The Heckscher Museum of Art
SPECIAL EXHIBITION
RESOURCE GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
December 8, 2012 - March 24, 2013
WHAT’S INSIDE
About the Exhibition.......................................1
Artists in the Exhibition...................................1
Exhibition-Related Websites and Books.............2
Exhibition-Related Vocabulary..........................3
Pre- and Post-Visit Activity Ideas.....................4
Select Images................................................8
Also on View................................................14
Explore the Collection...................................15
Everything You Need @ www.heckscher.org.....16
2 Prime Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
631.351.3250
www.heckscher.org
Education Department
631.351.3214
ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Throughout the history of art, artists have turned to the observed world as a source of
inspiration. This exhibition, drawn entirely from the Museum’s Permanent Collection,
explores the various realist movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, beginning with
the Barbizon movement in mid-19th century France and the concurrent Hudson River
School in America, and progressing through later 19th-century realism and 20th-century
realist movements, such as the Ashcan School, American Scene painting, Magic Realism,
Photorealism, and East End (Long Island) realism.
ARTISTS IN THE EXHIBITION
Thomas Anshutz
Aaron Bohrod
Eugene Louis Boudin
Frederick H. Buchholz
Margery Caggiano
William Merritt Chase
Frederic Edwin Church
Samuel Colman
John Edward Costigan
Jean-Desire-Gustave Courbet
Robert Dash
Miriam Dougenis
Thomas Eakins
Don Eddy
Ernest Fiene
George Forster
Paul Georges
Franz Gertsch
Douglas Warner Gorsline
John Grabach
James MacDougal Hart
George Hitchcock
Charles Emile Jacque
David Johnson
Daniel Ridgway Knight
Leon Kroll
Martin Lewis
Paul R. Meltsner
Johann Georg Meyer Von Bremen
Thomas Moran
George Alexander Picken
Fairfield Porter
Stephen Posen
Don Resnick
Jean-Baptiste Robie
John Rogers
Rubens Santoro
Paul Sarkisian
Ron Schwerin
Everett Shinn
John Sloan
Raphael Soyer
Eugene Joseph Verboeckhoven
Anthonie Verstraelen
Antoine Vollon
Julian Alden Weir
Stow Wengenroth
Guy Carleton Wiggins
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EXHIBITION-RELATED WEBSITES AND BOOKS
Related to Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Realism (Movements in Modern Art) by James Malpas
American Realism by Edward Lucie-Smith
American Painting of the Nineteenth Century: Realism, Idealism, and the American
Experience by Barbara Novak
Exactitude: Hyperrealist Art Today by John Russel Taylor and Maggie Bollaert
Realism (Basic Art) by Kerstin Stremmel and Uta Grosenick
Photorealism: You Can Do It by Joseph Michetti
American Impressionism and Realism: The Painting of Modern Life, 1885-1915 by
Barbara Weinberg
Realism in 20th Century Painting (World of Art) by Brendan Prendeville
Realism (Style and Civilization) by Linda Nochlin
Related to Modernizing America: Artists of the Armory Show
(This exhibition runs concurrently with Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries)
View the original 1913 Armory Show catalogue.
http://archive.org/stream/catalogueofinter00asso#page/n1/mode/2up
“Tour” the galleries of the 1913 Armory Show.
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MUSEUM/Armory/galleries.html
The Immortal Eight: American Painting from Eakins to the Armory Show (1870-1913)
by Bennard B. Perlman
The Story of the Armory Show by Milton W. Brown
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EXHIBITION-RELATED VOCABULARY
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Realism: The depiction of subjects as they appear objectively without interpretation.
Photorealism: Style of painting based on using cameras and photographs that appears
to be photographic.
Magic Realism: Style of art and literature that includes magical elements with real
elements.
trompe l’oeil: French for “deceive the eye”is an art technique involving realistic
imagery to create the illusion that the depicted objects exist in 3D.
Ashcan School: A realist art movement depicting scenes of daily life in New York
City’s poorer neighborghoods started by artists in a group called The Eight.
