Instructional Resources: Aesthetic Encounters with Works of Art

National Art Education Association

Instructional Resources: Aesthetic Encounters with Works of ArtAuthor(s): Randolph WilliamsSource: Art Education, Vol. 45, No. 3 (May, 1992), pp. 25-28+37-40Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193352 .Accessed: 15/06/2014 16:13

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INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

Aesthetic Encounters with Works of Art

Georges de la Tour, The Fortune Teller, c. 1625, Oil on canvas, 40-1/2" x 48-1/2". Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Art Education/May 1992 25


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Aesthetic Encounters with Works of Art

Randolph Williams

The Instructional Resources to follow are intended for high school students. The ideas and concepts have been conceived for this age group with a sense of ownership and independent viewing in mind. Al- though I feel that experiencing art is appropriate for all ages, the focus and intent of a lesson should be designed with consideration for age appropriateness. If teachers of lower grades wish to use the lessons, I suggest they review the materials and focus on a single dimension of the subject. In this manner, teachers can adapt the lesson to the age with which they are working.

Introduction Viewing works of art is unlike most activities experienced by students in and out of school. As educators, we should not mistake this experience for a casual discourse with ordinary imagery. Art, even at its most mundane level, is an extraordinary experience. As educators, we should help students understand their abilities to have as aesthetic encounter with a work of art. We should guide students to realize they are partially responsible for animating the visual artifacts they view. Students must understand that in order to successfully experience a work of art, they must first collaborate with the image. This process is unlike that of other contemporary forms of visual expression: television, movies, computers, and electric billboards, in which, for the most part, visual forms are animated before the viewer's eyes, the viewer remaining inac- tive, and involvement in the visual process, passive.

As we think of the visual format of the fine arts, we realize that students/viewers' must work at understanding works of art. We should help students discover that what they know about any work of art is far more than what they don't know about it. We must help them find that working at understanding has

great rewards, that what they achieve in this process belongs to them. We must also suggest to students that their ability to know about an art object is personal. In fact, viewing a work of art is itself a creative process and a kind of art making.

Art has its origins in the world of both common and extraordinary experiences. These experiences are the real bridges between artists and viewers; they span both the art image and the individual's inter- pretation of it. If students are aware of these shared concerns, the art work will contribute to a clearer understanding of our universal and human condition.

As educators we must establish an atmosphere that will allow our students to have an aesthetic experience free of ornamented discourse. We must be careful not to get between students and the work of art, and we must also be careful that we do not interpret our experiences for the students' experiences.

Before we explore the Instructional Resources, I would like to suggest a simple format for teachers to consider when using these materials:

1) Help students realize that to "own". a work of art, they first must understand it. Monetary ownership of a work does not mean you comprehend it. Once you understand a work of art, it becomes a part of one's knowledge forever, like listening to music or reading a great work of literature.

2) All art works can be viewed both as content and as form; students should understand both elements. Content is the story of art; form is how the story is told, as well as how convincingly it is told.

3) Art is the result of a human condition. We are all a part of that collective condition, and to some degree, we all have had similar experiences to those of the artist. As we view works of art, it is important to keep this in mind.

26 Art EducationlMay 1992



THE SHADOWS OF FORM

The Fortune Teller Georges de le Tour

Oil on canvas, c. 1625, 40 1/2" x 48-1/2"

Before the students have seen the art work, divide the class into four groups. The teacher should cut a reproduction or a xerox copy of the painting into four vertical sections, with a painted image of a human figure in each section. Each group of students should be given one section. The students in each group should develop a "profile" of their figure. They should be given a list of items to consider, such as age, occupation, personality, the person's likes and dislikes, and the style of dress the figure is wearing. Then combine the four groups of students into two groups, and ask the students in each of these two groups to discuss the relationships between their two figures from the painting. Finally, combine all four groups into one, and let the students view the actual reproduction as a whole. Ask for students' reactions to the whole painting. Call their attention to the vertical structure of the art work, and point out how difficult it is to separate any of the four figures from the other figures.

Another approach to viewing this art work is to have students view the painting from the top section, and the bottom section. In this case, you would cut the reproduction or xerox copy in half horizontally, and you would not let the students view the whole work until after they have discussed the half views.

