“Painting American History”
American History Foundations
August 19, 2011
Fran Macko, Ph.D.
fmacko@aihe.info
How do we define reading?
• The “traditional” definition
includes:
– The process of recognizing
vocabulary and decoding
printed text.
– The process of making
meaning from text with
an emphasis on
vocabulary, phonics,
fluency and
comprehension.
• More recently, reading is
defined in a broader sense to
include visual elements.
What is visual literacy?
• What is visual literacy?
– Visual literacy is the
ability to interpret
information presented in
the form of an image.
– Visual literacy is based on
the idea that pictures can
be “read”.
• Students view an image
and construct an
interpretation.
Why is visual literacy an important
skill for understanding history?
• Visual literacy activities
provide access to content
for students who have
difficulty reading text.
• Primary source documents
in history are often visual;
paintings, photographs,
cartoons and other images
figure prominently in the
resources that are
available for students.
• State and local
assessments frequently
ask students to interpret
images.
What are the contexts
for “reading” a painting?
• A painting may be
placed within four
historical contexts:
– The personal history of
the artist
– The history of the
painting’s style
– The history of the time
represented in the
painting
– The history of the time in
which it was created
The Personal History of the Artist
• A painting may be placed in the context of the
personal history of the artist.
– Landscapes and genre scenes can reflect the area where the
artist lives or lived.
– Portraits can reflect important people in the artist’s life.
– Self-portraits can offer insight into the artist.
The History of a Style
• Paintings placed in the
broader context of a
style provide insight into
the history of that style
and its particular
nuances or features.
–
–
–
–
Impressionism
Social Realism
Hudson River School
Portrait Painting
The History of the Time
Represented in the Painting
• Artists who record the
major events of their
own life and times
create unique glimpses
into the period in which
they painted.
– The American Revolution
– The Civil War
– The Depression
The History of the Time
in Which it was Created
• The artist creates a
representation of a
scene or famous event
from a previous time
period.
• These paintings often
reveal more about the
time in which they were
painted than the time
they represent.
– Washington Crossing the
Delaware painted in 1851
by Emile Leutze
What is Portraiture?
• Portraitists are
commissioned by public
and private persons, or are
inspired by admiration or
affection for the subject.
• Portraits are important
state and family records,
as well as remembrances.
• Historically, portrait
painting memorialized the
rich and powerful.
Portraits as Primary Sources
• Portraits can be used to document life and history.
• Portraits and their accompanying dates are primary
sources:
– If a portrait was done during the lifetime of the sitter,
what can be learned about the subject and his/her time?
– How is a portrait as reflective of its subject as a letter or
journal?
– If a portrait was done after the death of the subject,
what can be learned about the times in which the
portrait was painted?
– How is a portrait as reflective of an individual as an
historian’s or novelist’s commentary?
Framing the Session:
Using Paintings to Teach Heroes
• Paintings can be used to introduce or enhance a unit
of study, an event or an individual.
• They can also support students in gaining insight into
“big ideas” or essential questions.
– In the elementary school classroom
• What qualities made George Washington the new
nation’s choice for its first President?
– How did these qualities develop over the course of
his lifetime?
– What experiences resulted in the development of
these qualities?
The History of the Time
Represented in the Painting
Taking a Closer Look
•
Using the Painting Analysis Worksheet, complete
questions 1 – 3.
–
–
Observation. What do you see in this painting?
Inference. Make some reasonable guesses about this
painting.
•
•
•
•
–
When, would you guess, was the painting made?
Where was the painting made?
Why are the people here, doing what they are doing?
Why was this painting made, would you guess?
Inquiry. Write a question that is left unanswered by this
painting.
•
•
Read the 1772
background
information on the
artist and the
painting.
– Optional: Read a
document or text
that reflects the
event depicted.
Review your responses
to questions 1 – 3.
Colonel George Washington 1772 Portrait
Charles Wilson Peale 1741-1827
• Then, complete questions 4 – 9.
– Who was the artist? For whom might the artist be
working? Do you think that the artist has a message
beyond simply documenting the moment? If so, what
might the message have been?
– Write a question that is still left unanswered about the
painting.
– What would be a good title for the painting?
– Write a question that you would like to ask the people
in the painting.
– Write a question that you would like to ask the artist.
