artful conversations || instructional resources: images of the american west phoenix art museum

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National Art Education Association Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum Author(s): Jan Krulick Source: Art Education, Vol. 48, No. 2, Artful Conversations (Mar., 1995), pp. 25-32 Published by: National Art Education Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193511 . Accessed: 14/06/2014 15:59 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 of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of 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 Art Education. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 185.2.32.152 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 15:59:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

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Page 1: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

National Art Education Association

Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art MuseumAuthor(s): Jan KrulickSource: Art Education, Vol. 48, No. 2, Artful Conversations (Mar., 1995), pp. 25-32Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3193511 .

Accessed: 14/06/2014 15:59

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 185.2.32.152 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 15:59:53 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Page 2: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

INSTRUCTIONAL

IMAGES OF THE AMERICAN WEST

PHOENIX ART MUSEUM

John Mix Stanley, American, 1814-1872. Chain of Spires Along the Gila, 1855, oil on canvas. 31 x 42 in. Phoenix Art Museum.

MARCH 1995 / ART EDUCATION N

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Page 3: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

IMAGES OF THE AMERICAN WEST

PHOENIX ART MUSEUM JL|11. gZ k lL

INTRODUCTION The American West has fascinated artists for the last one hundred and fifty years. From the artist-explorers who first

documented it, to those who glorified its physical beauty and colorful characters, the West has become simultaneously reality and popular myth. Its image is tied to a complex understanding of history, geography, time, and layers of cultural interpretation filtered through film and television. Whatever these artists' interpretations may have been, they have created a visual record of a uniquely American experience.

This instructional resource focuses on four artists' views of the American West, spanning one hundred years. Are the landscapes, figural painting, and still-life presented here, documentation of fact or artistic embellishment? The looking exercises and discussion questions will help you and your students explore this question. They will also develop perception skills and an understanding of how artists use the elements of art to achieve their goals. You may have other reproductions in your classroom that may be studied in the same manner. Please feel free to adapt this material to suit your needs and your students' interests and ages.

JOHN MIX STANLEY Chain of Spires Along the Gila, 1855

oil on canvas, 31 x 42 inches. (79 cm x 107 cm)

Goal: To introduce students to the significance of the early artist-explorers' role in documenting the American West.

Objectives: Students will 1. Develop perception skills. 2 Understand landscape painting. 3. Create their own landscape paintings. 4. Discuss the elements of art and composition in the

painting. Background: John Mix Stanley (1814-1872) was one of the earliest

artists to record the land and peoples he encountered out West. Born in Canandaigua in upstate New York, his early exposure to the local Native Americans began a lifelong interest. In 1834, he moved to the Midwest and studied portrait painting. In 1839, he began a series of paintings of Indian life at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and later in Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico. While in Santa Fe in 1846, he was hired by General Kearny's Army of the West as draftsman to accompany an advance guard under the

command of H.W. Emory. They would be the first to explore a route from Santa Fe to San Diego. The narrative of this journey is contained in Emory's Notes of a Military Reconnaissance from Fort Leavenworth in Missouri, to San Diego, California, Including Parts of the Arkansas, Del Norte, and Gila Rivers (Washington, 1878). The report contains lithographs made from Stanley's original drawings of the landscapes and people he saw en route. Nine years later, in his Washington, D.C., studio, he created our painting, using the earlier, more factual drawings as reference.

This landscape painting depicts a spot along the Gila River, about forty miles southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Although painted before dams were placed along the Gila restricting its flow, it is still hard to imagine this site as ever being so lush. One writer at the time described the area as a "most sad, gloomy looking place ... destitute of grass," while another reported that this was "the last grass on the road from this to California" and it "could well not be worse."1

ART EDUCATION / MARCH 1995

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INSTRUCTIONAL

NOTES 'James K Ballinger, "John Mix Stanley, A Hudson River Painter in

Arizona,"Phoebus 3:A Journal of ArtHistory, Tempe, Arizona State University, 1981. p. 69.

Discussion and Activities: 1. Ask your students to imagine being an artist-explorer

in the 1840s. They are recording parts of the American continent never seen before by easterners. What would they want to communicate about the West?