In studying the structure of the painting by these two approaches, you might also want to draw students' attention to the artist's use of color, shape, and composition. You might point out the brown back- ground and trace the placement of red throughout the painting, and the placement of white in the painting. The positions of faces should be noted: the artist has shown a right profile, a left profile, a 3/4 view, and a full

view of a face. We get the sensation of a single face in animated motion, and moving in space. The painting is also a composition of hands. This might lead to a discussion of gestures or body language, and how we use these not only in art but in daily life. We should encourage students to think of de la Tour's ability to perceive the subtleties of human gesture.

The artist has drawn from the real world; this world, placed in an historical context, is one with which our students are familiar. They may want to reflect on the world today as they know it and search for a comparison.

VISIONS OF REALISM

The Whaling Ship J.M.W. Turner

Oil on canvas, 1895, 36-1/8" x 48-1/4"

Exercise I Have students imagine creating a painting of a person or object. Ask several students to describe their imaginary paintings. Discuss both the content and the form. Suggest that if they were to include the effects of rain and wind in their painting, it would have a different quality. Ask students to imagine creating a second painting, including the effects of rain and wind. What will this new painting look like? After the discussion, have students view the painting by Turner, The Whaling Ship. Ask them which imaginary painting better matches Turner's painting. Students should be allowed to view the painting for five minutes before this discussion. During this time you might suggest that Tumer's perception was founded on a vision of




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integrity: he painting the action before him. This truth is like a visual confession. The activity of a storm, the wind, the low visibility, and the connotation of human gesture have a natural appearance. We experience the environmental condition as the people in the boat experienced it. Students should notice that Turner was not trying to please the viewer; he was recalling the actual events with all their vigor. Exercise II The students should focus on a writing exercise to help them better understand the work by Turner. Ask them to think about an unpleasant experience and to write about it in a very objective way, not conveying their own personal feelings. They may want to alter their writing style to help clarify the event. Then ask them to write about the same event as if it was happening during the actual writing exercise, and think less about style and more about personal feelings and emotions. They may also want to focus on the environment in which the event it taking place.

After the two pieces of writing are completed, students should read and discuss both, and then return to viewing the painting. Hopefully the second piece of writing will better reflect Tumer's style. It should be emphasized that artists working in this manner have a rich resource to draw upon, both in terms of skill and in terms of story-telling. Exercise III Ask students to count the number of figures and objects in the painting. Do they feel this is a large or small number of items? The point here is to direct students to realize that the artist used a minimal number of figures and objects. Do students feel the simple subject matter enhances the story? The Whaling Ship is a painting that relies greatly upon its formal aspects, yet the students should focus on the content, the story of the painting. Have each write a short story about The Whaling Ship and describe the captain of the ship, the events that have taken place, and the environmental conditions. At this time, you might introduce the students to Herman Melville's Moby Dick, if they are not already familiar with this work.

We can end this section with a quote from Pablo Picasso: "Art is a lie which teaches us how to see." Ask students how this quote related to The Whaling Ship.

IS ALL ART ABSTRACT?

The Burial Edouard Manet

Oil on canvas, c. 1867-70, 24-5/8" x 35-1/8"

To begin this exercise, tell the students only the name of the artist and ask them to view the painting in complete silence for five minutes. Then list ten descriptions of the structure of the painting and discuss them. Comments should focus on the language of the visual arts: line, shape, color, mass, composition, and density. A second list of descriptions should then be made, relating to subject matter: information about place, people, horses, trees, sky, clouds, land, and buildings. Ask students to write a short story which includes descriptions from both lists. The stories can then be compared and discussed.

The second exercise should review the visual concepts in the painting and should be conducted as open-ended questions. The first question could ad- dress the subject of the painting: Who are the people, and what are they experiencing? The second question should concern emotional effects: How do the people in the painting feel about their circumstances? How can students tell what the figures in the painting are feeling? Other questions might reflect the students' personal experiences. For example, Can you recall an experience similarto the one in the painting? The final question in this series is the most essential: How did Manet create such an emotional impact without using realistic images? How did he create an illusion of passion with simple brushstrokes?

Students should then reflect on the surface of the painting. They should notice that the painting has an unfinished quality. You might suggest that all paintings are abstract. They are the material of wet paint placed on a dry surface in a thoughtful manner. The illusion of the images is the result of a collaboration among viewer, artist, and art work. This is the wonder of painting, its magic and mystery - the content and form of the painting at work.

