Rico Lebrun, born Italy, 1900; died United States, 1964. Seated Clown, 1941. Ink and wash. SBMA

Exploring the Elements of Art: Rico Lebrun Inspired Self-Portraits Portraying Attitude and Emotion through Posture, Expression, Color, and Line

Note to Viewers:

This presentation includes several terms from the lexicon of artists – words they use frequently when thinking or talking about art.

These words are color-coded in the presentation, and described in the glossary at the end of the lesson.

Grades:  K-­‐12  

Subject:  Visual  Arts  

Time  required:  Three  sessions  

Lesson  Objec+ves:  

• Students  will  learn  about  the  ar?st  Rico  Lebrun  by  viewing  the  SBMA  provided  presenta?on  (PDF).      

• Students  will  explore  expressing  aOtude  through  the  crea?on  of  a  self-­‐portrait.  

• Students  will  learn  how  posture  can  reveal  emo?ons,  and  how  contour  lines  and  color  choices  /  shading  can  portray  mood,  movement,  and  message.  

Materials for Ink and Chalk Project • SBMA provided Rico Lebrun Presentation (PDF) or SBMA provided jpeg image of Rico Lebrun painting

• Pencils

• Black marking pens (medium to fine)

• India ink and old or inexpensive paint brushes (or squirt bottles with tempera paint for very young students)

• Small disposable cups for ink

• Chalk pastels

• Digital camera

• Printer and copy paper

• Art paper that will accept ink and pastel (watercolor paper)

• Tape (masking or scotch)

• Optional: Pastel spray fixative and art eraser

• Black construction paper for mounting prints

Teacher  Prepara+on  

• Print  or  project    SBMA  provided  reproduc?on  of  Rico  Lebrun’s  Seated  Clown  

•   Gather  materials  

• Create  your  own  prototype  

Discussion  Review  SBMA  provided  presenta?on  (PDF)  with  students,  or  share  SBMA  provided  image  of  Seated  Clown.  

While  viewing  the  work  of  art,  ask:  

• What’s  going  on  in  this  portrait?  Who  is  the  subject?  How  is  he  feeling?  What  is  his  “aOtude?”  Why  do  you  say  that?  What  specific  descrip?ve  words  come  to  mind?    

• What  is  it  about  his  posture  that  conveys  his  aOtude?  Be  specific  in  describing  his  facial  expressions,  body  posi?on,  etc.    

• What  different  kinds  of  lines  do  you  see?  How  would  you  describe  them?  What  do  they  convey  to  the  viewer?    

• What  about  colors?  How  many  do  you  see?    How  many  places  in  the  pain?ng  do  these  colors  appear?  Are  they  warm  or  cool  tones?    

• Where  do  you  see  Lights,  Mediums  and  Darks?  What  colors  do  you  see  in  the  background?  How  would  you  describe  the  black  background  sec?ons?  What  effect  is  created  by  sec?oning  the  background?  Where  are  the  lightest  lights?  The  medium  tones?  How  are  various  shades  and  tones  achieved  by  the  ar?st?    

Ac+vity  Instruc+on  

Note:  This  lesson  sequence  invites  students  to  explore  line,  shape,  value,  and  shading  under  the  influence  of  Rico  Lebrun.    

As  they  discover  the  contour  lines  that  define  their  own  bodies,  they  will  be  crea?ng  an  outer  “shell”  that  encases  their  personality  and  spirit.  This  ar_ul  explora?on  will  help  students  express  and  project  an  aOtude  to  the  viewer.    

The  accompanying  presenta?on  (PDF)  of  Rico  Lebrun’s  life  includes  several  more  pieces  of  art  for  students  to  view  and  think  about  as  they  create  their  original  self-­‐portraits.  

Strike  a  pose  for  your  students.  Choose  a  posture  and  expression  that  conveys  “aOtude.”  

Consider  these  two  photographs  of  Itoko  Maeno,  the  SBMA  teaching  ar?st  who  developed  this  lesson.    

How  are  they  similar?  Different?  What  emo?ons  do  they  each  portray?  

No?ce  how  Itoko  is  standing.    

What  is  she  doing  with  her  hand?    

