edouard manet

January 18, 2016 8 Comments

Character Analysis Art Activity: Twitter Perspectives

One great way to analyze and interpret a work of art is to do character analysis–looking at visual clues to understand the motives, actions, thoughts, and feelings of the characters in the artwork.

In my Art Appreciation Printable Worksheet Bundle that you can get for free by signing up for my e-mail list, there is an activity I created called “Twitter Perspectives” that focuses on this way of interpreting art. (You can also find more character analysis activities in the art worksheets 25 pack for $12).

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Art Activity Instructions: Study the characters in the artwork. Think about what the character thinks and feels. Then, write tweets from the perspective of the characters in the work. Create a twitter username that fits your perspective of the character.

Get this worksheet and more to explore art in the free Art Appreciation Worksheet bundle by clicking the button below.

Here are some artwork suggestions to use with this worksheet:

How did it go? Please share one of your tweets about these artworks in the comments or tag me on twitter!

This post was originally posted on July 14, 2014.

December 14, 2015 Leave a Comment

10 Surprising Artworks from the Met Museum

Hello! I’ve just come back from New York City where I spent a few glorious hours at the Met Museum. I of course specifically sought out several of my favorite artworks. It’s like visiting old friends. I just had to take a selfie with my Death of Socrates. I love that painting!

Can you tell how exhausted I am in this shot? I'd been walking the streets of NYC for 8 hours at this point! — Can you tell how exhausted I am in this shot? I’d been walking the streets of NYC for 8 hours at this point!

But, there were several artworks that took me by surprise. These were artworks that I have either never seen before and really loved or artworks that I had seen before, but they never interested me. That’s why we need to see art in person! It is different and surprising and always wonderful.

The Art Curator for Kids - 10 Surprising Artworks from the Met Museum

Indian Map

Indian, Fortified City of Ranthambhor, ca. 1810-18, Met Museum — Indian, *Fortified City of Ranthambhor,* ca. 1810-18, Met Museum

This digital image does not capture how neat this artwork really was. I loved this map of the palaces of Rajasthan. I felt like I needed to sit it in front of me and study it for a while to unpack all it has to offer. I especially loved the little monkeys and ducks in the margins. Delightful! Learn more about this artwork.

Tang Dynasty Figures

These small, earthenware sculptures are filled with such character and expression!

China, Standing Attendant, 7th Century, Met Museum — China, *Standing Attendant*, 7th Century, Met Museum

Japanese Screen Painting

Maruyama Ōkyo, Goose and Reeds, 1774, Met Museum — Maruyama Ōkyo, *Goose and Reeds*, 1774, Met Museum

To be honest, I generally don’t find Japanese screens to by all that exciting. This one with its extreme simplicity struck me. The delicate touch with the mountains draws attention to the gracefulness of the bird. Loved it. Learn more about this artwork.

Dream of the Shepherd

I was struck by the emotion of this was too. The label calls it “haunting,” and I agree. Something about it made me want to look and think. I think this one will be good to discuss with students in future courses. Learn more about this artwork.

Trompe l’Oeil

Ilia Efimovich Repin, Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin, 1884, Met Museum — Ilia Efimovich Repin, *Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin*, 1884, Met Museum

I turned the corner into this room, and this painting totally freaked me out. It was insanely realistic. It looked like that guy was in the room with me. It is interesting because the setting was done in a more painterly way, but the man was so crisp and clear looking right at me. Learn more about this artwork.

Not Boring at All

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret, The Pardon in Brittany, 1886, Met Museum — Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret, *The Pardon in Brittany*, 1886, Met Museum

I’ve seen this painting before and until last week at the Met, I would have put it in my “Extremely Boring Artwork” list. I was so surprised to find it to be rather stunning in person. I don’t know if it was the asymmetricality, the range of values. the crisp clean lines, or the contrast of the stern people with the flowy lady on the ground, but it was a delight to see in person. Learn more about this artwork.

