I moved to D.C. because . . .

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Paul Ruther

Visitors looking at Jacob Lawrence’s The Migration Series (1941) at The Phillips Collection. Photo: Max Hirshfeld

This spring, Jacob Lawrence‘s art inspired second graders in Mr. Frazell and Ms. Crossons’s classes at the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School to study the migrations of those around them. Using a worksheet created by their teachers, the students interviewed family members or friends who had moved to Washington, D.C., from another place, asking about their first memories of arriving in the city and what they remembered about their old homes. Then they studied their interview notes and chose one sentence to serve as the caption for artworks they would create. Then they identified the shapes, lines, and colors that would best communicate the emotion of the piece.

Students used color pencils to sketch designs. Since many of the drawings were rich in detail, students were encouraged to simplify and identify a focal point to translate into a painting. Following Lawrence’s process, students created outline sketches on panels and used small Post-it notes to label which color would go in each shape. Maintaining Lawrence’s method of working, students painted one color at a time. They applied light colors first , added dark colors the next day, and finished with final touch-ups.

Second grader Alexandria interviewed her Auntie Marian for this piece. Take a look at her worksheet to learn more about Marian’s migration and how Alexandria selected her caption, Marian: “I decided to move to D.C. to seek a good job.”

Marian: “I decided to move to D.C. to seek a good job.” Alexandria, 2nd Grade Tempera paint on illustration board. Photo: James R. Brantley

Second grader Jonas interviewed a man by the name of Joe Howard who had moved from Japan. For his artwork, he chose the caption Joe: “I moved from unique Japan to the crowds of D.C.” Take a look at Jonas’s worksheet for a map he drew of Joe’s route.

Joe: “I moved from unique Japan to the crowds of D.C.” Jonas, 2nd Grade Tempera paint on illustration board. Photo: James R. Brantley

In June, students celebrated with a community celebration at The Phillips Collection, where they got to see their artwork on the walls of the museum in a Young Artists Exhibition, which you can currently see in our Sant building (level L2).

Photo of second grader Jonas and Phillips educator Paul Ruther during a community celebration at the Phillips in June 2012. Photo: James R. Brantley

Jonas and I looking at his artwork in the Young Artists Exhibition together during the Inspired Teaching Demonstration School Community Celebration at the Phillips in June . Photo: James R. Brantley

Van Gogh: The Life

Posted on May 30, 2012 by Paul Ruther

Vincent van Gogh, The Road Menders, 1889. Oil on canvas, 29 x 36 1/2 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Acquired 1949.

This is the succinct title of Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith’s biography of the iconic Dutchman (Random House, 2011). The title is the only thing succinct about this thoroughly detailed and well-researched 953-page tome. Unlike generations of publications probing the artist’s posthumous fame, what artistic movement he should be associated with, and his work’s meaning, The Life focuses on Vincent van Gogh’s life and times.

Naifeh and Smith, acclaimed for their 1991 biography about Jackson Pollock, have again produced a myth-busting account of an artist who lived hard, died young, and suffered for his art. Readers suffer with him as the biography so completely documents van Gogh’s many disappointments and the guilt and remorse he felt towards his family. The authors demonstrate greatest empathy for van Gogh’s family, especially his younger brother Theo. They make the case that without Theo’s ongoing financial and emotional support and his strategic position as a mainstream art dealer, we would almost certainly not know of van Gogh’s art today.

The following adjectives describe Vincent’s behavior: mad, depressed, delusional, defensive, paranoid, envious, bizarre, isolated. The authors, like Vincent’s family, seem driven to their wits’ end by him, writing: “But Vincent could not be satisfied. Every attempt at appeasement was met with greater and greater provocation as he focused the anger of a lifetime on his captive captors (his parents). He saw only criticism in their gifts . . . and condescending indulgence in their courtesies.” Continue reading “Van Gogh: The Life” »

Take Your Child to Work Day at the Phillips

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Paul Ruther

April 26 was Take Your Child to Work Day, so Lena my 10-year-old daughter came with me to the museum after school. In honor of the Snapshot exhibition, I thought it might be fun to give her my camera and let her loose in the galleries and see what or who she found visually interesting. I did not limit her to responding just to the artwork–she could photograph anything she wanted or anyone (with their permission of course). In considering the artist’s process, here are some of the snapshots she took that day and descriptions of what she found interesting about the photos.

Lena: I came to the museum with my dad for Take your Child to Work Day. We thought it would be fun to make a blog post about the interesting photos that I took. Here are my favorite five photos of the many I took that day, and why I like them.

This one is of Sue, I thought she was interesting because her bow is really big, and she made a funny face for the photo. Also, I think it looks cool that she is next to the painting called Woman Sweepingby Edouard Vuillard. Did you know Sue takes photos for the blog? Now she is on the blog.

Sue Ahn in front of Edouard Vuillard's Woman Sweeping. Photos: Lena Ruther and Paul Ruther

This one is of the hygrothermograph. This is not a piece of art–it is a machine that measures the moisture in the air. I took this photo because it is very unusual looking and at first I didn’t know what it was. Also, I knew that it would look cool with the flash reflecting on the glass.

Hygrothermograph

This is a painting called Girl with Mirrorby Walt Kuhn. I chose this because I thought it would be fun to see the difference between the girl in the painting and me. Here I am posed like her.

Lena with Walt Kuhn's Girl with Mirror

I like this one a lot, the second I saw it at the bottom of the staircase, I knew I had to pose with it. I like all the different shapes and patterns, and it reminds me of a very cluttered room like mine. My dad stood at the top of the staircase so he was looking down on me when he took the picture.

Lena with Lee Gatch's Night Fishing

I saved the best for last–this is my favorite picture: Leo Villareal’s Scramble. My dad told me that if you remove the cover of the box, underneath are a lot of lights. I thought that was cool. Also I liked how the light from this artwork reflected on the other paintings in that room. These walls are not actually this bright red, I just played with the picture on the computer to make it look more interesting.