Introduction & Welcome to NMA
Good Morning and welcome to the Norton Museum of Art. My name is Shawney.
Who has been to the museum before? …that’s fantastic. For those of you who have not been here or just as a
reminder, here at the Norton it is our goal to do a few things: to collect, protect, and educate about art. In
order for this to happen, I am going to need your help. We want to create an environment that encourages an
engaging and enjoyable tour. Let’s review the museum manners- arms behind the back, an arm’s length away
from the art, no running, inside voices, raise your hand so that I can call on you and most importantly….we are
going to have fun.
School Tour- Telling Stories in Art
Intro: “Who likes a good story? Do you have a favorite? What do you think are characteristics of a great
story?"- characters, setting (the place or type of surroundings where something is positioned or where an event
takes place), the plot (the main events of a story or even a theme).
Artists tell stories too but instead of using words they may use color and line, pose and gesture, setting and
symbolism to tell their story. As we find the clues in the artwork we can identify story elements. These clues
can tell us a lot about the artist and their culture and help us connect to the art, the story being told.
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Jane, Duchess of Gordon, Sir Joshua Reynolds 1775-78
Roof Ridge Fascia Panel Dragon Amount Peonies, circa 500 Ming Dynasty
In the Wake of Hunters, Charles Russell, 1896
Beaching the Boat, Joaquin Sorolla, 1903
August in the City, Edward Hopper, 1947
Students will sit in a semi-circle, hands in their laps and be reminded to raise their hands.
Jane, Duchess of Gordon, Sir Joshua Reynolds 1775-78
1.
What three points would you like to explore with your audience?
1. What is a Portrait
2. Great Britain & Portraiture
3. What Does the Artist Communicate About the Subject
2. What see questions might generate a discussion about those points? (physical properties of the work)
Take your time, looking top to bottom and left to right. What do you see?
What else do you notice?
Colors used by the artist help move our eye around the painting and help to place importance on
certain aspects. Where do you see color being used? What effect does that have? Just rephase this for
2nd graders to understand!
Looking at the background (review foreground and background) of the painting, are there any clues
that help you determine the setting? Where do you think this is? Why do you say that?
What do you think about how she is standing, her pose? Change to: Look at her pose, what does it tell
us?
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
Portraits- Before the invention of photography, a painted, sculpted, or drawn image was the only
way to record the appearance of someone. This is called a portrait. It is more than a physical record
of how something looks. The portrait can also show the power, importance, beauty, wealth, taste,
learning or other qualities of the sitter or person being shown.
3. What think questions? (subject matter – artist’s intent – cultural context)
(Review the noticed items mentioned) What do you think these things say about the person painted?
Who do you think the lady is? Why do you say that?
 Jane, Duchess of Gordon married one of the richest men in Europe. She was quite fashionable
and powerful. The painter, Sir Joshua Reynolds, who painted Jane, was a leading artist
specializing in portraits in the 18th century. If you wanted your portrait painted, Sir Joshua
Reynolds was the artist you sought out.
4. What wonder question? (how visitors connect to artwork)
Portraits can be very personal and are an excellent way to express one’s identity and what is important
to them.
o Activity- turn and talk. Turn to your neighbor and share with them what choices you would
make if someone was painting your portrait. What would you wear? How would you pose?
Would you include a pet or a favorite place? Would anyone like to share with the group?
5. How would you effectively summarize the main points you explored?
 The artist painted a powerful portrait of the main character of a story and told us a lot using
elements of art. Now, we’re going to travel to China and experience a different element of
storytelling in art, the use of symbols.
Roof Ridge Fascia Panel Dragon Among Peonies, circa 500 Ming Dynasty
1. What three points would you like to explore with your audience?
1. Importance of Looking- learning to look, taking note of what one sees, searching for clues
2. Identify Symbols & the Meaning of the Symbols- using recognizable symbol, a series of images to
represent moments in a story, or a central moment to stand for the whole story.
3. Tile (Fascia) Explained and Placement Purpose
2. What see questions might generate a discussion about those points? (physical properties of the work)
Note- have the students walk by the glass prior to sitting down to ensure they see the elements of the tile.
What stands out to you?
 Dragons are a popular symbol in Chinese art. There are several dragons one might see and each
symbolizes something different. This sort of dragon was believed to control rain and water but also
guardian figures protecting against evil
What else do you see?
 Peonies are symbols of wealth and high rank
 Dragons are composite animals (a collection of parts of various animals- antlers like a stag; the head
of a crocodile; the neck like a snake; scales of a carp (large fish), the paws of a tiger; and claws of a
hawk, eye of a rabbit)
 Categorized as sculpture- the object has 3 dimensions- length, width and height.
What do you think the material is?
 Made of clay colored with glaze (using 3 colors Sancai technique: amber, green and off white)
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3. What think questions? (subject matter – artist’s intent – cultural context)
Where do you think this sculpture would it be found?
 This is a roof tile. Panels were placed under the rood edge, decorating and protecting the wooden
roof ridge of the temple hall. Show the image of the tile.
Why do you think the artisans placed dragons and flowers on the roof of the temple?
 Chinese art often includes images of dragons. Chinese culture believed dragons could do many
positive things. Here they would ward off evil, lending protection and the peonies would attract
good weather and good fortune. The rooftop of the building communicated between heaven and
earth. The Chinese culture often used symbols and they were easily recognizable by the people who
saw them.
4. What wonder question? (how visitors connect to artwork)
What else do you wonder?
5. How would you effectively summarize the main points you explored?
 We explored how the Chinese culture told stories uses recognizable symbols. The symbols conveyed
the beliefs of the people. Now we are going to see another example of how an artist tells a story by
using setting or a landscape.