I Guess Manet isn’t Overrated

Édouard Manet, George Moore, 1879, Met Museum — Édouard Manet, *George Moore*, 1879, Met Museum

So apparently the theme for this post is “Art I thought I didn’t like, but maybe I need to give it a second chance.” Other than the masterpiece Luncheon on the Grass, I’ve never found Manet to be incredibly exciting, but I was surprised at how struck I was with these pastel sketch portraits. Manet did these in one sitting, and he managed to capture such life in them. Learn more about this artwork.

Édouard Manet, Mademoiselle Lucie Delabigne (1859–1910), Called Valtesse de la Bigne, 1879, Met Museum — Édouard Manet, *Mademoiselle Lucie Delabigne (1859–1910), Called Valtesse de la Bigne*, 1879, Met Museum

Why are we not all talking about this one?!

Thomas Hart Benton, America Today, 1930-31 — Thomas Hart Benton, *America Today*, 1930-31

Holy smokes, this was amazing. It was an entire room of a Thomas Hart Benton artwork called America Today. The colors, the molding, and all of the many stories being told in this one were incredible. I had to meet a friend who was about to get off work, and I was really sad to leave this artwork. I wish I could have spent an hour in that room alone! You need to see this one! Learn more about this artwork.

Sweet, Fauve Love

William Zorach, Spring in Central Park, 1914, Met Museum — William Zorach, *Spring in Central Park*, 1914, Met Museum

This painting is so sweet and lovely and colorful. This is Adam and Eve in Central Park before the Fall of Man. Learn more about this artwork.

Serious Clown

Walt Kuhn, Clown with a Black Wig, 1930 — Walt Kuhn, *Clown with a Black Wig*, 1930

This one just cracked me up. This super serious portrait of a clown is totally unexpected. The label text says the artist often creates”penetrating, sometimes even unnerving portraits of circus performers.” That describes this painting exactly. Weird and cool, and I want to see more from this artist! He’s pretty much my new favorite artist. Learn more about this artwork.

What’s the most surprising artwork you have seen? Let me know in the comments!

July 31, 2015 4 Comments

What is art? 6 Artworks that Help Define Art

A few months ago, I shared with you 6 artworks about other artworks. I love this art about art theme, so I want to keep going with it today. The art about art artworks in this collection are works that help define what art is. They make you think about that ultimate art and aesthetics question, “What is art?“

In my community college classes early in the semester, I have all of these artworks in an “art about art” lesson. I’ll share some of the discussion points and why I put them in this art about art category below. You will see the last question of each question list below is, “What does this artwork tell us about art?” That’s how I tie them all together. I have also divided the class into groups assigning each group one artwork to analyze and then present their ideas to the class.

Grade Level: These artworks and discussion questions are best geared toward high school or college students.

Note: Several of these artworks have nudity. My policy is to not censor on the blog because that is my personal approach, and I leave it up to you as the teacher or parents to decide if you are comfortable with that.

Michelangelo Buonarotti, Slaves, 1513-1516

Michelangelo Buonarotti, Slaves, 1513-16 - Middle Photo Credit-Dada — Michelangelo Buonarotti, *Slaves (Atlas, Rebellious, Awakening)*, 1513-16 (Middle Photo Credit: Dada)

I don’t know if Michelangelo was considering this when he made these artworks, but to me, these sculptures address this art about art theme in two different ways. First, I love how these sculptures show the relationship of the artist to the art. You can see the artist’s hand, and it really shows you how incredibly hard it is to make these sculptures. The contrast of the rough and smooth textures really highlights this.

But, the main reason I chose these artworks is how they show the figures attempting to break free from the stone. Michelangelo famously said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” And he also said, “The best artist has that thought alone Which is contained within the marble shell; The sculptor’s hand can only break the spell To free the figures slumbering in the stone.” Michelangelo believed the figure was there, and it was his job to release it.

