This activity activates prior knowledge while developing insight into historical perspectives. Use this activity to help students broaden their horizons and explore diverse ideas.
Artworks can offer an opportunity to consider different perspectives. Artists are intentional about how they depict people alone or in groups. Spending time to look carefully at expressions, body language, and contextual clues in figural artwork can help students consider ideas about identity, community, and belonging. Use this interactive exercise to guide students as they explore a work by Kehinde Wiley, creatively document the ideas it presents to them, and consider how their thoughts connect with the artist's own ideas and intentions.
This resource pairs visual and written primary resources. The works of art with have been chosen from the American Art collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Art. Students will pair visual media with a paired piece of literature, in this case, Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison, to help explore the connection between and across art forms as well as the connection between art and its historical setting.
This resource pairs visual and written primary resources. The works of art with have been chosen from the American Art collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the National Gallery of Art. Students will pair visual media with a paired piece of literature, in this case, Invisible Man by Ralph Waldo Ellison, to help explore the connection between and across art forms as well as the connection between art and its historical setting.
In this Thematic Exploration, students will explore the different ways artists represent individuals in portraits. They will learn to gather clues about the time period in which the portrait was created, the lives of the subjects, and the thoughts of the artists.
Using portraits from the VMFA's collection, students will explore the Who, What, When, Where, and Why of portraiture. Guiding questions are woven throughout the activity, alongside a close examination of seven different portraits from a variety of different eras and cultures. Students are encouraged to observe, interpret, analyze, and reflect thoughtfully in each step. This activity also includes summative reflection questions to wrap up the conversation, as well as an optional "Create Your Own Portrait" activity.