The Eight: Painters William Glackens, Robert Henri, George Luks, Everett Shinn, John
Sloan, Arthur B. Davies, Ernest Lawson, and Maurice Prendergast who joined together
in 1908 to exhibit at the Macbeth Gallery.
portrait: A work of art depicting a person or animal. A portrait can be two or three
dimensional, or depict more than one figure.
still life: A work of art showing inanimate objects either natural or man-made. Some
examples are fruit, flowers, shells, books, coins, or art supplies.
landscape: A work of art depicting an outdoor place.
horizon line: The line in a landscape where the earth or water meets the sky.
Hudson River School: An art movement encompassing two generations of painters
inspired by Thomas Cole’s Romantic images of the American wilderness — in the
Hudson River Valley and also in the newly opened West.
scale: The relative size of an object or objects.
point of view: The perspective, or angle, from which a subject is shown.
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PRE- and POST-VISIT ACTIVITY IDEAS
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Grades K - 6
Masterpiece Match
MOTIVATION
Using this matching game, students will learn essential elements that characterize
different painting styles. They will be able to identify specific works of art by master
painters. Once your students are able to recognize specific styles, the class can have
open discussions on how each style is different and which styles they prefer. In addition
to discussion, they may choose a style and use it as inspiration to create their own work
of art.
PROCEDURE
Print out Worksheet A and Worksheet B (the two following pages). Discuss the
definitions from the previous page with your class. Cut out each word and image and
use these “cards” as examples during the discussion. Place each “card” face down
on a table or the floor and have students gather around. Each student can take a turn
flipping over two “cards” to try and match a style with the correct image. If a match is
pulled, leave them face up. If not, flip the “cards” back over and continue the game!
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY
Provide time during the next class for students to create their own work of art based on
one of the styles discussed. Have each person present their artwork to the class and
explain how they used specific characteristics of the style they chose.
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WORKSHEET A
REALISM
MAGIC
REALISM
PHOTO
REALISM
TROMPE
L’OEIL
ASHCAN
SCHOOL
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WORKSHEET B
Image credits from L to R:
Rubens Santoro, Grand Canal, Venice. n.d., Oil on canvas.
Aaron Bohrod, Rocks, Lake Superior, n.d. Egg tempra on
masonite.
Ron Schwerin, Elegy for R.M.,1993, Oil on linen.
Margery Caggiano, Blue Bulb, 1974, Oil on canvas.
John Sloan, Girl and Beggar, 1910, Etching on paper.
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PRE- and POST-VISIT ACTIVITY IDEAS
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Grades 7 to12
Realism in the 21st Century
MOTIVATION
Have your students look carefully at Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries and
Modernizing America: Artists of the Armory Show. Mirrored Images explores various realist movements
over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. Have your students observe and discuss what they think
the important elements of realism were at that time. Modernizing America focuses on specific artists
(of the Armory Show) who were also working in the early 20th century. These two exhibitions share
important characteristics, one of which is realistic documentation. The artists in Mirrored Images show
painted portraits, still lives, and landscapes as they existed in the real world. Some of the Armory artists,
such as The Eight, used social realism to document life in New York City at the turn of the 20th century.
What can students observe about life at the beginning of the 20th century? How is society reflected in
today’s art movements? What are some of the issues in society today that didn’t exist 100 years ago?
How has art changed? How has it remained similar?
OBJECTIVE
The artists of the 1913 Armory Show were ground-breaking artists. They documented current affairs,
and paved the way for many future artists. This project can be done in many different ways, using any
artistic media, including computers, digital cameras, video cameras, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)
Have your students respond to the exhibitions and document how life is different today compared to life
100 years ago. After creating their artwork have your students write about the significance of their piece.
Students should explain how their lives are different than students’ lives were 100 years ago and try to
project what could be different in the coming century. For more refelction, have your students respond
to and write how life, or society, is similar to a century ago.
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SELECT IMAGES
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Margery Caggiano (American, b. 1929)
Blue Bulb, 1974
Oil on canvas, 36-1/2 x 48-1/2 in.
Signed at the lower left: Caggiano
Museum Purchase: Partial funding by Creative Artists Public Service Program
1975.7
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SELECT IMAGES
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Douglas Warner Gorsline (American)
Express Stop, 1942
Etching on paper, ed. 100
9-7/8 x 7-7/8 in.