Compare  and  contrast  Itoko’s  photograph  to  Lebrun’s  Seated  Clown.    

How  are  the  images  similar?  How  are  they  different?    

Where  is  Itoko’s  gaze  directed?  Is  she  looking  at  the  viewer?  Is  she  in  profile?  How  much  of  her  face  is  visible?  

What  does  Itoko’s  clenched  fist  tell  us?  What  does  her  posture  reveal?    

Take  digital  photographs  of  your  students.  As  they  strike  their  poses,  talk  to  them  about  the  power  of  their  expressions,  stances,  and  body  posi?ons.  Encourage  the  

students  to  imagine  they  are  sculptures,  frozen  in  space  and  ?me,  and  yet  conveying  emo?on  and  personality.    

What  emo?ons  are  portrayed  in  these  student  photographs?  Do  they  have  ATTITUDE?  This  completes  Session  One.    

Teacher  Prepara?on  for  Session  Two:  

Download  the  images  and  print  the  student  photographs  onto  lightweight  copy  paper.    

Session  Two  (Instruc?on):  Distribute  printed  photographs  and  black  markers  to  the  students.  Demonstrate  how  to  follow  and  define  the  contour  lines  (edges)  of  the  

shapes  within  the  face  and  body.    This  is  not  simple  tracing.  Students  are  discovering,  crea?ng,  and  highligh?ng  shapes.    

Some  lines  are  thick,  and  some  are  thin.    

Folds  in  clothing  and  skin  creases  are  selected  and  defined  by  lines.  

No?ce  how  Itoko  blocks  together  sec?ons  of  her  hair  in  the  bangs  across  her  forehead,  and  finds  dark  shapes  within  her  ears.      

Aeer  students  have  drawn  lines  around  and  within  the  contours  of  their  faces  and  bodies,  turn  the  photographs  over.  

The  lines  created  by  the  black  markers  will  be  clearly  visible  on  the  reverse  side  of  their  photo  pages.  The  distrac?on  of  any  exis?ng  background  in  the  photograph  has  disappeared.    

The  shading  in  the  photograph  is  gone,  and  now  students  will  decide  for  themselves  where  to  ar_ully  add  shadows  and  highlights.    

But first, demonstrate to students how they can transfer their self-portraits to watercolor paper.

The thicker paper will accept the India ink without wrinkling, and add texture to the chalk shading the students will add later in this instructional sequence.

Tape the top edges of the copy paper and watercolor paper together. The blank watercolor paper should cover the copy paper with the outline drawing.

Hold the papers up to a light source (a bright window works well).

Lightly trace over the lines with a pencil.

If  the  watercolor  paper  is  larger  than  the  copy  paper,  show  students  how  to  extend  the  traced  lines  to  the  edges  of  the  watercolor  paper  (so  the  lines  go  “off  the  page”).  Remove  the  tape  from  the  top  of  the  the  two  papers.  

Collect  materials  and  papers.  This  is  the  end  of  the  second  session  of  this  project.    

Session Three: Begin by distributing blank scrap paper, inexpensive brushes, and small containers of India ink.

Explain to the students that soon they will brush over the traced lines on the watercolor paper with the ink.

But first, they will practice brushstrokes.

Demonstrate to the students how they can control the thickness of the brushed lines by applying more or less pressure as they touch the

paintbrush to the watercolor paper.

“Loading” the brush with more ink will produce a fluid line.

A dry brush stroke (less ink) will create a more textured line with a distinctive edge.

Give the students time to experiment with making a variety of thick and thin lines. Also encourage them try the dry brush technique.

Dry brush strokes

Have students notice how Rico Lebrun used a variety of thick and thin

lines in his art work.

Some lines are “sketchy” and suggest motion,

even though the clown is seated.

Now the students are ready to begin brushing on the India ink over the lines of their self-portraits. Distribute the watercolor papers (with the pencil sketches)

completed in the last session.

Demonstrate how to follow a continuous contour line.

Note how Itoko defined shapes within her face, hair, and clothing.

Blocked shape

Clothing folds

Simplified ear and nose shapes

How will the artist add the finger lines

to her clenched fist?

