss their choices. Take photos of their final

creations.

There is also an online version of this activity

available at www.picassohead.com (please

note, the content requires Adobe Flash Player)

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CUBIST PORTRAITS

Scholastic has a detailed lesson plan for teaching Cubist Composition – you can

find this valuable resource here.

Students can create their own cubist-inspired portrait:

1. Take a photo of the student from two viewpoints (front and profile).

2. Ask students to look at their photos and pick out any shapes they might see

(that represent their nose or hair or eyes).

3. Split a page in two. On one side of the page, ask student to draw their face

from front view, on the other side from profile view – the two viewpoints

should overlap in the centre of the page.

4. Ensure that they are using shapes to represent some of their facial features,

and ask them to consider how they want their face to be seen. This should

influence where they place the facial features. (Remind them that Cubism is

not Realism!)

5. Paint or colour one side of the portrait in warm tones (Rose Period) and the

other in cool tones (Blue Period)

The Art Projects for Kids website has a step-by-step lesson (with examples) on how

to draw a cubist face, based on the works of Picasso.

The Teach Kids Art website has a version of this activity for kindergarteners and

gorgeous examples of the children’s artworks.

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ABSTRACT DOGS

This is a fun way to create art with your students in a style reminiscent of Pablo

Picasso.

Tell students they need to listen to you instructions very carefully – this is so

everyone will come up with their own, unique version. Remind students there is no

right or wrong, this is just a chance to create art in a new way!

You will a sheet of a paper and a marker.

1. Draw an eye anywhere on the page. Turn your paper 90 degrees clockwise.

2. Draw a second, different eye, several times larger than the first eye. Turn your

paper 90 degrees clockwise.

3. Draw a nose or snout. Turn your paper 90 degrees clockwise.

4. Draw a leg or paw. Turn your paper 90 degrees clockwise.

5. Draw a tail. Turn your paper 90 degrees clockwise.

6. Connect the elements together with straight and curved lines. Don’t worry too

much at this stage; just connect the pieces together and stop when it feels

right.

You may like students to colour (or collage) their creations.

Compare artworks with one another and discuss:

How did it feel to make art that way?

What did you enjoy about that activity? What did you find challenging?

Does it look a like dog? Why? Why not? Does it matter?

Artist and educator, Carla Sonheim, has an excellent example of this lesson on her

YouTube channel which you can view here.

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PICASSO’S LINE DRAWINGS

In the performance of Picasso and His Dog,

students may remember all the drawings

Picasso made of Lump.

Picasso’s beloved dog appeared in several

of his paintings and sketches. This line

drawing is probably one of the most famous.

He loved animals, and many appeared in his work – particularly his line drawings.

This Prezi (Picasso’s Drawings) includes many examples of Picasso’s drawings to

share with your students.

Using Picasso’s drawings for inspiration, challenge students to complete a one line

drawing. Explain to students that they’re not to lift their pencil from the page, and see

if they can create your own version of Lump or maybe their own pet?

You could also do a similar activity with String Art.

You will need:

White string or yarn, cut to length

Black card or black poster board

Liquid craft glue

How to do it:

1. Choose your favourite animal

2. Drag the piece of yarn through the glue

3. Place it onto the board into the shape of your animal

4. Let it dry and display the creation in the classroom

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PICASSO AND LUMP THE ARTS | ENGLISH | THE HUMANITIES | CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING |

INTERCULTURAL | PERSONAL & SOCIAL

HOW TO SAY ‘HELLO’

Ask students if they remember the opening moments of Picasso and His Dog. Do

they remember the introductions, the way the actors said hello and good morning to

one another? They didn’t speak in English, they said “Bonjour!” and “Buenos días”.

Ask students if they know what those words mean? Do they know which country they

are from?

Ask students if they know how to say hello and good morning / afternoon / night in

any other languages? Share with the class.

In small groups, students can teach one another other some key phrases from

languages they know / speak at home and then report back to the class.

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LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF …

In the play, Pablo Picasso gives a very, very long introduction of himself. That is

because he has a very, very long name:

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los

Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.

But he then goes on to tell us about his first word and how he has always been

creative (‘always there’s been something coming out of this one’).

Ask students to create their own LONG introductions.

In the introductions include:

A ‘hello’ or ‘good morning’ in any language they know

Full name (and maybe some imaginative middle names if you want!)

Something special or unique about you

It may be nice for you, the teacher, to give the class an example. Ask students to

present themselves to the rest of the class. After they have introduced themselves,

the rest of the class should give them a huge round of applause – speaking in front

of group can be scary for some so making it into something to celebrate is a great

way to ease nerves and turn it into something fun.

ANIMALS AND PETS

Explain to the class that Pablo Picasso was a real animal lover!

