Introduction:
Portraits
reveal much about the history and culture of the person portrayed.
This unit introduces elementary students in grades 1-4 to the
art of portraiture. Students examine a variety of portraits
and learn to distinguish them from other art forms such as lanscapes
and still lifes. Students investigate why artists make portraits
and why patrons wish to have portraits made. Like detectives,
students learn to examine portraits and analyze visual clues
in portraits that reveal information about the subject of the
portrait as well as the culture and times in which he/she lived.
In this
unit, students gather information about themselves and their
culture to include in a portrait. In doing this, they practice
communicating to an audience through primarily visual means.
In addition, students have several opportunities to write stories
about their own portraits and those of others as well as further
describe themselves and what they wish to share.
Learning
Objectives:
After completing
this unit, students will be able to:
- Identify
a portrait and cite at least three purposes of a portrait.
- Create
a list of criteria they can use to analyze a portrait.
- Analyze
a portrait in terms of its elements and characteristics.
- Relate
cultural influences and historical elements that a portrait
reveals.
Rationale
for this Unit:
Understanding
portraiture and its place in both history and art history is
important because it can be an aesthetic forum for learning
basic art elements, as well as involving students in more advanced
ways of critical thinking and looking. While studying a portrait,
a student must understand not only what the work looks like,
but also why it was created and decode important visual clues.
Learning to think critically about meaning and significance
in a work of art is a skill that can be translated easily to
other areas of study and thought.
The Internet
is an important resource in studying portraits since students
can make virtual "visits" to museums around the world.
The wealth of resources provides students with many different
opportunities to study portraiture in different cultures, times,
and locations around the globe.
Vocabulary
Related To This Unit (link opens new
browser window)
Preparing
To Teach This Unit:
This unit
is designed to be a multidisciplinary unit for elementary age
students in grades 1 through 4 although it could be adapted
for upper grades. It combines both art and art history activities
with social studies knowledge and skills. The activities emphasize
critical thinking and problem solving proficiency. Language
arts activities using both reading and writing competencies
are also included.
Time
Frame For This Unit:
(links open new browser window)
This unit
consists of five lessons, but it can be tailored to fit the
school or class' schedule. If only one lesson can be implemented,
then choose Lesson
3: Culture and Portraits: Portraits in the Franz Mayer Exhibition.
If the
entire unit will be used, then it will be most effective to
start this unit with Lesson
1: Identifying and Understanding Portraits because students
can become familiar with the genre of portraiture by looking
at examples and non-examples. In this lesson, students develop
criteria for analyzing details and context clues in portraits.
In Lesson
2: Using Questions to Analyze Portraits students use
this criteria to analyze and decode other portraits.
The next
two lessons, Lesson
3: Culture and Portraits: Portraits in the Franz Mayer Exhibition
and Lesson 4:
Culture and Portraits: Comparing Portraits in the Franz Mayer
Exhibition and Portraits in the Bayou Bend Collection involve
investigating and critically examining portraits in the Franz
Mayer exhibition and, to a smaller degree, portraits in the
Bayou Bend Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
In the culminating
lesson, Lesson
5: Revealing Your Culture: Creating a Portrait, students
design and create a portrait that provides visual clues about
themselves and their culture. Lessons can be extended to include
writing and reading activities.
Assessment:
(link opens new browser window)
A sample rubric
is provided and may be used to evaluate students' work or as
a model for designing your own rubric. Links to online rubric
creation tools are also provided.
Teaching
Materials Needed
- Several
different examples of portraits
These examples could include both posters and online resources.
A
list of online resources are included in Web resources section
of this unit.
- Examples
of landscapes and still life art forms
- An example
of a portrait created with artifacts and a digital or 35 mm
camera
- Articles
to use for self-portraits
Lessons:
Lesson
1: Identifying and Understanding Portraits (link
opens new browser window)
Lesson 2: Using
Questions to Analyze Portraits (link opens
new browser window)
Lesson 3: Culture
and Portraits: Portraits in the Franz Mayer Exhibition (link
opens new browser window)
Lesson 4: Culture
and Portraits: Comparing Portraits in the Franz Mayer Exhibition
and Portraits in the Bayou Bend Collection (link
opens new browser window)
Lesson 5: Revealing
Your Culture: Creating a Portrait (link opens
new browser window)
At Home: Activities
for Parents (link
opens new browser window)
Additional
Resources For This Unit (link opens new
browser window)
Extending
the Lesson (link opens new browser window)
Standards
For This Unit (link
opens new browser window)