2. Look at the reproduction carefully. List all the different animals and types of trees and cactus you see. Are they painted realistically? Find pictures of Arizona. How does Stanley's recollection of Arizona compare? What has he done to beautify the scene? Why would he have made these changes?

3. What has the artist done to achieve a sense of great

distance? (Note the use of light, overlapping forms, diagonal lines, receding planes, and diminishing size of objects.)

4. Discuss landscape paintings. Have your students draw/paint a landscape (cityscape or seascape), drawing from their own environment. Create imaginary landscapes. What things would they include to make them want to live in their landscapes?

5. Discuss the use of line, shape, color, and texture in painting. How has each contributed to the mood of the artwork? How has Stanley used these elements to move your eye around the painting?

REFERENCES Ballinger, James K, "John Mix Stanley, A Hudson River Painter in

Arizona," Phoebus 3: A Journal of Art History, Tempe, Arizona State University, 1981.

Dippie, Brian W., Catlin and His Contemporaries: The Politics of Patronage, Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 1990.

THOMAS MORAN Zoroaster Temple at Sunset, 1916

oil on canvas, 25 x 20 inches. (63.5 x 50.8 cm)

Goal: To introduce students to the importance of Thomas Moran's landscape paintings in creating the image of, and preserving the American West.

Objectives: Students will 1. Explore the tradition of landscape painting in America. 2. Compare and contrast two landscape paintings. 3. Explore the expressive qualities of color in Moran's

and other artists' work. 4. Discuss issues related to the environment and

preservation of the American wilderness. Background: The tradition of landscape as subject matter was given a

uniquely American character, beginning in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. The large, unspoiled wilderness, vast open spaces ,and non-European civilization inspired artists to think of this "new" country as an "Eden." Thomas Moran's (1837-1926) paintings carried this tradition into the twentieth century. No other painter captured the Grand Canyon so successfully; he developed the image that most people have of this natural wonder.

Born in Lancashire, England, his family moved to Philadelphia in 1844. Thomas and his four brothers pursued careers as artists. In 1861, he returned to England to study. He was strongly influenced by the romantic color techniques of J.M.W. Turner, England's most famous nineteenth-century artist, who equated color with emotional expression.

Moran was introduced to the grandeur of the West in 1871 when he joined Seymour Hayden's expedition to

Yellowstone. On that trip, he worked with photographer William Henry Jackson. Their documentary paintings and photographs helped convince Congress to make Yellowstone the first national park, a significant effort to preserve the American wilderness. Other expeditions followed: the Colorado River in 1873; Yosemite in 1876; the Grand Tetons in 1879; and the Grand Canyon in 1901, 1908, and 1910.

This painting depicts Zoroaster Temple, one of the most dramatic formations of the Canyon. Named after the founder of the Persian religion predating Islam, it rises 7,136 feet. This scene, painted at sunset, conveys a sense of great expanse and grandeur. His masterful use of color adds drama to this nostalgic recollection. Moran said, "I have always held that the grandest, most beautiful, or wonderful in Nature would in capable hands make the grandest, most beautiful pictures,"1 yet, "I place no value upon literal transcripts of nature. My general scope is not realistic; all my tendencies are toward idealization." NOTES 'Harry A Broadd, 'The Art of Thomas Moran," The Gilcrease Magazine

of American History and Art, vol. 5, no. 1 (January 1983). 'Louise Nelson, 'The Oil Paintings of Thomas Moran," Moran, p. 18.

Discussion and Activities: 1. Compare Stanley's Chain of Spires Along the Gila with

Moran's Zoroaster Temple. How are they the same? How are they different? How has each artist enhanced the western scenery? Where was each artist standing when these scenes were painted? How does that affect the way you feel about

MARCH 1995 / ART EDUCATION

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Page 5: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

Thomas Moran, England, 1837-1926. Zoroaster Temple at Sunset, 1916, oil on canvas. 25 x 20 in. Phoenix Art Museum.

i

ART EDUCATION / MARCH 1995

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Page 6: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

Earnest Martin Hennings, American, 1886-1956. Taos Indian Chanters with Drum, c. 1936, oil on canvas. 44 x 42 in. Phoenix Art Museum.

