Learning in and through Art || Instructional Resources: Stories in Art

National Art Education Association

Instructional Resources: Stories in ArtAuthor(s): Jenny Siegenthaler and Lisa VihosSource: Art Education, Vol. 51, No. 1, Learning in and through Art (Jan., 1998), pp. 25-28+53-55Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3216185 .

Accessed: 15/06/2014 13:40

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

.

National Art Education Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to ArtEducation.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 185.44.78.129 on Sun, 15 Jun 2014 13:40:50 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=naea

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3216185?origin=JSTOR-pdf

http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp


INSTRUCTIONAL EU- Uj^^RH^

STORIES IN ART

A page from The Book of the Deeds of Alexander the Great, illuminator: Workshop of the Master of the Jardin de vertueuse consolation

(Flemish, active 1460s-1470s), translator: Vasco de Lucena (Portuguese, died 1512), illuminated about 1468-1475,

tempera colors, gold leaf, and gold paint on vellum, 17 x 13 in. Collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, California.

JANUARY 1998 / ART EDUCATION



STORIES IN ART

Stories can be spoken, written, sung, danced, acted, or portrayed in works of art. This instructional resource examines visual depictions of stories and investigates approaches to storytelling in artworks created during the past 500 years.

Works of art that tell stories are called narrative. Artists can present their narratives in many ways-through a sequence of images representing moments in a story, or by selecting a central moment to stand for the whole story. Narrative works often illustrate well-known historical, religious, legendary, or mythic stories. Sometimes, however, artists invent their own stories, leaving it to the viewer to imagine what is depicted.

When you look at a narrative work of art, how can you uncover its story? Look carefully at the visual elements, such as color, gesture, expression, light and shadow, and composition, as well as other clues. For example, you may be able to determine who is the focus of a story by noting which figures are in front of others, larger, more brightly lit, or prominent because of the color of their clothing. Which figures are gesturing and what do their gestures reveal about the action of the story? Do any figures have props and what do their facial expressions convey?

This instructional resource is intended to build students' awareness of how stories can be told visually and how the effective use of such elements as color, light, gesture, and composition are central to the telling. The objectives of this resource are: (1) students will interpret or create narratives based upon several works of art, and (2) students will apply what they have learned to making their own art that tells stories.

The Birth of Alexander A page from The Book of the Deeds of Alexander the Great, illuminator: Workshop of the Master of the Jardin de

vertueuse consolation (Flemish, active 1460s-1470s), translator: Vasco de Lucena (Portuguese, died 1512), illuminated about 1468-1475, tempera colors, gold leaf, and gold paint on vellum, 17 x 13 in. Collection of the J. Paul Getty

Museum, Malibu, California.

WHAT DO YOU SEE? On the left side of the image a newborn baby sits on its

mother's lap. What do the gestures of the women tell us about their reaction to the child? Outside the architectural structure, a boy rides a rearing horse with horns. What other unusual things do you see? Find the dragon, two roosters, and a burning building. These are all symbols that express ideas about the main character of this story, Alexander the Great.

UNLOCKING THE STORY This is a page from a manuscript (a hand-written and

illustrated book) called The Book of the Deeds ofAlexander the Great. The image is one of the first illuminations, or illustrations, in the manuscript, and shows two moments in Alexander's life: one when he is newborn, the other when he is a boy. Alexander lived from 356-323 B.C. and grew up to be king of Macedonia. During his short life he waged a great military campaign in which he conquered many lands. At the time of his death at age 32, his empire covered Greece, Asia

Minor, the Middle East, and parts of India. Stories about Alexander's conquests began to be told during his lifetime, and were retold long after his death. Many of the stories were exaggerations; some were entirely made up. For example, it is said that his adventures included flying and traveling underwater.

HOW IS THE STORY TOLD? The newborn on the bed is Alexander with his mother,

Olympias. The boy on the horse is Alexander at age 14, riding Bucephalus, the horse that would carry him to military victories in distant lands. The artist repeats the main character, using several symbols to show us many things about Alexander's life in a small space. The dragon hovering near Olympias symbolizes the idea that Alexander may have had superhuman origins. The building burning in the background is the Temple of Diana at Ephesus. Legend tells that it burned on the day of Alexander's birth as a sign that he would grow up to conquer Asia Minor. The two roosters

ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 1998



INSTRUCTIONAL ? O ! '

painted as decoration on the bed symbolize the fact that he would eventually rule two continents. The artist has shown the figures realistically, in clothing of 15th-century Flanders (even though Alexander lived many centuries earlier). Why do you think an artist would portray an ancient story using clothing and architecture of his or her own time?

ABOUT THE MAKERS OF THE MANUSCRIPT This version of Alexander's story was originally written by

a Roman, Quintus Curtius Rufus, in the 1st century AD. In the 15th century, Vasco de Lucena translated the story into French, which was copied by a scribe, then illuminated by an artist or artists from the Workshop of the Master of theJardin de vertueuse consolation. Manuscript paintings are called illuminations from the Latin illuminare (to light up). They often included brilliant colors, and real gold or silver.

