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1 Rodman Hall Arts Centre: The Power of One, 2009 Rodman Hall ArtCentre: The Power of One, 2009 A.Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953, oil on canvas This slide...teacher information only: The Power-of-One is a new initiative of the Rodman Hall Art Centre that introduces elementary and secondary students to one significant work of artfrom its collection every year. The goal of the program is to promote appreciation and awareness of an outstanding local collection, and to provide students with an excellent visual vocabulary. Rodman Hall is pleased to present A. Y. Jackson s, Laurentian Landscape, 1953, as the subject of its first Power-of-One curriculum-based art program. The painting was chosen because A.Y. Jackson is one of Canada s most famous painters. Jackson, along with the Group of Seven,created a bold new painting style, taught Canadians to see the beauty of our own wilderness and rugged landscape, and contributed to the creation of our national identity. The next slide begins the discussion and visual analysis of the painting. 1

2 Tom Thompson, The Canoe, 1912 Tom Thompson, The Canoe, 1912 Almost one hundred years ago, a group of friends who enjoyed camping, canoeing and exploring began painting the rocks, waters, skies and the colourful autumn leaves of Northern Ontario. 1.Has anyone ever been camping? 2.What do you expect to see when you go camping? 3.What do you do when you go camping? These artists, eventually called themselves the Group of Seven, and painted when they went camping. They took their paints and small wooden boards, about the size of a regular piece of paper, with them on canoe trips. They painted outside on these small panels and when they got back home, sometimes created large paintings based on their small painted sketches. Image from Google image search. 2

3 Frank Carmichael, October Gold, 1922 Frank Carmichael, October Gold, 1922 The Group of Seven came together in Toronto. They had met each other at art exhibitions or had worked together at a printing shop. What they had in common was their love of painting and their love of the Canadian landscape, and they wanted to create paintings which reflected the spirit of the Canadian wilderness. 1.When you think of the Canadian wilderness, what do you think of?(animals: bears, moose, loons, ducks, forests, rocks, water, rivers, lakes, lichen, black flies) Image from Google image search. 3

4 LawrenHarris, Beaver Swamp, Algoma, 1920 Lawren Harris, Beaver Swamp, Algoma, Can anyone describe the time of year, time of day, weather conditions, the look of the trees? 2. With this in mind, how does this painting make you feel? Image from Google image search. 4

5 A.Y. Jackson, The Red Maple, 1914 A.Y. Jackson, The Red Maple, 1914 The Group of Seven painted the what they saw and loved about Canada, especially the Canadian wilderness. 1.When you think of the Canadian wilderness, does this painting, or the others that we have just seen, remind you of Ontario? Why? 2. If you lived in a different part of Canada, what type of landscapes would you see? (tall mountains in BC, wheat fields in the Prairies, rocky shores on the East Coast, barren lands and snow in the Arctic) Topic change: Let s take a look a some very famous painters that were very influential and important to artists working and studying at the time (100 years ago). Image from Google image search. 5

6 Monet, Poppies Blooming,1873 Monet, Poppies Blooming, 1873 Monet, Poppies Blooming, Does this painting look like it was painted in Ontario? (in the fall, we see fields of yellow golden rod and purple asters) This painting was painted by a very famous French artist called Claude Monet. Monet paints in a style called Impressionism. Monet painted about 40 years earlier than the Group of Seven. The Impressionist painters painted outside. They were very interested in painting the effects of light and therefore painted using dots, dashes and splashes of colour to create the forms in their paintings. Image from Google image search. 6

7 Cezanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, c Cezanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, c Another very famous French artist was Paul Cezanne, and he was influenced by Claude Monet. Cezanne painted about 30 years before the Group of Seven. 1.Does this painting look like it was painted in Canada? Cezanne painted the landscape where he lived. Like Monet, Cezanne paints with patches of colour. For example, Cezanne hasn t painted every leaf on a tree or bush, he paints with patches of colour that give you the impression oftrees, grass, sky. Unlike Monet, the forms in Cezanne s paintings are more geometric. For example, Cezanne has simplified shapes so some of the houses are just made up of squares, rectangles and triangles. The tree trunks are also very cylindrical in shape. Image from Google image search. 7

8 Van Gogh, Starry Night, 1889 Van Gogh, Starry Night, Does anyone recognize this painting? Has anyone seen this image before? Vincent Van Gogh is another very famous artist. He was born in Holland, but spent a lot of time in France. Van Gogh painted at the same time as Monet and Cezanne, but had a completely different style. Van Gogh has really simplified the forms in his painting. He outlines some of the shapes in the painting with dark colours, and he creates a lot of movement with his dashes of colour. 2. Does this painting look like it could be a Canadian landscape? Image from Google image search. 8

