November tours at the Arnot Art Museum

Janna Keser in the East Gallery at the Arnot Art Museum

In November, 2008, Chemung River School Project students (or CRSP) visited the Arnot Art Museum for tours and a hands-on activity with museum educators and visiting artist, Janna Keser. Janna provided the students with an intensive introduction to the Hudson River School of painting which included works by Thomas Cole, and Alfred Bierstadt. By studying the past and the effects of artists on society, and by studying contemporary artists and their aims, students can begin to see themselves as agents of change in their environment. Through the analysis and interpretation of artwork, students develop skills in expressing ideas, feelings, and attitudes - all evidence of a successfully developed human being. These skills are part of an ongoing process for students (and adults). The study of historical and contemporary artists will assist the students in their struggles with different media and with their own personal expression in their art work. Familiarity with visiting museums will create comfort in their adult lives with viewing artwork and formulating their own opinions about it.

During Janna's program, students learned that the Hudson River School artists were a group of American painters who lived in the mid-19th century. They painted romantic landscapes depicting the scenery of the Catskill Mountains, the Adirondack Mountains of New York State and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In their own way, these painters were activists and presented the land in a way that moved people to want to preserve it. Thus, they were very instrumental in the formation of our first national parks.

Autumn in the Catskills, Thomas Cole, 1827, Oil on panel

Using maps and photographs, Janna also introduced students to famous rivers of the world including the Nile, Amazon, Yangtze, Ganges, Danube, Seine, Thames, Mississippi, Colorado, Hudson, Susquehanna and Chemung. In her discussion, she included the uses of rivers and environmental concerns. Students engaged in a group exercise with colored pencil drawings to show how the landscape of the river may have changed from the mid-19th Century to the present. Her objectives included:

•To explain how artists can effect societal and environmental change.
•To explore the importance of artists in society.
•To examine processes used by artists.
•To inspire spontaneity, creativity and confidence in students.
•To examine a wide variety of artistic expressions.
•To illustrate how artists can create awareness of the environment by studying artists of the past.
•To explain the importance of the Hudson River School artists in American history
•To explore reasons Hudson River School artists painted landscapes.
•To compare and contrast contemporary artists with Hudson River School artists.

While Janna did her presentation, a second class was busy in the Picture Gallery at the museum for a tour and introduction to the permanent collection. In the photograph below, Rick Pirozzolo greets the students and tells them true stories about the origins of the museum, giving students some valuable insights into their regional heritage. The picture gallery is special as it has been preserved from the days when the Arnot Art Museum was the residence of Matthias Arnot, founder of the museum. All the original furniture and sculptures remain and the landscapes, interiors, portraits and still lifes are still hung in salon style, just as Matthias Arnot preferred.

Students were given various activities, including a "scavenger hunt" which encouraged them to look closer at the paintings as they were introduced to works by European artists - some of whom lived several centuries ago. Below is just a sampling of the museum's permanent collection to which the students were introduced.

A Mountain Stream, Gustave Courbet, 1860, Oil on canvas.

Although this depicts a stream in France, it feels very close in spirit to the work of the Hudson River School artists who lived and worked across the Atlantic Ocean!

The Flemish Fair, Jan Brueghel, the Elder, 1613, Oil on copper

Painted 400 years ago, students can get an idea of the architecture, clothing, and customs of the period in Northern Europe. Jan Brueghel, the Elder, was the son of Pieter Breughel, a very famous painter. In this painting, he took a “bird’s-eye” view. A Flemish Fair is set on the banks of a canal. In it you can see the village church and another village off in deep space. How does Brueghel create this sense of space?

Apple Gatherers, Jean-Francois Millet, 1851-1853, Oil on canvas

Millet was a painter who was interested in the lives of common folk. In "Apple Gatherers," he depicts peasants picking fruit at night in this unusual scene. Do you remember what a peasant is?

The Marabou, Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1889, Oil on canvas

"The Marabou" was painted by a French artist, but the scene is thought to take place in the Middle East. The marabou is the bird to the right, a bird found in Africa and noted for its lack of ability to make sounds. Some students thought the marabou was a metaphor for the man in gold - a very sophisticated interpretation for fourth graders.

Head of a Man, Robert Henri, 1910
Oil on canvas, 24 x 20-1/4"Museum purchase, 1966

This painting was one of the few portraits students looked at during their tour. It was painted much more recently than many of the other paintings in the picture gallery. The painting technique is looser here and this is a portrait of another "common" man. Henri, along with eight other artists who painted in 1908, formed "The Ash Can School" of art because of their interest in everyday life and social issues.

Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, Janiszew Prison Camp, embroidery and fabric collage

Born in 1927, Esther survived World War II. Untrained as an artist, but trained as a dressmaker, Krinits embroidered these works for her two daughters at the age of 50. She had no idea they would ever be displayed for the public. At first, she wanted her daughter to draw the pictures for her, but her daughter said she would have no idea what the places and people looked like. They consist of Krinitz' memories as a young girl while she was growing up in a Polish village during World War II. When she was 12 years old, German soldiers invaded her town. JANISZEW PRISON CAMP illustrates her memory of that awful event. To learn more about Esther Krinitz and her work, go to http://www.artandremembrance.com/

Below are photographs of some of the many students, teachers, museum staff and parents and grandparents who participated in the activities at the museum.

Mothers pose with their sons in the photographs above.

Students scramble to find all the paintings during the scavenger hunt.

Students discover that looking requires time and close observation.


Bob Bartley, 4th grade teacher at Center Street School, discusses a painting with his students during the scavenger hunt in the Picture Gallery.

Chemung Elementary School 4th grade teacher, Jeanne Gridley, artist/educator, Janna Keser and Director of Tours, Wendy Taylor, look on.


Another mother and son.



Even grandmothers accompany their grandchildren on the tours.

http://www.artandremembrance.com/

In sum, many of the artists to whom the students were introduced had many similarities. Except for a few marble sculptures and the embroidered collages of Esther Nisenthal Krinitz, all the artists painted on canvas. They painted highlly representational landscapes, interiors and portraits. Additionally, many of the artists were also activists who had a variety of social concerns. In January, students will meet contemporary artists who, like their predecessors, care deeply about creating awareness of injustices and social concerns. The media they choose, however, is vastly different, impressing upon students the wide range of what it means to be an artist.

Vocabulary words and concepts:
•original
•reproduction
•artist
•collector
•landscape
•portrait
•sculpture
•bust
•embroidery
•textile
•Hudson River School
•John Arnot
•Matthias Arnot
•salon
•World War II