In his translation, Vasco focused on Alexander as a human being, not as a superhuman hero. Throughout the text

Alexander is described as a person with both good and bad qualities. The illuminator took some liberties, however, and occasionally perpetuated the notion that Alexander existed in a world of fantastic occurrences, for example, by including the dragon. Also notice that Bucephalus is shown not as a real horse but as a mythical creature with horns.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION TOPICS Write the life story of someone you know in two versions,

one that is factual and one that is exaggerated. Which do you like best? Why?

Give your favorite version of the story to a classmate and have them create at least four pictures to illustrate different points in the story. What do you think of this visual interpretation of your story?

Create an artwork about your life that shows you at different ages in the same picture. Add symbols to your artwork that say something special about who you are.

Beggars' Brawl Georges de La Tour (French, 1593-1652), about 1625-30, oil on canvas, 33 3/4 x 551/2 in.

Collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, California

WHAT DO YOU SEE? Describe the gestures of each person in this painting.

What is each one holding? Who are the main characters? The two musicians in the center seem to be having a fight. What might they be fighting about? What is the reaction of the onlookers? Describe the expression on each person's face. Look at their clothing. Do you think the people are rich or poor? Why? Do you think they lived a long time ago? What makes you say yes or no?

IMAGINING THE STORY The painting was made more than 300 years ago in France,

and shows people in clothing typical of that time. The men are street musicians who play for money, much as people still do today. Aside from its title, Beggars'Brawl (a brawl is a fight), no one is certain what this painting is about. People who have studied this picture have suggested a number of possible stories. Maybe the two musicians are fighting over a good comer on which to play music. Or possibly the painting depicts a scene from a play. It is also possible that the painting is meant to illustrate a proverb: "Wretched is he who can find no one more wretched than himself." This painting does not

tell a known story but a drama is certainly unfolding. Look for the man holding a lemon. What is he doing with it and why?

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD How does the artist create a dramatic moment in this

painting? Look at the setting (the background) and the relationship of the figures to it. La Tour keeps the background dark, but puts a bright light on each face. This gives us the opportunity to look carefully at each person's expression. The artist also made each person large in relation to the size of the canvas; they seem to be quite close to us. What effect does this have as you look at the painting?

ABOUT THE ARTIST Georges de La Tour was born in 1593 in Vic-sur-Veille in

what is today northeastern France. At age 27 he moved to his wife's town, Luneville, where he led a prosperous life as the town's master painter. La Tour's paintings found their way into the homes of prominent Parisians; even Louis XIII had one in his collection. After La Tour died in 1652, however, his paintings fell into obscurity, languishing in provincial museums and private collections, often attributed to other




I

j -

L Ia I

1~

Georges de La Tour (French, 1593 -1652), The Beggars'Brawl, ca. 1625-1630, oil on canvas, 33 3/4 x 55 1/2 in. Collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, California.



Eileen Cowin, (United States, b. 1947), Untitled, from the series Family Docu-drama, 1981, gelatin silver print, 19 7/8 x 23 7/8 in. Los Angeles County Museum of Art,

the collection of Audrey and Sydney Irmas, gift of the Irmas Intervivos Trust of June 7, 1982.

I



artists. It was not until the 20th century that his identity and his work were rediscovered. There are only 40 paintings currently attributed to him. As art historians continue to do their detective work, perhaps they will discover more paintings by La Tour.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION TOPICS Describe what you think might have happened before

the moment depicted in this painting. Describe what you think might happen next.

Draw or paint a picture of a specific event that happened to you. Pick a time when you felt a very strong emotion. It might be a time you were surprised, or got into a fight, or found something you thought you had lost. Use gesture, facial expression, light and color to tell what happened.

Imagine that you are an investigative reporter who has just arrived on the scene of this painting. You want to find out the story. Write down the eye-witness accounts of each person. Then, write an article about what happened.

Daniel in the Lion's Den Henry Ossawa Tanner (United States, 1859-1937), c. 1907-18, oil on paper mounted on canvas, 41 1/8 x 49 7/8 in., Los Angeles

County Museum of Art, Mr. and Mrs. William Preston Harrison Collection

WHAT DO YOU SEE? Describe what you see in this painting. What is the man

doing? Describe his posture. What are the lions doing? Where does your eye go first when you look at this painting? Why does it go there? What parts of the painting are in light and what parts are in shadow? What is the painting's most prominent color? What is its mood?

UNLOCKING THE STORY This painting tells the Old Testament story of the Jewish

prophet Daniel, who was thrown into a den of hungry lions by the ruler Darius the Mede, described as the conqueror of Babylon. Daniel was punished for having prayed to his god during a period when it was prohibited to pray to any other but Darius himself. After Daniel survived overnight with the lions, Darius acknowledged the greatness of the god who had protected him. What does Daniel appear to be thinking and feeling? What phase of Daniel's overnight imprisonment in the lion's den might be represented here?

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD In depicting a well-known story an artist presents a

unique interpretation. In this interpretation, Henry Ossawa Tanner portrayed the prophet leaning against a ledge in a large chamber, while lions pace back and forth through light and shadow. Tanner often used light and shadow symbolically in his art. What might they symbolize in this painting? Why do you think Tanner decided to leave Daniel's face in the shadows? What qualities does Daniel appear to possess in Tanner's portrayal? Why might Tanner have selected the color palette he did? How do the colors contribute to his telling of the story?