9 EdvardMunch, Train smoke, 1900 Edvard Munch, Train smoke, 1900 Now, while Monet, Cezanne and Van Gogh were very influential artists at time, the Group of Seven were also really inspired by the landscape paintings of Edvard Munch. 1.Does this painting look like it could be a Canadian landscape? Does it look more like a Canadian landscape than the paintings we just saw? EdvardMunch is a Norwegian (from Norway) painter (and also very famous), and the Group of Seven were impressed by his paintings because his landscapes reminded them a lot them of Canada. Munch painted landscapes of a rough,rugged and unmanicuredcountry using simplified shapes and outlines. Image from Google image search. 9

10 Historic comparisons Cezanne, Mont Sainte-Victoire, c Arthur Lismer, A September Gale, Georgian Bay, 1921 Edvard Munch, Train smoke, 1900 J.E.H. MacDonald, Mist Fantasy, Northland, 1922 The two paintings on the right were painted by Group of Seven members, Arthur Lismerand J.E.H. MacDonald, and we can clearly see how they were influenced by the Cezanne and Munch. 1.Can you see any similarities or differences between the paintings? Topic change: The Group of Seven painted what they saw and lovedabout Canada, and we ll be looking at a painting of one of the members in detail. 10

11 A. Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953 A. Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953 The painting that we will be studying is called Laurentian Landscape, and it was painted by A.Y. Jackson in We are studying this painting because it is on display at the Rodman Hall Arts Centre. The gallery is located in St. Catharines, so it is very easy for everyone to see the original painting. 11

12 Alexander Young Jackson ( ) Alexander Young Jackson ( ) A.Y. Jackson was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1882, and died in Kleinburg, Ontario in When Jackson was 12 years old he left school and began working at printing companies in order to help support his family. When Jackson was 24 years old, he went back to school to study art in Chicago and then in Paris. In 1913, when Jackson was 31 years old, he moved to Toronto, and began painting with some painters that would become Group of Seven members. Even though Jackson now lived in Toronto, he still spent a lot of time painting in Quebec. Jackson s Laurentian Landscape was painted in Quebec, in Images from Google image search. 12

13 A. Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953 A. Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953 The painting is called Laurentian Landscape. The Laurentian sare a low, rounded mountain-range located in Quebec. The painting is painted with oil paints and measures 27 cm x 34 cm* (slightly bigger than a regular-sized piece of paper). Remember, the Group of Seven painters painted outdoors, so they carried small panels with them for convenience. Visual Analysis 1. What do you see in this painting? (don t forget about the signature) 2. What time of year or season is being depicted? 3. What colours are being used to depict the fall season? What colours would you consider using to depict the other seasons? 4. Close your eyes. When you open them, tell me the first place your eye goes. (What catches your attention in this painting?) 5. How did Jackson make you see what was most important to him? 6. How do you feel about the painting? 7. Would you want to visit this place? If you could take a walkin this picture, where would you go? How would you get to the house considering there is no road painted in the painting? 13

14 1/6 Element of design: line 1/6 Element of design: line 1. What kind of lines has Jackson used to depict the rolling hills? (flowing wavy lines) 2. What kind of lines could you use to depict cracked ice, thunder and lightening, falling snow or leaves? 3. What are the main flowing lines in this painting? Go to next slide 14

15 dominant lines (main expressive lines) dominant lines (main expressive lines) There are also minor flowing lines in the foreground, middle ground and background hills, and sky. Go to next slide 15

16 line line 1. Do you see any other kinds of lines in Jackson s painting? (jagged, rounded, dashed, horizontal, vertical, diagonal) Go to next slide (this slide will show jagged and rounded lines) 16

17 line line There are jagged lines in the foreground on the grass and bushesand tightly curved lines in the middle ground on the trees. 1.Are there any other kinds of lines? (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal) (This slide will show horizontal, vertical, and diagonal lines) 17

18 line line Horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines make up the house and barn structures. 18

19 2/6 Element of design: shape 2/6 Element of design: shape Let s think about what we see in the painting again. We have...(sky, hills, rocks, grass, houses...).. 19

20 shape shape 1. What do the sky and clouds, mountains and hills, trees and bushes, rocks, grass and dirt all have in common? (all natural elements, organic, not geometric) 2. What are the man-made objects in the painting? Can you name any other manmade objects, in general (not related to the painting)? 3. How would you describe the shape of the houses? (triangles, rectangles, geometric) 20

