Slavery and Emancipation

Artistic Medium Analysis

9.4.7.7 Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

9.5.7.7 Analyze various accounts of a subject told in different mediums (e.g., a person’s life story in both print and multimedia), determining which details are emphasized in each account.

Standards Measured

different forms of media Artwork Photographs Paintings Poetry Stories Speeches Newspaper headlines Letters

What is a medium?

Representation #1 Title: Author/artist: Year: Medium:

List:What are key images/words/phrases?

Infer:What is the attitude toward the subject matter?

Analyze:What is missing in the representation?

Representation #2 Title: Author/artist: Year: Medium:

List:What are key images/words/phrases?

Infer:What is the attitude toward the subject matter?

Analyze:What is missing in the representation?

Title: “The Kneeling Slave”

Artist: Unknown

Year:18th Century

Medium: Oil on canvas

Key images, words or phrases:

--shackled man--little clothing--tropical location?--palm trees--”Am I Not a Man and a Brother” --light from sky shining on his face?--mountains or water in background--praying?

Attitude toward subject matter: --men/brothers should be equal

--some are at the mercy of others

What is missing?

--Who is enslaving the man?

--The man’s words/ideas

Title: The Emancipation Proclamation

Author: Abraham Lincoln

Year:1863

Medium: Legal Document

Key images, words or phrases:

--”forever free”--”maintain the freedom of such persons”--”I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty Lord.”

Attitude toward subject matter: --federal government has authority to secure freedom for all--all people are protected as free people

What is missing?

--Who will ensure the freedom of all?

--What is the penalty for not allowing others freedom that has been legally granted?

Conclusions: Artwork was a powerful medium to send the message about the importance of equality.

Executive orders can be an important tool in human/civil rights.

Slavery was a contentious issue. Artwork was a powerful medium in illustrating the struggle for freedom.

Executive order was needed to ensure freedom for all. Legal documents can help us learn about the struggles of a time period.