MARCH 1995 / ART EDUCATION

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Page 7: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

each painting? Which painting is more dramatic? Why? 2. Find other images of the Grand Canyon. How have

other artists depicted this site? How do their paintings compare with Moran's? If Moran's goal was to "idealize" nature, how has he accomplished this in Zoroaster Temple?

3. Analyze the use of line, shape, and texture in Zoroaster Temple. Find illustrations of paintings by British artist, J.M.W. Turner. Compare their use of color as an expressive element.

4. Since Moran's work contributed to the establishment of the National Park System, discuss contemporary environmental issues and efforts to preserve our wilderness

areas. Are there other artists (past and contemporary) who explore this theme in their work? How do their styles differ from Moran's?

REFERENCES Broadd, Harry A., "The Art of Thomas Moran," The Gilcrease

Magazine of American History and Art, vol. 5, no. 1, January 1983. Kinsey, Joni, Thomas Moran and the Surveying ofthe American West,

Washington, D.C., Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992. Clark, Carol, Thomas Moran, Watercolors of the American West, Austin,

University of Texas Press, 1980. Wilkins, Thurman, Thomas Moran, Artist of the Mountains, Norman,

University of Oklahoma Press, 1966.

ERNEST MARTIN HENNINGS TAOS INDIAN CHANTERS WITH DRUM, c. 1936

oil on canvas, 44 x 42 inches. (111.76 x 106.68 cm)

Goal:To explore a figural painting's ability to record an aspect of the American West.

Objectives: Students will 1. Discuss the elements of art and composition in the

painting. 2. Look up information on the Taos Pueblo Indians. 3. Look up information on the Taos Society of Artists. 4. Compare Hennings' work with that of his

contemporaries. 5. Create a figural drawing or painting of a "character"

from the historic or contemporary West.

Background: Following a visit to the Chicago Art Institute at the age of

thirteen, Ernest Martin Hennings (1886-1956) knew that he wanted to become an artist. He took classes at the Art Institute for five years, winning several awards for his talent. The Art Institute gave him a strong grounding in figure drawing and draftsmanship. In 1912 he went to Munich, Germany, to study at the Royal Academy. While there, he was influenced by the German Art Nouveau movement, or

Jugenstil, noted for its sinuous line and decorative patterns. In 1917, a commission from a wealthy art patron took him to Taos, New Mexico. The West enchanted him. He moved there permanently five years later. There, he joined a group of artists called the Taos Society of Artists, which included some of his former schoolmates. These painters were attracted to the bright colors, dramatic landscape, open spaces, and native peoples of the Southwest.

Hennings once said, "New Mexico has almost made a landscape painter out of me, although I believe my strongest work is in figures." To him, every picture should show fine drawing, good design, form, rhythm, and color. He

succeeded with this painting. A simple study of two Taos Pueblo Indians posed with ceremonial drums, it weds his skills at bold figure painting with curving, sensuous lines. The figures are carefully balanced within the frame by the strong diagonal line from the top left, through their eyes to the head of the drumstick. The lines formed by the deep folds in their robes also unite them. The white robes always used in Taos ceremonies, placed against a white wall, show virtuoso painting. Imagine the slow, steady beat of the drum; it echoes the calm, well-ordered mood of the painting.

Hennings had very warm relationships with many of his models. He painted the Taos Indians and their customs with great dignity. His own "calmness of spirit, his oneness with nature"1 found a kinship with these people. NOTES

1Sandra D'Emilio, "E. Martin Hennings: The Influence of New Mexico," SouthwestArt (October, 1986), p. 70.

Discussion and Activities: 1. How does this painting demonstrate Hennings'

insistence on "fine drawing, good design, form, rhythm, and color?" How has he used line, shape, color, and compositional elements to create the mood of this painting?

2. Have the students look up information on the Taos Pueblo Indians. What do you think Hennings wanted to convey about these people? How did he achieve this? Do you think this painting is a factual documentation of the Southwest and its people, or a romanticized image? Explain.

3. Have the students look up information on the Taos Society of Artists. Compare the other artists' work in that group with Hennings' work. How are they the same? How are they different? What aspects of the Southwest appealed

ART EDUCATION / MARCH 1995

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Page 8: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

INSTRUCTIONAL 0 ! "l

to these artists? What do you think the work by Hennings and his colleagues can teach us today, over fifty years later?

