Franklin C. Cacciutto
Level One:
Use two projectors to project both of these portraits side-by-side, Mr. Isaac Smith to the right, or, much better, arrange a fieldtrip for the class to the Garvan Collection at the Yale University Art Gallery, where they are on display. There is the added advantage there of seeing them in their very impressive frames and surrounded by other significant objects from the world of which they were a part, including an actual chair exactly like the one in which Mrs. Isaac Smith sits in her portrait. Students here should bring notebooks with an eye toward creating a list of observed facts comparable to the one created in the preliminaries of studying the Copley portraits of Epes Sargent.
Level Two:
Whenever two objects are side-by-side, the opportunistic way to get started in seeing important facts for what they are and in their important relationships is the method of comparison and contrast. For example, one may compare and contrast the facial angle and the relation of the subject’s eyes to the eyes of the painter or spectator. The various things that complete the world of each subject are significant of the identity of the subject, and should be read as symbols and signs comprising much of the meaning of the portrait. For example, the grapes in Mrs. Smith’s lap are conventional symbols of feminine fruitfulness. On the other hand, there is a hardness and angular aggressiveness about Mr. Smith which is very masculine. These contrasts extend through much of the detail of the paintings; for example, compare and contrast the chairs upon which they pose. What can be read here is suggestive of the rationale behind conventional proprieties in the role of husband and wife. Here is a marriage of complmentarities, of masculine and feminine, hard and soft, business and fecundity, cold and warm, future-oriented and present-oriented, surface and depth. These portraits celebrate this harmony of opposites.
Level Three:
It is immediately accessible that Copley had different relationships with and feelings toward each of these figures. He admired Mr. Smith for his success; perhaps during the duration of his sittings they talked about business and politics. It the moment in which Mr. Smith is represented in his portrait, his mind seems far away, his gaze fixed on some ambition in his mind’s eye. In contrast, Mrs. Smith reposes comfortably and interestedly, makes eye contact with the painter, and in all likelihood shared a witty, intimate, supportive conversation with him.
Level Four:
Compare and contrast the sex roles these portraits historically document to the meres of today.
Level Five:
Using clippings from magazines of men and women and of the things we find significant in their roles in our day, have students make collages of marriage diptychs in terms of their own values, perceptions, and aspirations.