He loved birds, and kept many in his home. Picasso once took in an injured owl,

bandaged its claw, and gave it a home in his kitchen. Picasso liked to stick his

fingers inside the owl's cage and get love nips from his friend! He also kept

He had a goat, which he named Esmerelda, and several cars. He also had many pet

dogs including terriers, poodles, a Boxer Dog and German Shepherd but his most

famous pet was a dachshund (sausage dog) called Lump (Lumpito).

Lump is a German word, meaning rascal.

Do you think this was a good name for Picasso’s dog? What would you have

named him? Why?

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In the play, Picasso says to Lump – ‘You look like a sausage with legs!’ How

would you describe Lump?

QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS …

During the play, some very interesting questions are raised:

How did dogs become dogs?

How did animals become pets?

What do dogs dream?

These questions could be great starting points to some creative / narrative or report

writing.

SIMILES

Give students some examples of similes; what are they and how / why do we use

them in writing?

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1. Ask students to make a list of interesting animals. What are some qualities

that describe how they look or act? (lions are fierce, giraffes are tall, mice are

quiet).

2. Ask students which of these animals they are most like? Which qualities do

they have in common? Choose three animals that are similar. Draw an

imaginary animal that combines features of all three!

3. Write three similes to accompany / explain the drawing.

TALKING ANIMALS

Read students this wonderful monologue, which Picasso gives during the

performance:

What does a pig think of the dawn?

I want to speak with a rabbit, I like his flighty habits.

I want to converse with a spider, I want her to weave me a star.

Fleas interest me so much I let them bite me for hours, let them

amuse themselves with my blood but someone should introduce

me.

What does a pig think of the dawn?

I always wanted to be a frog for one day.

See, I want to speak with many things …

If I could speak with birds or if sheep could understand me or I

could discuss with cats or if chicken would listen to me …

Ask students:

If animals could talk, what would they say?

What would you say to them?

This can be the starting point for a creative writing activity.

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HAND PUPPET ANIMALS

This is a great drama activity for younger students.

Step One: Warm up

Let’s warm up our hands! Hold out your hands and look at them. Use a finger to

trace the lines and shape of your hands. Wiggle your fingers. Open and close your

hands. Stretch those fingers.

Step Two: Making shapes

Experiment with all the ways you can twist and shape your hands. Your hands are

very expressive! Use your hands to show me that you are excited. Now show me

what nervous looks like.

Show students how you can make a spider from your hands – turn one of your

hands into a spider and let it crawl over you. Make terrified faces, keep it comical

and get the students laughing!

Step Three: Invent a Hand Animal

Ask students to find a space of their own where they can sit (or stand); explain they

should focus on themselves, and not pay attention to anyone else around them (as if

they are in an invisible bubble). Walk around the room as you coach students

through the exercise. Ask them to move their hand/s, twist their fingers, make

shapes and find something that looks like an animal -

What is the feature that really stands out or is most important to this animal?

If it is a bird is it the pecking beak or maybe its flapping wings? The crawling

of a caterpillar? The wagging tail of the dog?

How does the animal move?

How do you react to the animal – is it scary? Cute?

If this animal could talk what would it sound like? What would it want to say?

Step Four: Presentation

Ask students to present their animal to the class. The rest of the class can mirror

back the hand animal, with their own hands. You may like to record or photograph

the students’ hand animal puppets.

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HUMAN VS. ANT

This is a fun drama activity for older students.

In groups of two, one student will be an ANT and the other a HUMAN. Ask the

human to imagine they are walking through the bush when they stumble across … a

TALKING ANT!

What would human say to the ant?

What would the any say to the human?

What would be the conflict? What does the ant want? What does the human

want? What happens?

This is a great activity for introducing concepts of conflict and character.

Students should prepare their scenes before performing to the class.

INTERVIEW WITH AN ANIMAL

Coach students in a physical, drama activity where they use their whole body to

explore animal movements and characteristics.

Clear a space, ask students to remove their shoes, and to listen (very carefully) to

your instructions. You will side coach students as they move around the space.

Make it clear that this is a SOLO exercise – explain to students that they need to

imagine they are alone in the space (no touching or messing around with others,

hands to self).

As they move around the space, side coach students to consider the different ways

in which animals move. Go through a series of animals and link these to body parts

and pace (i.e. the slow, plodding walk of a tortoise could then move into an eagle

soaring with wings spread or a tiger stalking its prey).

Ask students to choose their favourite animal, and experiment with movement in the

space (on their own). Now, add sound. How does this animal sound. If this animal

could talk, what would it say? How would it say it?

Students will be their animal character for an interview.

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You may like students to work in pairs (with on interviewing the other before

swapping over) and do this simultaneously in the classroom, perhaps presenting a

couple to the whole group. Alternatively, students could take to the front of the room,

one at a time, for a hot seating activity where three questions are taken from the

group.