21 shape shape Comment: The rocks, bushes and trees have an organic shape. The outlinesaround these objects are also organic in shape because they are free flowing. The houses are made up of geometric shapes: rectangle and triangle. Topic change: Now, organic and geometric shapes can also be symmetrical or asymmetrical. 1. Can anyone tell me what symmetric or asymmetric means? (symmetric: when something has the same shape on both sides of the center line; asymmetric: when something doesn t have the same shape on either side of a center line) 2. Can anyone name an object that is symmetrical that is also organic (in general)? (butterfly, leaf, flowers like daisies, insects) 3. Can anyone see any shapes in the painting that are symmetrical? 21

22 shape shape Comment: The triangle and rectangle are geometric shapes that are also symmetrical. Something is symmetrical when the shapes on either side of the center line are mirror-imaged (like the shapes in this image), or the same shapes are evenly placed on both sides of the center line. Let s look at the painting again... 22

23 shape shape 1. Would you consider Jackson s painting to be symmetrical in design/layout? (No, it has an asymmetrical layout) Why not? 23

24 shape shape When we divide the painting equally in four parts, we notice that the painting is not symmetrical. 1.How could we make this painting symmetrical? 24

25 symmetrical 1. Is this image symmetrical? (yes) 25

26 symmetrical 1. Is this image symmetrical? (yes) 26

27 3/6 Element of design: space 3/6 Element of design: space 1. Do you think the painting would be more pleasing or better ifit had a symmetric layout? 2. Why do you think Jackson chose to paint the houses off to theside of the painting instead of the center? Topic change: 3. Now, look carefully at the painting, how can you tell if something in the painting is close or far away? (objects get smaller, overlapping) (trees getting smaller) 27

28 space space Comment: The trees become smaller and less defined in the distance. 28

29 space space 1. Can you think of another way to show things are far away? (overlapping) 2. When you overlap shapes, which one looks closest to you, or farthest away? Take a close look at the houses. 29

30 space space Comment: The black boxes around the houses make it really easy to see how the houses overlap. 1.Are there any other elements in Jackson s painting that overlap? (land, hills, trees) 30

31 space space Comment: In this slide, you can see how the rocks, bushes, trees, houses and hills overlap as they go into the distance. 31

32 space space 1. When we look at the houses, are they located in the foreground, middle ground or background of the painting? 2. Can you tell me where the foreground, middle ground and background of the painting are? 32

33 space space Comment: The foreground and background have been masked to show the approximate middle ground. 33

34 space space 1. What is the part of the painting that is furthest away from us? (the purple hills on the left, just below the sky) 34

35 space space The furthest point away from the viewer, where the land meets the sky is call the horizon line. 35

36 space space The horizon line actually extends across the whole painting, butwe can t see it because the greenish-brown hills overlap it. 36

37 4/6 Element of design: colour 4/6 Element of design: colour Comment: When mixing colours for painting, there are three colours that cannot be made by mixing other colours together. 1.Does anyone know what these colours are? (red, blue, and yellow). Comment: Red, blue and yellow are known as the primary colours. 37

38 Primary colours primary colours Comment: The primary colours are red, blue and yellow. 1.Can anyone tell me what colour is produced when you mix... Red/blue, blue/yellow, yellow/red? (purple, green, orange) Comment: Purple, green and orange are known as the secondary colours. 38

39 Secondary colours secondary colours Comment: If you mix two primary colours together, you produce what is called a secondary colour. Again, mixing blue and red creates purple; redand yellow make orange; yellow and blue make green. The exact colour you have mixed depends on the amount of red, blue and yellow you use when mixing the two colours. 39

40 Cool colours cool colours 1. Can anyone describe the colours that are in the black boxes? They all have something in common. 2. Are the colours in the black boxes found on the left hand or right hand side of the colour wheel? (The colours are found on the left hand side of the colour wheel and are called the cool colours.) 3. Do these colours make you feel a certain way? 4. How can you use colours to show your feelings about the places in your painting? 5. Can you use colours to show temperature? 6. What colours would you use if you were painting a hot summer day? What side of the colour wheel would you use? 40

41 Warm colours warm colours The colours in these black boxes are called the warm colours, and they are found on the right hand side of the colour wheel. 1. Does Jackson s use of warm colours make the painting feel like a hot summer day? (no) Why not? (Jackson has mixed his warm colours so thatthey are not too bright or hot looking. He has mixed some of his colours with black or white, or with colours on the opposite side of the colour wheel. Jackson has chosen colours that are both warm and cool, which accurately describes the temperature of a typical fall day.) 41