The History of the Time
Represented in the Painting
Taking a Closer Look
• Using the Photograph Analysis Worksheet, complete
questions 1 – 3.
– Observation. What do you see in this painting?
– Inference. Make some reasonable guesses about this
painting.
•
•
•
•
When, would you guess, was the painting made?
Where was the painting made?
Why are the people here, doing what they are doing?
Why was this painting made, would you guess?
– Inquiry. Write a question that is left unanswered by this
painting.
• Read the 1796
background information
on the artist and the
painting.
– Optional: Read a
document or text that
reflects the event
depicted.
• Review your responses
to questions 1 – 3.
George Washington 1796 Portrait
Gilbert Stuart 1755-1828
• Then, complete questions 4 – 9.
– Who was the artist? For whom was the artist working?
Do you think that the artist has a message beyond
simply documenting the moment? If so, what might the
message have been?
– Write a question that is still left unanswered about the
painting.
– What would be a good title for the painting?
– Write a question that you would like to ask the people
in the painting.
– Write a question that you would like to ask the artist.
• Optional: Visit the Interactive Portrait at
http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/index.html
Visual Literacy and Accountable Talk
• Once the historic context
for a painting has been
set and students analyze
each of the images, they
can compare the images.
• Discussion or
accountable talk can be
structured around a
series of guided
questions.
Digging Deeper:
Comparing Two Images
• Describe the scene and the figures in each painting.
– What are the similarities and differences?
• Compare the setting of each painting.
– How does the setting contribute to the meaning of the
painting?
• Describe the mood of each work.
– How did the artist achieve that mood?
• Each painting is about George Washington.
– How does the artist want the viewer to feel about the main
subject?
– Find something in the painting that supports your opinion.
• Artists plan their work and give careful thought to the
arrangement of people and objects.
– How has each artist placed his figures to enhance the “story”
of the painting?
– What is similar and different about each composition?
• How does the artist use color in both paintings?
• What qualities of George Washington is each artist trying
to capture?
• How does each painting help you understand the role
George Washington played in American History?
• What does your analysis and comparison of the two
paintings of George Washington add to your understanding
of him and his role in American history?
Comparing Images of Washington from
a Later Historical Period (1851-53)
The Life of George Washington the Farmer
Stearns 1853
Washington Crossing the Delaware
Emile Leutze 1851
• Who is the artist of each
painting?
• Why might each artist
have chosen George
Washington as the subject
of his painting?
• What aspect of
Washington’s life is
portrayed in each
painting?
• What do the paintings
reveal about the time
period in which they were
Optional Resources from CICERO
• Literature Connection: “George Washington and the
Cherry Tree”
http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book5/R01Activities/LiteratureConnections/GeorgeWashingtonAndTheCherryTree.
pdf
• Dialogue: “George Washington the First President”
http://www2.cicerohistory.com/Cicero/subscriber/content/Books/Book5/R01-Activities/Dialogues/GeorgeWashington_TheFirstPresident.pdf
Putting it All Together
• Analysis of images can be springboards for other
content area literacy activities.
– Making Artwork Come Alive
• Provide the historical context of the image
• Project the image and have students discuss the
artist’s message and how the artwork represents this
message
• Reproduce the image with dialogue boxes
• Choose one character and model an historically
accurate voice.
• Have students work in groups to create dialogue for
the remaining characters in the image
– Giving the Image a Voice:
• Have students choose one character and write a
speech, poem or journal entry in that person’s voice.
• Have students choose one character and interview
him or her.
• Have students build on the dialogue boxes and create
an historically accurate conversation between or
among the characters.
• Have a group of students create a tableaux where
they recreate the image and step into the shoes of
the characters.
– Creating a New Perspective:
• Project several images of an historical person from
the time period.
• Have students work in groups to generate a list of
characteristics of that person based on the images.
• Read and analyze a famous speech by the person.
• Have students compare their thoughts on the
individual as portrayed in the image and his or her
words in the document.
• Evaluate whether or not the person’s words coincided
with the artist’s portrayal.
Final Thoughts
• Visual literacy supports
students in making
meaning of historical events
and people.
• It supports students who
struggle to read and
understand text.
• It engages students in the
study of history as students
are increasingly familiar
with visual images.
• It supports critical thinking
skills.
• It provides an entry point
into the study of history.