IMPORTANT ANIMALS

Our Pets

Lump was a very important part of Picasso’s life. How was this shown in the

performance?

Why do you think pets are important for you humans?

Do you have a pet? What is it? In what ways is your pet special?

Would you like to have a pet? Why? Why not?

If you could have any pet in the world, what would you choose and why?

Use these questions as starting points to create:

How to be a Good Pet Owner: A list of ‘rules’ for pet owners.

Persuasive Writing tasks:

o Everyone should have a pet.

o Animals should not be kept as pets.

A presentation / speech / recount about their family pet or an imagined pet.

Animals in Art

In the play, Picasso tells us how animals have inspired art since the days of cave

drawings! Show students some of the artworks inspired by animals that are

mentioned in play:

Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly horse - Kelly and Horse – Art Gallery of NSW and

The Chase – National Gallery of Australia

Han Dynasty earthenware horses - Horse and Rider (180BC) – Minneapolis Institute

of Art

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Chauvet Cave (cave paintings from 30,000 years ago!) - Chauvet Cave – UNESCO

World Heritage List

Ask students to find more examples of animals in artworks.

What do you notice?

What are the animals doing in the image?

Are they domestic or wild animals?

Why do you think animals appear in so many artworks?

Why have animals been such an inspiration to artists for hundreds of

thousands of years?

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RESOURCE LIST

BOOKS

Books for Prep to Year 1 students

Painting with Picasso by Julie Merberg & Suzanne Bober (CHRONICLE BOOKS)

Picasso's Trousers by Nicholas Allan (Random House Children's Publishers UK)

Picasso for Kids edited by Margaret Hyde (Pelican Publishing Co)

When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden (CHRONICLE BOOKS)

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg (Workman Publishing)

Books for Years 1 to 5 students

Ish by Peter H Reynolds (Candlewick Press)

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett (Sourcebooks)

Pablo Picasso Genius by Isabel Munoz (White Star)

If Picasso Had a Christmas Tree by Eric Gibbons (Firehouse Publication)

If Picasso Went to the Zoo by Eric Gibbons (Firehouse Publications)

If Picasso Went on Vacation by Eric Gibbons (Firehouse Publications)

Lumpito and the Painter from Spain by Monica Kulling and Dean Griffiths (Pajama Press)

Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail by Laurence Anholt (Barron's Educational Series)

Who Was Pablo Picasso? By True Kelley (Penguin Putnam Inc)

Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists: Pablo Picasso by Mike Venezia (C.

Press/F. Watts Trade)

Smart About the Arts: Pablo Picasso – Breaking All the Rules by True Kelley (Penguin

Putnam Inc)

100 Pablo Picassos illustrated by Violet Lemay (Duo Press LLC)

Books for all age-groups

If Picasso Painted a Snowman by Amy & Greg Newbold (Tilbury House Publishers)

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Picasso & Lump by Nancy Lim

Art Activity Pack: Picasso by Mila Boutan (CHRONICLE BOOKS)

Bird & Other Animals with Pablo Picasso (Phaidon)

MORE ONLINE RESOURCES

Who is Pablo Picasso | TATE Museum

https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-pablo-picasso

Make a Picasso Fortune Teller | TATE Museum

https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/make/cut-paste/make-picasso-fortune-teller

School Resources - Pablo Picasso: Weeping Woman | National Gallery of Victoria

https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/school_resource/art-start/image-bank/pablo-picasso/

An Eye for Art – Questioning Traditions: Pablo Picasso | National Gallery of America

https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/an-eye-for-

art/AnEyeforArt-PabloPicasso.pdf

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APPENDIX

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The play was about …

My favourite part was when …

Because …

I was curious about …

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I went to the theatre and saw a play

called Picasso and His Dog.

I noticed____________________________________

_____________________________________________

I heard _____________________________________

_____________________________________________

I saw________________________________________

_____________________________________________

I laughed when _____________________________

_____________________________________________

I was surprised when ________________________

_____________________________________________

I learnt ______________________________________

_____________________________________________

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by Greg Percy

One eye looks straight ahead, the other to the right My arm is where my leg should be My pants are kinda tight I don’t know what is wrong with me I think Picasso painted me It looks like I’ve been in a fight

CHORUS: One eye is looking sideways, Picasso Polka They other’s looking my way, Picasso Polka I might be sort of Cubey, Picasso Polka Maybe rose, maybe blue, Picasso polka

My head it once was round, but now it is a square My elbow has three bends in it My foot looks like a chair I don’t know what is wrong you see I guess Picasso painted me It looks like I’ve been in a fight

CHORUS

My hair is kind of blue My house is kind of blue The sky is sort of blue I’m thinkin’ he was blue I don’t know what is wrong you see I guess Picasso painted me It looks like I’ve been in a fight

SONGS IN THE KEY OF ART, VOLUME ONE