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• Students will consider the term "likeness" as it relates to the genre of portraiture. • Students will explore the idea of the self-portrait in literal and symbolic ways. • Students will learn contour drawing techniques. • Students will consider the principles of design and symbolic meaning to create a self-portrait.
Art:21 Web Site • Our Town—Kerry James Marshall art work • Projecting Fictions —Kara Walker interview & clip • Storytelling, Characters, & Colors—Trenton Doyle Hancock interview • Humor, Personas and Yiddish Theater—Eleanor Antin interview • Untitled (Body Object Series)—Ann Hamilton art work Additional Web Sites • http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Con.html Definition and examples of contour drawing • http://www.nga.gov/cgi-bin/pimage?62760+0+0 Contour drawing example: “Dr. Ernst Wagner” by Egon Schiele, 1918. • http://www.feldmangallery.com/pages/artistsrffa/artant01.html Eleanor Antin biography and additional images online • http://www.artseensoho.com/Art/ACE/hawkinson99/h1.html Tim Hawkinson’s "Bird," "Egg," and others at Ace Gallery Classroom Materials • Pencils, markers, pen and ink, paint • Paper • Still-life objects (including clothing, accessories, furniture, plants) • 9x12” non-breakable mirrors
• What is likeness and how can it be defined in relation to the genre of portraiture? • What are the ways that portraits of self-portraits incorporate both realistic and abstract elements? • What are defining elements of portraits and self-portraits? • What are the implications of making an artwork that reflects one's culture, race, and identity? Can a person of one culture, race, and identity make work about another culture, race, or identity?
Defining the Portrait View the video segments and visit the web pages for Art:21 Season Two artists Trenton Doyle Hancock, Eleanor Antin, Kara Walker, and Tim Hawkinson, and Season One artists Kerry James Marshall and Ann Hamilton. Afterwards, have students discuss both literal and symbolic representations of self. Kara Walker presents provocative black silhouetted images that act out dramatic events in scenery reminiscent of the antebellum South. Tim Hawkinson’s work "Emoter" started as a single photographic portrait of the artist which was then broken down into different features and reconfigured as a constantly changing series of facial expressions and configurations. Trenton Doyle Hancock creates an alter-ego for himself in the character Torpedo Boy and represents his real-life foibles in his imagined universe. Eleanor Antin creates personas such as the tragic ballerina Eleanora Antinova and her male alter-ego, The King, that bring together recognizeable features of the artist with a variety of costumes and props. Kerry James Marshall uses emphatically black skin tones to color the characters in his paintings. Ann Hamilton creates photographic portraits in her pinhole camera images taken from inside the artist's mouth, as well as her series of body-object portraits where the artist obscures various parts of her body with a range of different, seemingly random, objects and props. Discuss with students how each of these “portraits” these artists create represent different aspects of the artists themselves. How do these portraits incorporate both realistic and abstract elements and how do those elements change the way a viewer reads the image or object? (Time: One 45 minute session) Looking at Likeness How would students define the idea of ‘likeness’ in relation to each of the artists’ work? Which is more truly a self-portrait: Tim Hawkinson’s "Emotor " or Bird, the two-inch tall skeleton of a bird made from his own fingernail parings? Could Eleanor Antin’s series of photographs, "100 Boots" represent a self-portrait in any way? How do those images compare with the personas she performs as Eleanora Antinova, The Nurse or The King? How are Walker's and Marshall's imagery similar and different? How are they incorporating portraiture into their imagery? What is the significance of portraiture in their work? Working in small groups, have students make a list of the physical and more ephemeral attributes represented in the works of these artists. Have students decide how these elements are represented in either abstract or realistic ways. After reviewing these as a group, have students brainstorm a list of attributes that reflect their own personal identity. Again, as a group, review the attributes students have identified and then have each student select several that will become aspects of their own self-portraits. (Time: One 45 minute session) Contour Drawing Techniques Discuss the use of contour drawing to define form and shape. introduce different examples of the use of contour in visual art including Kara Walker's silhouettes and Margaret Kilgallen. While looking in the mirror, and using a modified contour drawing technique, have students draw a number of versions of themselves. Have students look at Kara Walker’s silhouettes and observe the way she accentuates specific features or attributes. The portrait of Dr. Ernst Wagner by Egon Schiele can serve as another model to demonstrate how weighted and modeled lines create volume and emphasis. Encourage students to set up mirrors in such a way that they can comfortably observe themselves from an angle they don’t normally see—in profile, for instance, or from above. (Time: Two 45 minute sessions) Making Meaning Have students list elements of art and principles of design (i.e. color, scale, texture). Discuss how elements of design can add symbolic meaning to a portrait. In many of his paintings, including Our Town and Watts 1963 Kerry James Marshall uses emphatically black skin tones to color the characters in his paintings. Consider how Kara Walker’s silhouettes use exaggerated gestures and features to convey meaning and Eleanor Antin's use of props and costumes to contextualize her characters. Ask students to return to their lists of objects and attributes that represent aspects of their identity. How can those objects and attributes work with the contour drawings to convey a deeper meaning than any single item alone? Have each student identify which elements of art and design will help add meaning to his or her contour portrait. Should a gregarious student use huge gesture and exaggeration? Should a shy student work very small? Does color affect the work? Does yellow mean cowardly? Is blue always sad? Have students list ways they can use repetition, texture, and detail to convey meaning in their piece. (Time: One to two 45 minute sessions) The Self-Portrait Students’ final self-portrait should include aspects of both the contour drawing exercise and the objects and attributes they chose as symbolic elements. Choice of medium, scale and composition should support the goals they established. An artists’ statement should explain their intentions and how their portrait establishes both abstract and realistic aspects of their own "likeness." (Time: Three to four 45 minute sessions)
• Have students identified both literal and symbolic, abstract and realistic, ways to represent themselves? • Have students articulated an understanding of the term "likeness" as it relates to the genre of portraiture? • Have students manipulated the elements of art and principles of design to support their intended meaning? • Have students demonstrated an understanding of contour drawing techniques? Find out how this lesson plan correlates to your state's education standards! On PBS TeacherSource do a search for "Art in the 21st Century" and click on the Standards Match icon.
This lesson could be explored further or combined with other lessons to create an extended unit exploring identity with the following lessons: Characters and Caricatures The Alter-Ego Saves the Day Personal Stories in the Public New Rituals Confronting Conflict Did you use this lesson or generate your own activities based on ideas inspired by the lesson? Submit student art work, new lesson plans, and your comments to Art:21 and have them posted on the site. Help the Online Lesson Library grow!
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