Eileen M. DeMaio
Lesson 1
Learning Objective
1. Students will learn to evaluate and give their opinion on a work of art. 2. Students will learn to compare and contrast works by different artists. 3. Students will learn that artworks can express feelings and give us new ideas.
Performance Objective
After viewing and discussing the art of the Limners and John Singleton Copley students will be able to pick out similarities and differences.
Materials
Slides, projector, screen, lined paper, pencils.
Learning Sequence
a.
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Opener
—Begin the lesson by explaining to the students what a portrait is. A portrait is a picture of a person. It can be a painting, a sculpture or a photograph. In this unit we will be looking at some portrait paintings of early Americans. Before the invention of the camera, people had no way to record what they looked like. If they were fortunate enough they could hire an artist to paint their portrait. There were many different reasons that people had their portraits painted in early America, as a record of their likeness, as a record of their character or personality or as a record of their wealth. These paintings were then hung in the family’s home to be later passed down to their ancestors or they may have sent the paintings back to family members left in Europe as proof of their good fortune here in the new world.
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You are now ready to dim the lights and present the slides. Begin with the Limners and then move on to Copley. Refer to background material on each artist given above.
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b.
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Student participation
—With each slide shown students will be asked to answer some very simple straightforward questions about the painting. I call this process the dissecting of a painting. It is at this point you may want the students to have their own paper and pencils to write down responses or you may want to write their answers on the chalkboard. The class could also be divided into small discussion groups.
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Question #1—What is this a painting of? What is it showing?
answer—(a man, a woman) (a man reading a book, a woman with her dog)
Question #2—List all the shapes you can see.
answer—(square—book, circle—head, oval—flower, rectangle—window. . .)
Question #3—List all the objects in this picture.
answer—(person, book, chair, hat. . .)
Question #4—Based on your answers to questions #1, 2 and 3 can you tell me something about this person? What was the artist trying to tell us about this person?
answer—(he reads books, she likes animals)
Question #5—Do you like this painting? Why? Would you like to meet this person? Why?
c.
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Closure
—Have your students answer these questions to each of the slides. After this process is complete you can begin to discuss the differences in the painters style. (Refer to background above)
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Evaluation
Can the student cite several differences and several similarities between the work of a Limner and that of Copley.
Lesson #2 and 3
Personality Portrait
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Learning Objective
Students will learn that a portrait can tell us more about a person than just what he looks like.
Performance Objective
Students will interview a classmate to learn more about their likes and dislikes and personality traits.
Each student will create a portrait of their partner using information gathered in the interview process.
Students will learn about proportion of the head and approximate location of the facial features.
Time Period
2 classes
Materials
Large pieces of white paper or oak tag, markers, pencils, erasers, interview questionaire.
Learning Sequence
a.
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Opener
—1. Brief review and discussion on the way in which the Limners and John S. Copley were able to tell us something about their subjects’ personalities in the painting. 2. Discuss how facial expression can reveal a person’s character. 3. Show the class how to fill the whole paper. The background can be utilized to give more information about the subject.
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b.
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Student Participation
—Students will choose a partner to interview and gather all the information on their subject. (see figure 1) Then the subject and interviewer will switch jobs. This is to make sure everyone has someone to draw. Putting the questions and answers aside, each student will draw a basic head and features as the teacher has demonstrated. (see figure 2) Next each student will draw features and other details based on their subjects answers. The result will be a unique portrait indigenous to one classmate.
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c.
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Closure
—Share finished portraits. See if students can try to guess who was being interviewed based on the artist interpretation.
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Lesson #4 and 5
Learning Objective
Students will learn about the life and work of George Catlin. They will learn what motivated him to paint portraits of the Indians.
Performance Objective
Students will view and discuss the work of George Catlin. Each student will then choose a specific Indian tribe to research and focus on a certain custom or activity like buffalo hunting, tribal dances, etc. Students will then create their own drawings of these Indian activities and report to the class on what they have learned.
Materials
Books on Indians, large white paper or oak tag, markers, crayons.
Learning Sequence
a.
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Opener
—View and discuss George Catlin.
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b.
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Student Participation
—1. Students will be expected to research an Indian tribe or study a specific Indian activity. 2. Students will then create their own portraits of these Indians at work or play, trying to include details that cannot always be put into words. 3. Each student will write a short narrative about his or her subject giving such details as name of tribe, location, custom or activity they studied and what purpose it served. Students should try to tell something interesting they learned about these people in story form.
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c.
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Closure—Students will share their portraits and stories with the class. Then you and your students might study Catlin’s version of the same activity to see what he has chosen to draw or paint. What aspect of the activity does he emphasize?
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Evaluation
Did your students use any of the methods introduced to them in the previous lesson? Does their drawing tell us more about the people or custom than just what their narrative states?
Lesson #6
Field trip to the Yale Art Gallery. Be sure to make arrangements ahead of time for the docent to show you to the American exhibit. Remember to inform them that your students have been studying early portrait paintings. See if your students can identify the work of a Limner or any of Copley’s portraits. Allow extra time to view other aspects of American art such as landscapes and genre painting.
Figure #1
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Personality Portrait
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This is a portrait of _____________
Interviewed and drawn by ______________
Questions:
1.
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What is your favorite color?_____________
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2.
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What is your favorite number?_____________
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3.
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What is your favorite food?_____________
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4.
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What sport do you like best?_____________
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5.
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What would you like to be when you grow up?
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___________________________________
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6.
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If you could stay home from school tomorrow what would you do with your time?
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___________________________________
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7.
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You have just won the lottery, what would you do with a million dollars?
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___________________________________
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8.
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What do you like to do in your spare time?
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___________________________________
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9.
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Where is your favorite place to go?
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___________________________________
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10.
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What is your favorite subject in school? ______________
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Figure 2
TO HELP STUDENTS DRAW THE FACE IN PROPORTION. Use very light pencil lines to draw these guidelines.
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Start with an egg shape, small side down as the chin. Divide this shape in half vertically, then again horizontally about onethird down, or where it looks like your subject’s eyes should be.
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2.
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Draw in the eyes, leaving a space between them about the same size as the eyes you have drawn. Divide the space from eye level to chin in half horizontally, or where it looks like your subject’s nose should be.
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3.
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Draw in the nose, with the bottom of the nose reaching the line. Divide the space from nose level to chin in half horizontally, or where it looks like your subject’s mouth should be.
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4.
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Draw the ears starting just above the eye level, ending just above the nose level. Everybody’s face is a little different so be sure to study your subject closely and draw what you see!
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5.
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Lightly sketch your subject’s hair near the eyes and ears and above the top of the head. Now erase the vertical and horizontal guidelines, as well as any lines that are covered by your subject’s hair.
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Begin filling in and detailing the subject’s features as you see them, adding the appropriate highlights and shadows. Place your subject in some location, doing something that helps express their personality.
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(figures available in print form)