Itoko clenched her fist again, and noted the

lines between her fingers.

Then she painted in realistic finger lines within the outer

edges of her hands.

By looking at Rico Lebrun’s Seated Clown one more time, students will discover what they need to add next:

• selected background and interior color

• shading throughout the piece

Notice the colors Lebrun chose for the Seated Clown.

He used three warm tones: terra cotta, peach, and warm gray.

Have  the  students  select  a  few  warm  or  cool  colors  from  a  set  of  chalk  pastels  to  use  in  their  self-­‐portraits.    

Demonstrate how to use the edge of the pastel to lightly add color within the contours of the body. Some of the white background should show through the pastel shading. But first, consider the

LIGHT SOURCE. In this image, the light is shining on the subject from the left, so the shading is to the right.

Students can use more than one color as they add shadows.

In  her  self-­‐portrait,  Itoko  shaded  in  two  or  three  warm  tones  (reds  and  

browns).    

She  used  her  finger  to  blend  the  warm  colors  in  

certain  areas.  

No?ce  how  she  painted    in  the  black  background.    

It  is  irregular,  and  does  not  go  straight  across  

the  pain?ng.    

The  contrast  between  the  black  background  (toward  

the  bofom  of  the  piece)  and  the  light  background  (the  top  

por?on)  is  striking.    

Itoko  added  depth  and  dimension  to  her  self-­‐portrait  by  shading  in  sec?ons  of  the  white  

background.      

If students find they have over-shaded areas of the self-portrait, they can add highlights later. If the teacher and/or students choose to add this step, spray the nearly completed portraits with a pastel fixative. Let them dry. (Spray outdoors

or in a well-ventilated room when the students are not present.)

Students can use an eraser to lightly remove some of the chalk. The spray fixative will prevent smearing, but the students can remove some of the chalk to add lighter or white highlights. It is important that there are light, medium, and

dark tones within the body shading.

Note where this artist has used all three values in her self-portrait.

Lighter highlight

Lighter highlight

Here are two completed self-portraits. How are they similar and different? Look at color choices, the black areas in the backgrounds, and the differences in the use of white space. Both portraits reveal the artist’s attitude. The amount of added color and shading affects the mood of the piece. The student artists

can decide for themselves when their portraits are complete.

Samples of Student Artwork from the SBMA Homework Art

Program

Paintings Inspired by Rico

Lebrun’s Seated Clown

A  message  to  teachers  from  Itoko  Maeno,  SBMA  Teaching  Ar?st  

I  believe  this  is  a  good  art  project  for  students  because  it  gives  them  a  space  to  let  their  emoBons  out,  and  they  learn  that  it  is  really  OK  to  project  “aGtude”  –  they  do  not  always  have  a  chance  to  do  that  in  school.  They  can  be  quiet,  thoughLul,  outrageous,  bold,  confident  –  it  is  totally  up  to  them!    

This  sequence  is  a  process  of  discovery  for  the  students.  They  make  many  arBsBc  choices  as  they  create  their  self-­‐portraits.  

In  terms  of  art  technique,  this  whole  lesson  is  about  tools  and  materials.  The  students  learn  how  to  make  choices:  they  discover  what  effect  shading  will  produce,  what  will  happen  when  some  white  paper  shows  through  the  chalk  pastel,  and  the  different  effects  of  thick  and  thin  lines  when  they  paint  it  onto  the  paper  using  ink.  Contour  lines  can  show  movement,  even  though  they  are  frozen  in  Bme  and  space  on  the  paper.    

Art  is  an  inner  dialogue.  Each  students  will  hear  his/her  own  voice  and  it  will  come  through  in  the  self-­‐portrait.  This  is  what  inspires  me,  and  I  hope  it  will  inspire  you  and    your  students.    

Options

•Using the same initial photograph, students can create several different self-portraits by altering color choices, backgrounds, and line weights.

•Each student may create his or her own series, or the class may create a group series.

• Students can “try out” the attitudes of their classmates by assuming the stances and postures they observe in the completed self-portraits.