42 5/6 Element of design: value 5/6 Element of design: value 1. What colour do you produce when you mix black and white? (grey) Comment: When you add black to a colour, the colour becomes darker and the colour you produce is called a shade; and when you mix white to a colour, the colour gets lighter and the colour you produce is called a tint. In the painting, Jackson has added white to all the darker coloured arrows to produce a tint, or a lighter colour. 42

43 6/6 Element of design: texture 6/6 Element of design: texture So far, we have looked at five elements of design...line, shape,space, colour, value... And the last element of design is called texture. Texture also makes an art work interesting to look at. In our painting, Jackson has painted some areas smooth, and other parts with more paint. 43

44 Principles of Design Principles of Design We have just spent a lot of time looking at the Elements of Design: line, shape, space, colour, value and texture. The way these elements are used, combined, or put together help us understand what the artist wants to say about his/her painting. These elements can be combined to create unity, harmonyor movementin a painting, they could add proportionor balance. These elements can be used in repetition, or to provide emphasisor variety. Unity, harmony, movement, proportion, balance, repetition, emphasis and variety are known as the Principles of Design. Let s take a look at Jackson s painting again. 1.What catches your attention in this painting? 2.What do you think is the most important object in this painting? 3.How did the artist use the elements of design of make you see what is most important to him or her? Let s consider line first. 4. Where are the main expressive lines, and where do they lead your eye? 44

45 Principle of Design: emphasis Principle of Design: emphasis Comment: The main expressive lines direct your eye to the houses. Comment: The other minor curving lines in the painting, are repeated across the entire surface of the painting and add balance and unity to the painting. 45

46 Principles of design: repetition, unity, harmony, balance Principles of design: repetition, unity, harmony, balance Jackson has repeated curved lines from the top of his painting to the bottom to create an overall unity, harmony and balance. 46

47 Principle of Design: emphasis Principle of Design: emphasis 1. How did Jackson use colour to make you see what was most important to him (or to direct your eye to the houses)? 47

48 Principle of Design: emphasis Principle of Design: emphasis The brightest colours are on the two main lines that lead your eye to the house. And the brightest red used in the painting is located on the house. 48

49 Principle of Design: emphasis Principle of Design: emphasis The brightest red in the painting is located on the dormer of the house, and the brightest white in the painting is also located on the same house. 49

50 Principles of Design: contrast and patterning Principles of Design: contrast and patterning 1. How has Jackson used contrast (light and dark areas) to create apattern in his painting? Hint: squint your eyes and look at the painting. 50

51 Principles of Design: contrast and patterning Principles of Design: contrast and patterning Jackson has created a light/dark/light pattern with light sky, dark hills, and a light fore-and middle ground. 1.What forms has Jackson repeated in his painting? (curving formsof the hills, rocks and houses) (shows rocks and houses) 51

52 Principles of Design: repetition of form and colour, variety Principles of Design: repetition of form and colour, variety Jackson has painted four large groups of rocks and three houses.the rocks and houses are solid, non-moving objects, and they have all been painted grey. The colour of the solid objects are all, more-or-less, the same, but their shapes have changed which creates variety. The rocks are positioned like stepping stones and lead your eye to the houses. 52

53 Planning your painting planning your painting Before beginning your work, how do you plan an art work? What doyou need to think about before you start working on it? 53

54 A.Y. Jackson, The Barren Lands, 1950 A.Y. Jackson, The Barren Lands, 1950 A.Y. Jackson begins by keeping a sketch book, and sketching ideas and images that are important to him. This drawing was made in 1950, three years before he painted the painting we have been studying. You can clearly see that the drawing is very similar to the painting even though he made it three years earlier. Image from: 54

55 A.Y. Jackson, La Malbaie, Quebec, c A.Y. Jackson, La Malbaie, Quebec, c This sketch includes a grouping of houses in a valley which is surrounded by hills. Image from: 55

56 A.Y. Jackson, Farm near the Ottawa River, 1953 A.Y. Jackson, Farm near the Ottawa River, 1953 This is a sketch that Jackson made the same year he painted the Laurentian Landscape. The drawing looks like it was created very quickly. In this sketch, he has included houses being reflected in water. Artists keep a sketchbook to make quick sketches in, just like writers, poets and musicians keep notebooks/voice recorders close by to jot down words or phases that may inspire them at a later point. Go to next slide (last slide). Image from: 56

57 A. Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953 A. Y. Jackson, Laurentian Landscape, 1953 Last impressions Do you like or appreciate the painting more now than when youfirst saw it? 57