Pilgrim Hall Museum - Education - Online Learning

PAINTED PILGRIMS
a curriculum unit for Grades 6-12
Subjects: History, Art, Fine Art

Introduction for educators
In this lesson, students explore portraits for insights into the sitter’s character and life. After an introduction to the nuances of portraiture, called What Is a Portrait?, students examine four 17th century portraits from the collections of Pilgrim Hall Museum. They then compare and contrast these 17th century portraits with portraits from other eras. Finally, students use the insights they have gained as inspiration for the creation of a self-portrait.

What Is a Portrait? is followed by 4 activities:

Educational Goals:
1. Students will learn to look closely at works of art in order to draw conclusions about the artist, the subject matter, and the period when the work was done.
2. Students will develop awareness of the differences and similarities in social conventions during different periods, particularly the contrast between the seventeenth century and today.
3. Students will strengthen their reasoning skills by drawing and defending conclusions from visual evidence.
4. Students will exercise creativity and develop an awareness of self-image by creating a self-portrait.

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Introduction: What is a portrait?
A portrait is a depiction of an actual person who has chosen to deliberately pose for an artist. Most portraits are commissioned: the person being depicted (the "sitter") decides to have the portrait made and pays an artist. Portraits reflect both the requirements of the sitter and the creative sensibilities of the artist, with the artistic conventions and techniques of the time providing a framework. The subject and artist generally decide together what clothing will be worn, what expression will be on the sitter’s face, what pose they will strike and what gestures they will use, if there will be a background, if there will be any props. The intended effect of the portrait can often be discovered in these details, which give symbolic expression to the values, the character, and the social position of the sitter. In this way, portraits give an artistic definition of the sitter.

Why do people have portraits made? For commemoration, for remembrance, to celebrate an accomplishment or event or having achieved a successful position in life.

PAINTED PILGRIMS:
a curriculum unit for Grades 6-12

I. Thinking about portraits activity
What do you see when you look at a portrait?

You see an actual person who has chosen to be depicted in a very specific way. That depiction can give the viewer clues as to the personality of the sitter and the reason why the portrait was made.

One excellent source of clues is clothing. The clothing being worn by the sitter was deliberately chosen for the occasion. When looking at a portrait, we should ask, why this outfit? Does it have a meaning to convey?

What would you wear

Another source of clues is the pose of the sitter or any gesture they are using.
Strike a pose and demonstrate how would you stand or hold your arms or hands to indicate each of these adjectives:

The props or background used in a portrait can also help us learn about the sitter’s character, personality, and social position.

What props or background could suggest learning and education?
What props or background could suggest wealth?
What props or background could suggest authority and power?
What props or background could suggest femininity? Masculinity?

II. 17th Century portrait activity
Portraits, through their use of clothing, facial expression, posture, props, and background, can tell us much about the sitter and about the times in which they lived.

Portraits can also tell us about the artist. Artists are judged on two different levels. The first level is their technical expertise and skill - use of shadow and light, proper perspective and body proportions, "three-dimensionality," and good representation particularly of hands, hair, and eyes. The second level is creativity - does a painting have life and movement, is it compelling or inspiring? Does a real person with thoughts and emotions shine from behind the painted eyes? Has the artist successfully used his own personal style to create the illusion of a 3-dimensional living being?

View each of the 17th century portraits at Pilgrim Hall Museum and answer the questions below. You can see the portraits at the museum or on this web site in the Collections section.

Edward Winslow
What is Edward Winslow wearing?
Why do you think he chose that outfit?
Describe Edward’s facial expression or mood.
Describe Edward’s pose. What does the pose or gesture imply?
How does the artist suggest that Edward was a man of wealth and importance?
How does the artist use light and shadow?
How skillful was the artist? How well did he use perspective? How well did he show proportions? Three dimensions? How well did he paint the hands and eyes?
Was the artist able to effectively portray a "real" person?
Why do you think Edward had his portrait painted?
What is the significance of the inscription on the letter?

Josiah Winslow and Penelope Winslow
What are Josiah and Penelope wearing?
Why do you think they chose those outfits?
Describe their facial expression or mood.
How skillful was the artist?
How well did he use perspective?
How well did he show proportions?
How well did he paint the hands and eyes?
Was the artist able to effectively portray "real" people?
Why do you think Josiah and Penelope had their portraits painted?
Compare Josiah to his father Edward. Who do you think was the stronger personality?
Josiah and Penelope returned from London to Plymouth in 1655. How do you think Penelope might have reacted to her new surroundings in Plymouth?

