This bilingual learning resource is inspired by The Holy Family by Perino del Vaga, an Italian painter celebrated for his elegant and graceful style. From the National Gallery of Victoria’s Collection, the painting provides a gentle and reflective context for exploring themes of family, love, and emotion through both art and language.
Designed for Foundation to Level 2 learners, the resource introduces key Italian vocabulary while encouraging students to observe how artists use colour, gesture, and expression to convey feelings and tell stories. The artwork invites students to explore Italian history, family values, and religion through visual storytelling, illustrating how Renaissance artists made sacred stories feel human and relatable—helping viewers connect with faith, love, and family in everyday life.
The accompanying activities foster cultural awareness, personal reflection, and language development, aligning with the Victorian Curriculum areas of Italian Language, Visual Arts, and Intercultural Capability. This resource encourages creative responses and emotional understanding in a calm and age-appropriate way.
Focus on the Painting
The Holy Family by artist Perino del Vaga was painted in 1545-46 in Italy and depicts a special family made up of three people: the infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph. In Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God who taught people about love, kindness, and helping others. His mother, Mary, is honoured for caring for him and guiding his early life, while Joseph, his earthly father, is remembered for protecting and supporting the family with kindness and faith.
Mary is shown seated with the infant Jesus in her lap looking up at her. He attempts to stand while holding onto her. Joseph in the shadows next to them holding a cane, crouching down to look at his family. It is an intimate and private family moment bathed in tender light. The colors are soft and gentle, making the scene feel quiet and loving.
Perino del Vaga, was an Italian painter who lived about 500 years ago during the Renaissance, a time of great change, especially in art and learning. He was known for creating beautiful and graceful paintings, where people and scenes often looked elegant and stylish rather than exactly real. He liked to make his pictures look special and full of gentle movement and beauty. The painting was used in a church or chapel for people to pray for family and friends.
Look Closer, Think Deeper
- Find the People
Look closely at the painting. Who can you see? What are Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus doing? How can you tell that Mary and Joseph care for Jesus? What do their faces and hands show about their feelings? - Explore the Colours
Perino del Vaga used soft, gentle colours to make the scene feel peaceful. What colours can you find? How do these colours make you feel? If you could choose colours to show love or warmth, which ones would you use? - Discover Feelings and Expressions
Look carefully at Mary’s and Joseph’s faces. How do you think each of them feels? Does this painting make you feel calm, happy, or thoughtful? What parts of the picture help you feel that way?
Artists often paint to share a story or idea. What story do you think this painting tells? What moment might it show from the life of Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus? What do you think might happen next?
Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe the main people and objects in The Holy Family, such as Maria (Mary), Gesù (Jesus), and Giuseppe (Joseph), using simple Italian words and phrases.
- Learn and use Italian words connected to the painting, including family terms like madre (mother), padre (father), and bambino (child).
- Explore and talk about the importance of family in Italian culture and how it is shown in art, comparing it to their own families and cultural traditions.
- Create their own artwork showing their family or people they care about, using ideas and inspiration from The Holy Family.
Curriculum Links
LANGUAGES – ITALIAN
Interacting in Italian
Participate in a range of guided language activities using formulaic expressions, and visual and spoken cues. (VC2LIT2C02)
Engaging with Italian language
Recognise and respond to greetings, instructions, and language relating to their personal world using one- or 2-word responses and/or single-idea phrases. (VC2LIT2E03)
Engaging with Italian culture
Explore connections between language and culture through play and/or imagination. (VC2LIT2E04)
Creating text in Italian
Create and present spoken and written texts using formulaic expressions, simple phrases and sentences, and modelled textual conventions. (VC2LIT4C05)
VISUAL ARTS
Exploring
Explore and describe artworks, and explain why, when, and how visual arts are created and/or presented across cultures, times, places, and other contexts. (VC2AVA4E01)
Explore ideas for artworks through play and visual arts processes. (VC2AVAFE02)
Creating
Use visual conventions, visual arts processes, and materials to create artworks that communicate ideas, perspectives, and meaning. (VC2AVA4C01)
INTERCULTURAL CAPABILITY
Culture Identity and Belonging
Explore changes in cultures, including their own, in a range of contexts, and examine how this influences identity, belonging, and inclusion. (VC2CI8C01)