Gift of Madeline and Jeffrey Grant 2003.14.3
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SELECT IMAGES
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Fairfield Porter (American, 1907-1975)
Elizabeth in a Red Chair, 1961
Oil on canvas
44-3/4 x 39-3/4 in.
Signed and dated, lower right:
Fairfield Porter 61.
Gift of the family of Fairfield Porter 1982.3
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SELECT IMAGES
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Rubens Santoro (Italian, 1859-1942)
Grand Canal, Venice, n.d.
Oil on canvas, 14-1/2 x 19-1/2 in.
August Heckscher Collection. 1959.71
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SELECT IMAGES
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Ron Schwerin (American, b. 1940)
Elegy for R.M., 1993
Oil on linen
30-1/8 x 38-1/8 in.
Museum Purchase. 1995.2
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SELECT IMAGES
Mirrored Images: Realism in the 19th and 20th Centuries
William Merritt Chase (American, 1849-1916)
Shinnecock Hills, ca. 1890s
Oil on panel
6-3/8 x 9-5/16 in.
Museum Purchase. Theresa A. Cwierzyk and Sidney Gordon Fund, with the
assistance of D. Frederick Baker in honor of Ronald G. Pisano. 2010.9
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ALSO ON VIEW
December 8, 2012 - April 14, 2013
In 1913, the American public was introduced
to avant-garde European art styles at the
International Exhibition of Modern Art,
held at the Lexington Avenue Armory and
known as the Armory Show. Organized
by the Association of American Painters
and Sculptors, the Armory Show created a
sensation; the controversial and radical art
displayed there proved to be a watershed in
the development of 20th-century American
art. Modernizing America: Artists of the
Armory Show focuses on American artists
who participated in the exhibition. Drawn
exclusively from the Museum’s Permanent
Collection, this exhibition explores the
impact of modern European art movements
on American art in the early years of the 20th
Century.
Ongoing
This rotating Permanent Collection exhibition
includes paintings, drawings, and sculpture in a
wide range of styles, demonstrating the breadth and
depth of the Museum’s collection.
Above (top to bottom):
Joseph Stella (American, b. Italy, 1877-1946), Water Lily, c. 1944,
Pastel on paper.
George Grosz (American, b. Germany, 1893-1959), Eclipse of the Sun,
1926, Oil on canvas.
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EXPLORE THE COLLECTION @ www.heckscher.org
Your Key to the Museum’s Permanent Collection
Learn about
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS.
George Grosz’s Eclipse of the Sun
and much more!
SEARCH THE COLLECTION of more than
2,200 works by artist, classification, or date.
See artwork that is
CURRENTLY ON VIEW.
Click thumbnails for
large images and detailed information.
Select works of art have Huey’s Kid-Friendly
Information. These guided questions are
designed for children to learn along with a
grown-up. Huey makes it fun for everyone to
look and learn together!
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Everything you need
@
www.heckscher.org
SPECIAL EXHIBITION RESOURCE GUIDES for TEACHERS
Prepare your students before their School Discovery Program! Guides are developed on
a rolling basis and are available free of charge at www.heckscher.org. Simply click on
“Education”/“Educator Resources.” All guides include exhibition-specific information
including:
• Artist biographies
• Exhibition summaries
• Full-color artwork images
• Vocabulary words
• Pre- and post-visit activities
“KIDS CORNER”
The Museum displays artwork by young
artists in this online gallery.
HOW TO ENTER:
Please send a .jpg of student artwork to
schaaf@heckscher.org. All entries must include
first name, title of the artwork, and artist’s age.
SHARE LESSONS and STUDENT ARTWORK
Have you taught your students a lesson inspired by an exhibition on view in the Museum?
Share it with us and fellow art teachers at www.heckscher.org.
Please send a description of your lesson along with .jpg files of student work to schaaf@heckscher.org.
All submissions must include teacher’s full name, school name, district, and grade level.
QUESTIONS?
2 Prime Avenue
Huntington, NY 11743
631.351.3250
www.heckscher.org
Call the Museum’s Education Department
631.351.3214 - Monday through Friday,
9:00 am - 5:00 pm, or e-mail
schaaf@heckscher.org.
Education Department
631.351.3214
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