ABOUT THE ARTIST Tanner grew up in a household that was strongly

religious and at the center of the African American intellectual community in Philadelphia. His parents Benjamin Tucker Tanner, a prominent scholar and bishop in the African Methodist Episcopalian church, and Sarah Miller Tanner were social and political activists.

Tanner studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1891 he made his first trip to Europe and in 1894 settled permanently in Paris, where he enjoyed acceptance. In the United States, by contrast, he had suffered discrimination that wounded him both personally and professionally. Upon settling in France, he chose biblical subjects reflecting his strong religious upbringing and faith. He also adopted the color palette and evocative mood of French symbolist painting, a major movement at the turn of the century. During the 1920s and '30s Tanner's Paris studio was an important meeting place for many young African American artists, for whom he was an inspiration.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION TOPICS Biblical stories and myths have been used by artists as

metaphors to illustrate their feelings about certain periods or occurrences in their lives. How might Daniel in the Lion's Den be a personal metaphor for periods in Tanner's life?

Pick a myth or story you would use to illustrate a specific moment in your life. Draw or paint the story.

Look in the library for other artists' depictions of Daniel in the lion's den, then write a description

ART EDUCATION / JANUARY 1998



INSTRUCTIONAL

comparing and contrasting them with Tanner's. Which interpretation do you prefer? (To learn about other artists who have painted the subject see Patricia Pate Havlice, World Painting Index, Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1977.)

Read the account of Daniel in the lion's den (Daniel, 6), then create your own drawn or painted interpretation of the story.

Untitled Eileen Cowin, (United States, b. 1947), from the series FamilyDocu-drama, 1981, gelatin silver print, 19 7/8 x 23 7/8 in., Los Angeles

County Museum of Art, the collection of Audrey and Sidney Irmas, gift of the Irmas Intervivos Trust of June 7,1982

WHAT DO YOU SEE? What is happening in this photograph? Describe the scene

and interaction between the people in it. What are each of them doing? The faces of both the girl and man are obscured, but the woman's is fully visible. She looks directly at us, the viewers, who are observing this moment. How would you describe the woman's expression? Why might she be looking at us? What effect does her gaze have on you and on the mood of the photograph? Describe the setting for the three figures. Does the setting affect your impression?

IMAGINING THE STORY What might be the relationships of the people portrayed

here? What could this image be about? Does the scene appear to represent an everyday interaction or an unusual event? While some artists portray known stories, photographer Eileen Cowin's tales are intentionally ambiguous and invite speculation. What does the name of the series this photograph belongs to tell us? The contemporary American family has been one of Cowin's primary subjects. Many of her photographs also address themes of separation and departure. What might the artist be saying about family relationships with this image?

HOW THE STORY IS TOLD What are the primary devices Cowin uses in telling her

story? Consider her use of gesture, pose, light, and shadow. Strong cast shadows are a traditional device used in theater and cinema to emphasize the dramatic tension of a scene. Cowin's use of harsh, theatrical lighting establishes the fictitious nature of this scene and emphasizes the psychological and emotional nature of her characters' relationships.

ABOUT THE ARTIST Eileen Cowin lives and works in Santa Monica, California.

While some photographers, such as photojouralists, seek to document "found" moments that are generally outside of their

control, Cowin actually invents the moments. In the late 1970s she began to compose and photograph scenes about American domestic life, focusing on family relationships. Each of Cowin's photographs are records of carefully-staged moments, in which she herself often appears as an actor along with her family members. Each photograph is preceded by numerous sketches in which she plans the arrangement of the figures, their gestures and postures, the camera location, and the lighting and shadows. Cowin's role in directing and staging her images is not new in the history of photography, but is an approach that photographers have used since the advent of the medium.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION TOPICS Compare this photograph by Eileen Cowin to the painting

by Georges de La Tour. How are they similar and different? In the voice of each of the three characters, write three

versions of what is happening. Photographs are often assumed to capture the truth. Does

the image portrayed here support or contradict that notion? Stage and photograph your own scene that tells some kind

of story. Ask family members or friends to pose for you. Give careful consideration to your use of lighting and camera angle.

Jenny Siegenthaler is Associate Museum Educator at the Los Angeles County Museum ofArt. Lisa Vihos is Manager of Educational Resources at theJ. Paul Getty Museum.

REFERENCES Conisbee, P. (1996). Georges de La Tour and his world. Washington,

DC: National Gallery of Art. Masterpieces of the J. Paul Getty Museum: paintings. (1997). Los

Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum McCarthy, K. G. (1985). New American photography. Los Angeles: Los

Angeles County Museum of Art. McKendrick, S. (1996). The history ofAlexander the Great. Malibu, CA:

J. Paul Getty Museum. Mosby, D. (1991). Henry Ossawa Tanner. Philadelphia: Philadelphia

Museum of Art.




Documents

Learning in and through Art || Instructional Resources: Stories in Art