4. Have the students choose a "character" from either the historic or contemporary West. Draw or paint that person. Do you want to represent this person in a realistic or romanticized manner? How will you accomplish this?

REFERENCES Bickerstaff, Laura, PioneerArtists of Taos, Denver, Colorado, Old West

Publishing Company, 1983. D'Emilio, Sandra, "E. Martin Hennings: The Influence of New

Mexico," SouthwestArt, October, 1986. Eldredge, Charles, Schimmel, Julie and Truettner, William, Art in New

Mexico, 1900-1945: Paths to Taos and Santa Fe, New York, Abbeville Press, 1986.

IVAN ALBRIGHT THE WILD BUNCH (or HOLE IN THE WALL GANG), 1950-51

oil on canvas, 30 x 42 inches. (77.47 x 106.68 cm)

Goal: To introduce students to a still-life painting's ability to tell a story-in this case, a story of the American West.

Objectives: Students will 1. Understand still-life painting. 2. Develop perception skills. 3. Discuss how the elements of art are used to establish

the mood and theme of the painting. 4. Tell a story based on what they see in the painting. 5. Make their own still-life paintings or drawings. Background: Ivan Albright (1897-1983) began to draw at the age of

eight under the tutelage of his artist father. His grandfather was a doctor and instilled in him an interest in medical drawings and minute detail. Albright enlisted in the army during World War I and became a medical illustrator, drawing wounds. After considering careers in architecture and engineering, he chose to become a painter.

Albright's images deal with decay, aging, and death. Such subject matter was made even more powerful by his unusual technique. Beginning with a detailed charcoal drawing, he laboriously built up layers of thin glazes of oil color, sometimes spending weeks on a square inch. The resulting textural surfaces seem almost three-dimensional. One can see every nuance of wear and "character" in the holster, chaps, and boot straps: each object in this still-life seems to come to life and have a story to tell.

Train robberies were common occurrences in the Wild West because of the huge shipments of silver and gold moving from coast to coast. This painting commemorates the exploits of a group of robbers, 'The Hole in the Wall Gang," whose name was derived from an isolated valley in the northern part of Wyoming often used as a hideaway. Their paraphernalia is hidden in a small room high above a distant mountain range seen through a hole in the wall at the left. The high contrast between light and dark adds to the dramatic story.

Discussion and Activities: 1. A still-life painting depicts an arrangement of objects.

Sometimes each object holds a hidden meaning or the group of objects tells us about an event or person not actually present in the painting. Ask each student to make a still-life arrangement of objects that tells something about themselves. What objects might they include? Why? Make paintings/drawings of those arrangements.

2. List all of the objects found in Albright's painting. How many can you find? Describe how they look. Which objects are closest to you? Which are farthest away? Who might have used or worn them? Do they appear old or new? How has the artist let you know that?

3. Where is the light source in the painting? How does the use of extreme light and dark add to the mood of the painting? Describe the different textures you see. How does Albright's depiction of age and decay contribute to the mood and story?

4. Make up stories based on this painting. What happened before? What will happen next? Find stories in the library about the great train robberies of the Old West.

5. Albright said of his work, "In reality I'm forcing you to walk into the picture and to see these objects only in my way."' Do you agree with his statement? Explain.

NOTES 'Katherine Kuh, TheArtist's Voice (Talks with 17Artists), NewYork,

Harper & Row, 1960, p. 25.

REFERENCES Croyden, Michael, Ivan Albright, New York, Abbeville Press, 1985. Kuh, Katherine, The Artist's Voice (Talks with 17Artists), New York,

Harper & Row, 1960. Sweet, Frederick A. and Dubuffet, Jean, Comp., Ivan Albright, A

Retrospective Exhibition. Chicago, Art Institute of Chicago, 1964.

Jan Krulick is Curator ofEducation, PhoenixArt Museum, Phoenix, AZ.

MARCH 1995 / ART EDUCATION

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Page 9: Artful Conversations || Instructional Resources: Images of the American West Phoenix Art Museum

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Ivan Albright, American, 1897-1983. The Wild Bunch (or Hole in the Wall Gang), 1950-51, oil on canvas. 30 x 42 in. Phoenix Art Museum.

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