In the Wake of Hunters, Charles Russell (CM) , 1896
1.
What three points would you like to explore with your audience?
1. Landscape Painting
2. The setting of the a story- Native Americans in Rugged Landscape of America (Big Sky Country)
3. Who was C.M. Russell- the painting historian of the old west
2.
What see questions might generate a discussion about those points? (physical properties of the work)
Tell me about the painting? Could you describe the setting for me?
 Landscapes are works of art that feature scenes of nature including mountains, lakes, gardens,
rivers, and any scenic view.
Who do you think is the most important figure Why do you say that?
Do you notice any animals? Or other details does the artist share that add to the story?
3.
What think questions? (subject matter – artist’s intent – cultural context)
Share the title. Does it change what you see the painting or add to what you see?
We’ve talked about the setting/ a landscape. The canyon drops off. How does the landscape help or
hinder the journey? Why do you think the landscape would be a difficult for a journey?
CM Russell dreamed of becoming a cowboy. He moved to Montana as a teenager where he worked on
a sheep ranch eventually becoming a cattle hand. He even rode in the Great Buffalo Roundup of the
early 1900”s. He was interested in all aspects of the west including Native Americans. He lived with
several tribes learning their customs, language, and stories. His paintings serve as a historical record of
Western frontier culture, landscapes, and wildlife and often telling a story that leaves the viewer asking,
“what will happen next?”.
4.
What wonder question? (how visitors connect to artwork)
o Activity- imagine what will happen next. Tell a story leading from each character or element
in the story. Tell me the tale.
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5.
How would you effectively summarize the main points you explored?
 CM Russell in great detail set the scene telling a story of the wild west, Native Americans on an epic
adventure. Now we are going to visit an artist I think you might know something about, a great
visual story teller from Spain.
Beaching the Boat, Joaquin Sorolla
(*What do you remember about this artwork? How is it different in person than it was when you saw it at
school? They will not have gone into “what do you see?” for Sorolla yet and will be fascinated by the
movement, colors and overall story. ISA NOTE- NOV 14th tour)
1.
What three points would you like to explore with your audience?
1. Natural Light and Use of Color
2. Landscapes and Seascapes of Valencia
3. Everyday Scenes of Life in Spain
2.
What see questions might generate a discussion about those points? (physical properties of the work)
Take your time to look? Let your eye wander around the piece. Where do your eye go first? Tell me
about it.
Let’s talk about the colors we see? What colors?
And who notices light in the painting? What time of day?
3.
What think questions? (subject matter – artist’s intent – cultural context)
We’ve discussed (restate above observations), in these choices the artist is crafting quite a story.
Elements of art he is using are drawing our eyes around in a circular manner. Spanish artist Joaquín
Sorolla lived most of his life in Madrid, Spain but often returned to Valencia where he vividly portrayed
the sunny seacoast. He is known for painting in plein air and doing this allowed him to experience the
changes in light and allowed him to capture these realistic everyday scenes of life in Spain.

Activity- imagine you are Sorolla. Pick up the paint brush and show me how you would move you
hand in order to paint the scene. What would your brushstrokes look like? What effect does this
brushwork have on the story Sorolla is telling? Is it creating movement, continuing to tell the story?
So, what do you think the story is?

The men are at work, the oxen are pulling a boat back to shore late in the afternoon after a full day
fishing. The boat would have to be dragged out in the morning and dragged back on to the beach at
the end of the day. This is a difficult task and a scene Sorolla would have seen while on the coast of
Valencia. These were fishermen doing a common task yet he painted them in such a momentous
way, making it an epic story full of action.
4.
What wonder question? (how visitors connect to artwork?)
What is an everyday scene that you might want to paint? Imagine something that you see or do that is
part of you, your family or your culture.
5.
How would you effectively summarize the main points you explored?
 We saw how Sorolla captured a beautiful scene everyday life in Spain and now we are going to
finish up looking at a piece of art that I think will be fun to come up with our version of the story..
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August in the City, Edward Hopper
1.
What three points would you like to explore with your audience?
1. Identifying Visual Elements of Story
2. Use of Color, Setting & Light
3. Personal Connection to the Art
2.
What see questions might generate a discussion about those points? (physical properties of the work)
What is the first word that pops to mind when you see this painting? Why do you say that?
Earlier on the tour we talked about how artists use color, how does the use of color draw your eye
around the artwork?
And we talked about setting, what it can add to a story. Where do you think this might be? Tell me
more about the setting.
The light? What does it add to the story?
Do you notice any people? (note the statue and not a person in the window).
Note: Share the preliminary sketch. The artist is taking a scene he saw and he is making something new,
telling a personal story using his imagination and maybe ideas from his life, too.
3.
What think questions? (subject matter – artist’s intent – cultural context)
We have the setting, and the characters. What do you think the story is? What’s the plot?
Can you give a word to describe the mood of the painting? Why do you say that?
4.
What wonder question? (how visitors connect to artwork?)
 This was painted the end of WWII- many people were away with the war effort and life felt very
empty for most. The pose in the window might look like a pose someone who take waiting for
someone to come home? To have visitors or the return of more normal life?
 Additionally, August in NY can often seem empty as many head out of the city and towards the
beach for vacation. The city can feel quiet empty.
Have you ever felt this way? A time when you felt lonely or you didn’t see many people? (pandemic,
home alone, etc.)
5.
How would you effectively summarize the main points you explored?
 Today, we have looked all kinds of art: sculpture, portraits, landscapes and even a painted sculpture
in a painting. In each example elements of art such as color, light, setting, or pose were used to tell
a story to the viewer and share a little information about the artist and what was important to
them. What was your favorite piece of art today?
On iPad, the following images will be shown: example of temple tile and Hopper’s preliminary sketch
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