Glossary  of  Terms  

AOtude:  1.  a  mental  state  involving  beliefs,  feelings,  and/or  values  and  disposi?ons  to  act  in  certain  ways.  She  had  the  aGtude  that  creaBng  art  is  a  joy.  2.  posi?on  or  arrangement  of  the  body.  He  assumed  an  aGtude  of  confidence.  3.  A  theatrical  pose  created  for  effect.  The  actress  struck  just  the  right  aGtude  for  portraying  the  Queen.  

Background:  the  part  of  a  picture  or  pafern  that  appears  to  be  in  the  distance  or  behind  the  most  important  part.  

Contour  Lines:  the  outer  or  exterior  edges  of  objects.    

Depth  and  Dimension:  the  richness  and  strength  of  a  color,  and/or  the  ar?s?c  quality  of  appearing  to  be  convincing  and  lifelike.  

Dry  Brush:  a  pain?ng  technique  in  which  a  paint  brush  that  is  rela?vely  dry,  but  s?ll  holds  paint,  is  used.  

Highlights:  a  very  light  area  in  a  pain?ng  or  photograph  that  provides  contrast,  illumina?on,  or  the  appearance  of  illumina?on.  

Light  Source:  the  direc?on  the  is  coming  from  in  a  picture  or  pain?ng.  

Line  Weights:  different  thicknesses  of  lines.  

Loading  the  Brush:  Filling  the  brush  with  water  or  liquid  pigment  so  the  brushstroke  will  flow  easily  and  evenly  across  the  paper.    

Glossary  of  Terms  (con+nued)  

Posture:  1.  the  way  in  which  somebody  holds  his  or  her  body,  especially  when  standing    2.  a  body  posi?on  that  a  person  can  assume,  e.g.  standing,  siOng,  kneeling,  or  lying  down  3.  a  physical  pose  that  demonstrates  a  mental  or  emo?onal  aOtude.  

Self-­‐Portrait:  a  pain?ng,  drawing,  photograph,  sculpture  or  other  representa?on  created  by  an  ar?st  of  him/herself,  especially  of  his/her  face.    

Shading:  darkened  areas  in  a  picture.    

Stance:  an  aOtude  toward  something,  or  the  way  a  person  or  animal  stands.  

Value:  the  lightness  or  darkness  of  a  color.  Values  oeen  include  light,  medium,  and  dark  tones.    

Collec?on  Connec?ons  from  the    Santa  Barbara  Museum  of  Art  

These portraits and self-portraits from the museum’s collection may inspire you as you experiment with the art techniques

demonstrated in this lesson.

What attitude is portrayed in each painting? How have the artists captured emotion?

What attitude does the subject’s posture project to the viewer? What single word comes to mind as you view each painting?

What do you see that makes you say that?

Amable  Louis  Claude  Pagnest,  Portrait  of  Madame  Forster  

Henri  Ma?sse,  Head  of  a  Woman  (Lydia  Delectorskaya),  Number  II,  ca.  1937  

Henri  Ma?sse,  Head  of  a  Woman  (Lydia  Delectorskaya),  Number  I,  1937    

Edgar  Degas,  Ballet  Dancer  ResBng,    ca.  1900-­‐1905  

Henri Matisse, Madame de Pompadour, 1951

Percy  Wyndham  Lewis,  Portrait  of  Olivia  Shakespear,  1920  

Marc  Chagall,  Young  Girl  in  Pursuit,  c.  1927-­‐28  

Hung  Liu,  A  Third  World,  1993  

Ernest  Ange  Duez,  Woman  in  Grey  on  Board  Ship,  Gazing  at  the  Sea,  1873  

Jules  Bas?en-­‐Lepage,  The  Ripened  Wheat  (Les  Bles  Murs),  1884  

John  Singleton  Copley,  Lieutenant  Joshua  Winslow,  1755  

William  Merrif  Chase,  Lydia  Field  Emmet,  1900  

David  Alfaro  Siqueiros,  detail  from  Portrait  of    Present  Day  Mexico,  1932  

Bo  Bartlef,  Heartland  

James  Strombotne,  Morning  Coffee  

David  Alfaro  Siqueiros,  El  Esteta  en  El  Drama  (The  Aesthete  in  Drama),  1944    

Helen  Lundeberg,  Portrait