III. Historical comparison activity
The class should divide into 2 groups, one assigned to Edward Winslow and Elizabeth Paddy Wensley, the second assigned to Josiah Winslow and Penelope Pelham Winslow. Each group will contrast and compare their two 17th century portraits, one male and one female, to portraits from other eras. You will be visiting museums from all around the world, so please be patient as you wait for the images to load! Your challenge, once you enter the online museum, is to find the portraits listed. The best first step is usually to click on a category labeled with the word "Collections." You may then be asked to search by type of artwork ("Paintings") or by time-period. You may also need to select “English” as the language for the page. Good luck (and enjoy the hunt)!

Edward Winslow and Elizabeth Paddy Wensley group:
Visit the Louvre in Paris, France at www.louvre.fr/
Find the 1481 portrait of Charles VII by Jean Fouquet
Find the 1701 portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud
Find the 1805 portrait of the Empress Josephine by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon ("France: 19th Century")

Visit the National Gallery in London, England at www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Find the 1533 portrait labelled "The Ambassadors" by Hans Holbein the Younger
Find the 1856 portrait of Madame Moitessier by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Find the 1875 self-portrait of Claude-Oscar Monet

Visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC at www.nga.gov
Find the 1793 portrait of Catherine Brass Yates by Gilbert Stuart

Josiah Winslow and Penelope Pelham Winslow group:
Visit the Louvre in Paris, France at www.louvre.fr/
Find the 1790 portrait of the Marquesa de la Solana by Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes

Visit the National Gallery in London, England at www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Find the 1434 Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck
Find the 1640 self-portrait of Rembrandt
Find the 1750 portrait of Mr. & Mrs. Andrews by Thomas Gainsborough

Visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC at www.nga.gov
Find the 1800-1815 portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart
Find the 1800-1815 portrait of Abigail Smith Adams by Gilbert Stuart
Find the 1888 portrait of Eleanora Iselin by John Singer Sargent

Questions for both groups:
Portraits, through their use of clothing, facial expression, posture, props, and background, can tell us much about the sitter and about the times in which they lived.

Portraits can also tell us about the artist.

Artists are judged on two different levels. The first level is their technical expertise and skill - use of shadow and light, proper perspective and body proportions, "three-dimensionality," and good figural representation particularly in eyes, hands, hair, and eyes. The second level is creativity - does a painting have life and movement, is it compelling or inspiring? Does a real person with thoughts and emotions shine from behind the painted eyes? Has the artist successfully used his own personal style to create the illusion of a 3-dimensional living being?

Contrast and compare the 2 Pilgrim Hall portraits with the other portraits you have visited for:

What is unique about the 17th century portraits?
What are the biggest differences among the portraits?
What qualities do all the portraits share?
Has the idea of what is "good-looking" changed over time?
Has the idea of appropriate posture for a formal portrait changed over time?
What does each portrait reveal that is unique about the sitter?

Exceptionally creative artists often produce paintings that strongly reflect their own personality and character. Would this be an advantage or a difficulty for a portrait painter?

A portrait involves an artist and a sitter, who has commissioned the portrait and is therefore the "customer." A "self-portrait," a depiction of the artist by the artist, combines the artist and the sitter into a single person. Two of the portraits (1640 Rembrandt and 1875 Claud-Oscar Monet) in this historical comparison exercise are self-portraits. Would the motivations for an artist producing a self-portrait be different from an artist producing a portrait for a separate sitter? Who do you think was the ultimate "customer" for these self-portraits? Is a self-portrait more revealing than a portrait by an outside artist?

Of the portraits you have viewed online, which is the most powerful portrait? Why?
Which portrait has the most artistic merit? Why?
Which is your favorite portrait? Why?

IV. Self-portrait activity
Write 10 words that describe you.
How can you represent these words using symbols?
Ask your family or friends to describe you in 10 words.
Are they the same 10 words you used to describe yourself?
Look at your favorite photo of yourself.

Analyze your photo for clothing, facial expression, pose or gesture, background & props. Why is this your favorite photo?
Does it convey the 10 words you used above to describe yourself?

Use your 10 words, your family or friends’ descriptive words, and the elements found in your favorite photo, to create your own self-portrait.

A variety of artistic media can be used, such as: pencil, paint, sculpture, a collage using facial features and symbolic elements cut from magazines.