Questions to Ask: What is happening here? What do you notice? What is this sculpture about? Who are these men? What are they doing? Why did Michelangelo choose to depict them this way? What does this sculpture tell us about art?

Edouard Manet, Le Dejeuner sur L’Herbe (Luncheon on the Grass), 1863

Nudity is a very common subject in art, but when this painting was first displayed at the Salon des Refusés it was really shocking and controversial? Why? Because, it was normal to have nudes in a mythological or allegorical context, but it was not normal to have a nude woman in a contemporary setting–especially one surrounded by clothed men.

Another dimension to this is the stare by the woman to the viewer. Her looking out at us makes us feel a little voyeuristic in a way. I think it can spark an interesting discussion about the connection between the artwork and the viewer.

Questions to Ask: What is your initial reaction to this picture? How does this painting make you feel? Comfortable? Uncomfortable? Why? What is happening here? How does the artist address gender? Why is the woman looking out at us? What does this painting tell us about art?

René Magritte, The Treachery of Images (This is Not a Pipe), 1929

The text on this image says, “This is not a pipe.” At first, this is confusing to my students usually. “Yes, it is.” they think. But, when you keep thinking about it, you realize no, it isn’t a pipe. It is a canvas with oil paint on it (or a bunch of pixels of color projected onto the screen on this website). It is not a pipe; it is a picture of a pipe. Ultimately, pictures and words are just symbols for the real thing.

I usually bring in a little bit of Plato’s philosophy into this discussion. Plato believed that art is an imitation of an imitation. He believed that all things were originally an idea from God. So a pipe is not a pipe. A pipe is an idea made by God. An actual real-life 3D pipe is an imitation of God’s idea of a pipe. So, a painting of a pipe is an imitation of the pipe-maker’s imitation of God’s idea of a pipe. Confused, yet?

Questions to Ask: This says, “This is not a pipe.” What was the artist trying to say? What is more real–a pipe that you could actually smoke, a picture of a pipe, or the word “pipe” written out on a piece of paper?

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Keith Arnatt, Trouser – Word Piece, 1972-89

Conceptual art from the 1960s and 70s is some of the most intriguing art to me. Artists during this time just did anything and everything to push the boundaries of what is and is not considered art. This piece by Keith Arnatt has a photo of the artist holding a sign saying “I’m a real artist” plus a text quotation from a book that questions how something changes when you add the word “real” in front of it. Read more about the work here.

Questions to Ask: What is your first reaction to this? What message was the artist trying to convey? What is a real artist? What is a not real artist? What makes someone an artist?

Marcel Duchamp, Fountain, 1917

Marcel Duchamp took a urinal, placed it on its side, signed a fake artist’s name on it, and put it in an art exhibit. This begs the question, does the artist have to actually make the object in order for it to be art?

Questions to Ask: Is this art? Is this allowed? Is art about the idea or the end result? Would this still be art if it wasn’t in an art exhibit?

Mark Tansey, The Innocent Eye Test, 1981

I think this artwork is delightful. I see these scientific men trying to determine the merits of a painting’s “realness” by seeing if it would fool a cow. It’s funny. Here’s a quotation from the artist to help you think about this one even more.

I think of the painted picture as an embodiment of the very problem that we face with the notion “reality.” The problem or question is, which reality? In a painted picture, is it the depicted reality, or the reality of the picture plane, or the multidimensional reality the artist and viewer exist in? That all three are involved points to the fact that pictures are inherently problematic.
— Mark Tansey, quoted in Mark Tansey: Visions and Revisions, by Arthur C. Danto (Source)

Questions to Ask: What is each character thinking, and why are they there? What do they want of the cow? Why is the cow there? What is he going through? What does the artist want from us? What’s with the mop? Why are they wearing glasses? What does this say about art? What does this painting mean?

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Thanks for visiting! Which of these do you find the most interesting? What artworks did I miss? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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