Overview:
Students interpret image #7 and from the Tubman series. They incorporate what they have learned about Harriet Tubman and about Jacob Lawrence's portrayal of a hero and create their own artwork based on a hero they admire.
Show students image #7 and read the text that accompanies it:
"Harriet Tubman worked as water girl to field hands. She also worked at plowing, carting, and hauling logs."
Explain that Jacob Lawrence never knew Harriet Tubman. He created this portrait on the basis of information he was able to gather in his research. He found what others had to say about her appearance and probably saw pictures of her. He learned that she wore long skirts and a colorful bandana on her head. He also learned that she was about five feet tall and very strong. While she was a slave, Harriet worked out of doors. The artist discovered in his research that she plowed the fields and cut and loaded wood.
Questions to ask:
- What is the first thing you notice when you look at this image?
- Why do you think you notice this first? How has the artist used color, shape, and gesture to direct your attention to this?
- What words come to mind as you view the artist's depiction of Harriet Tubman?
- How might you complete this sentence? "In this painting, Jacob Lawrence depicts Harriet Tubman as _____________________."
- Why do you suppose the artist shows Harriet, a hero, performing such a simple task?
- Why do you think the artist fills the composition with the subject's form?
Explain that in the images featured in this lesson, Jacob Lawrence showed scenes that represented the heroic acts for which Harriet Tubman is remembered and honored. At the time he created the first series, not too many people knew of Harriet Tubman. His artworks, along with writings by others interested in African American history, helped bring her to the attention of a larger audience.
Have students create an artwork to bring attention to the acts of courage performed by someone they consider to be a hero. Like Jacob Lawrence, they should use color, shape, gesture, and exaggeration to convey certain ideas, feelings, and moods.
Students should follow these steps:
Plan!
- Remember the qualities of a hero listed in the first activity of this lesson.
- Brainstorm for ideas about who to honor as a hero.
- Engage in necessary research to find out about the individual's accomplishments.
- Determine which heroic qualities and deeds to emphasize.
- Plan ways to emphasize the individual's heroic qualities (contrast in size or color, exaggeration, gesture, facial expression, etc.).
- Work out ideas by creating a set of small sketches.
- Select a sketch to complete in final form.
- Decide on a size and format for the final artwork.
- Decide what words should be included with the image. Decide how to include the words.
Create!
- Use pencil to draw the images lightly on the drawing surface.
- Use paint to complete the images. Remember how color, shape, and gesture can help convey ideas, feelings, and moods.
- If desired, add details with markers or a fine brush.
- Add text.
Reflect!
- Display the completed artworks for others to view.
- Have a group discussion in which you talk about the ways your classmates' paintings tell a story about a hero. Consider:
- What does the painting tell viewers about the heroic qualities and deeds of the person?
- What ideas, feelings, or moods are communicated?
- How does color help convey important ideas, feelings, or moods?
- How does shape help convey important ideas, feelings, or moods?
- In what ways do gesture and exaggeration help emphasize important qualities?
- How does the overall composition help to tell the story?
- How are words used? Do the words help explain the image?
- Write about your own work.
- Describe your finished artwork.
- What ideas does your artwork suggest about your hero?
- How have you used gesture and exaggeration to help tell the story?
- How have you used color, shape, composition and words to help tell the story?
- What about your artwork especially pleases you?
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