In order for a painting to affect the viewer, the artist must build the art work with a structure that commu- nicates his or her feelings and emotions. This painting by Manet is developed on a horizontal format: the sky,

38 Art EducatiornMay 1992



buildings, landscape, figures, and foreground are all layered one above the other. The element of structure is present in all paintings. Manet's use of structure in his painting was a bridge to contemporary art. You may wish to have your students view Manet's work in relation to various contemporary art styles.

IMAGE INTO ABSTRACTION

Water of the Flowery Mill Arshile Gorky

Oil on canvas, 42-1/4" x 48-3/4"

It is important for students to be able to make aesthetic comparisons. Ask them to review The Fortune Teller by Georges de la Tour and to notice the location and placement of colors, specifically red. Ask them to note de la Tour's use of the border and the way he has pushed his five figures to the very edge of the canvas. De la Tour's expanding colors and use of the border have similarities to the color and composition in Gorky's painting. The important point here is that one painting has focused on a narrative, and the second has focused on a formal arrangement. Gorky is telling a story of emotion through the use of shape and color placement. Both artists have extended the visual format of their painting to the left and bottom of the canvas. Both paintings are modulated with earth tones, creating a warm atmosphere. However, in The Fortune Teller, the figures have a personal relation- ship with one another as well as with the viewer, while in the Gorky painting the shapes, colors, lines, and compositional elements create the visual dialogue with the viewer.

Students should think about an actual environment that might suggest the feeling of Gorky's painting. They should also discuss the content and the structure of this art work. The following five questions might help them better understand the painting:

1) What is this painting attempting to communicate? What "story" is it telling?

2) Can you determine the negative and positive space in this painting?

3) Is there a beginning and an ending in this art work?

4) If this painting were a musical composition, how would the music sound? Would it be jazz, pop, rock, or classical?

5) If you could divide the painting into four equal parts and then rearrange it, how would this affect the painting's appearance?

These five questions should help students focus on the painter's aesthetic intent. You might suggest that Gorky had a democratic view of his art work and the environment that was responsible for his vision: All objects and figures in his work are treated equally. He treated negative space (the absence of form) with the same intensity as positive space (the presence of form). Ask students to note the gesture in the painting. Can they find any comparison between Manet's The Burial and this painting? Ask students to notice the layers of paint on the surface of the painting and discuss how the artist created the illusion of depth on a flat surface. Students might also discuss the com- munication of emotions felt while one views the art work.

Students should be encouraged to realize that art has as many answers to questions as there are viewers perceiving the art work. Let students ask questions for other members of class to answer. Students should be left with the impression that their perceptions will change as they change, and that as they grow emotionally and intellectually, so will the questions they ask about art.

Randolph Williams is an Associate Professor at Manhattanville College, and a Consultant/Instructor for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Suggested References

Howard Hibbard. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. London, En- gland: John Calmann and King, Ltd. 1980.

Jonathan Block/Gisele Atterberry. Design Essentials -A Hand- book. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1989.

Peter London. No More Secondhand Art - Awakening the Artist Within. Boston, MA: Shambhala, Boston & Shaftesbury. 1989.

Jane Remer. Changing Schools Through the Arts. New York, NY: American Council for the Arts. 1990.




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Article Contentsp.25p.26p.27p.28p.37p.38p.39p.40

Issue Table of ContentsArt Education, Vol. 45, No. 3 (May, 1992), pp. 1-62Front Matter [pp.1-3]An EditorialOn Achieving Multi-Cultural Balance [pp.4-5]

Letters to the Editor [pp.6-7]Art as Transformation [pp.8-15]D.B.A.E. as Multicultural Education [pp.16-24]Instructional Resources: Aesthetic Encounters with Works of Art [pp.25-40]Multicultural Art Education: A Proposal for Curriculum Content, Structure and Attitudinal Understandings [pp.41-47]Mythology Is Not a Child's Fairy Tale; It's a True Inner Meaning of an Event: Discovering Cultural Kinship through Metaphoric Connections [pp.48-53]Creating Realities: Curriculum and the Teacher [pp.54-60]Back Matter [pp.29-62]

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Instructional Resources: Aesthetic Encounters with Works of Art