On March 7, 2024, Gymnázium Myjava organised the first of the four COIL online lessons of the Erasmus+ international project, entitled Great Paintings in Detail, led by Mgr. Ľubica Durcová.

The aim of the COIL lessons was to make students aware of how they can benefit and enrich personal experience through additional knowledge about the great paintings which represent a huge wealth of human history.

The COIL lessons were interdisciplinary by merging Art, Culture, History, Aesthetics and some even Philosophy.

The participants were students of Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovakia; Gymnázium Myjava, Slovakia; and Universitatea Crestina Partium, Romania.

The introduction of the first session focused on how the knowledge of historical context, cultural period, art techniques, a personality of an artist; his/ her inspiration - feelings and ideas; also symbols and colours used can help to see any painting from a different perspective.

After the introduction, the session focused on the painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog by C. D. Friedrich.

As the first, students had opportunity to cooperate and discuss the painting and their ideas about it in groups. After the activity, a spokesperson of each group presented ideas and findings in front of everyone.

In the analyses of the painting, students could learn about the painter, ideas of Romanticism, composition and colours used in the painting and inspiration behind the mysterious figure depicted. Eventually, the connection between the painting and the Pop Culture was introduced.

After the analyses students had opportunity to talk, discuss and express their opinion - weather any information was new, surprising, familiar or expected for them.

The most students were active in the groups and very keen to present their ideas.

Some students admitted that they were not familiar with the painting Wanderer above the Sea of Fog before the session and were surprised that this painting is a huge part of the pop culture today. However, some of them knew about the existence of the painting, but did not know any additional information related to it.