. Hans ming ar Self- F . 1912. Gelatin . 1909. Oil on (15.4 x " 2 ⁄ 1 (33 x 24.9 cm). 5 " 6 x 1 ⁄ (21.9 x 29 cm). The 16 13 ⁄ 1 " 9 (76.5 x 136.2 cm). 16 ⁄ 7 x " 8 6 ⁄ 1 5 ⁄ 11 3 x dern Art,York. New Gift of the 53 8 o ⁄ 5 x er. German, 1876–1964. Milton Weill © 2005 Artists © 2005 Weill Milton M 8 ⁄ 1 f s. nn and o New York/VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn York/VG New rapher © 2005 Artists Rightsrapher © 2005 Society Mr B g f um o o use ugust S unst, he Museum ofhe Museum Art, Modern York. New hot silver print,silver 8 IMAGE EIGHT A Generations (Bauerngeneration) p (ARS), M 1910. Etching. Plate: 6 Portrait with on Forehead,Portrait Hand II a State 14 cm); sheet: 13 IMAGE FIVE Käthe Kollwitz. German, 1867–1945. The Museum ofThe Museum Art, Modern York. New Gift o Bild- Rights Society (ARS),York/VG New K canvas, 30 IMAGE SEVEN Oskar Kokoschka. Austrian, 1886–1980. Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat and Erica Tietze T FundArtists Aldrich Rockefeller Abby 2005 © Rights Litteris, Society (ARS),York/Pro Zurich New . t " 4 ⁄ 3 x (50 x 8 phe 8 ⁄ o 1 " x 8 r ⁄ 8 3 ⁄ P 5 14 x vas, 32 16 ⁄ 11 can n 1867–1956. Oil o man, r 1913. Ge . e. rait t old (81.6 x 49.5 cm). of The Museum or " 2 ⁄

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(32.1 x 22.2 cm); sheet: 19 IMAGE SIX Emil N 1912. Woodcut. Composition: 12 36.5 cm). of The Museum Art, Modern New York. anonymously Given 19 Modern Art, Modern York. © 2005 New Purchase Artists Rights Society (ARS),York/Pro New Litteris, Zurich IMAGE FOUR Oskar Kokoschka. Austrian, 1886–1980. Se LESSON TWO: Portraiture LESSON TWO:

LESSONS 10 INTRODUCTION The following lesson is divided into two parts. The first part features portraits of individuals and the second addresses works depicting more than one person. These images are presented together because in all cases the artists chose not to specify their subjects’ setting nor to include details about their subjects’ occupation or interests. Rather, the artists were deliber- ately ambiguous about such material concerns, seeking instead to communicate the inner dis- positions of their subjects through compositional and medium choices. The self-portraits by Oskar Kokoschka and Käthe Kollwitz, as well as the portrait by Emil Nolde and the double portrait by Kokoschka, are not precise representations of specific people; instead, the artists manipulated their subjects’ appearance to express what cannot be easily observed. Image Seven, Kokoschka’s double portrait of the art historians Hans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat, reveals a psychological study of the sitters. Kokoschka created portraits for 11 many prominent figures of Viennese society, such as artists, lawyers, scientists, writers, and L E

doctors. Here Kokoschka placed the two figures in an ambiguous setting, inviting the viewer S S to speculate about their relationship primarily through their facial expressions and hand O N gestures. As a point of comparison, August Sander’s photograph Farming Generations S (Image Eight) is a carefully constructed representation of an agrarian family, formally posed for a group portrait. In contrast to Kokoschka’s double portrait, Sander’s methodological photographic process attempts to capture as many physical details as possible about his subject.

LESSON OBJECTIVES • Students will compare portraits, two of which are self-portraits, focusing on artists’ choices, such as medium, or the materials an artist uses to create a work of art, and composition, meaning the arrangement of different elements upon the surface of a painting, drawing, etc.

• Students will explore the characteristics that these portraits convey about the sitter.

INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION Ask your students how they would define a portrait. Ask how they would define a self- portrait. Ask them to describe some similarities and differences between the two kinds of portraiture. Your students should consider examples of portraiture that they have seen in books, magazines, online, or in museums.

IMAGE-BASED DISCUSSION • Describe what you see in Kokoschka’s Self-Portrait (Image Four). By looking at the painting, what can you tell about the artist? How has he chosen to depict himself?

• Suppose you were able to see more of the person in this painting. What would you see? What more might you learn about this person?

This painting is a self-portrait by the Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka which he made when he was twenty-seven years old. Early on in his career, Kokoschka received numerous com- missions for portraits from patrons in Vienna, mostly writers. Although he devoted most of his career to being an artist, Kokoschka was also a writer and teacher. Kokoschka made the following remark in a letter that he wrote to The Museum of Modern Art forty years after finishing this self-portrait: It is a representative example of my work of that period, the student may learn from it to see with his own eyes how the self becomes a constant in a self-portrait that does not . , tching e 5 Image Five), an ( Oskar Kokoschka: the Early Portraits from Vienna from the Early Portraits Oskar Kokoschka: Self-Portrait with Hand on Forehead 6 (New Haven,(New Press, Connecticut: University 1992), Yale 120. Ask why or why not. . (London: The Bank South Centre, 1995),12. Käthe Kollwitz ive in the avant-garde scene that surrounded her. that surrounded scene in the avant-garde ive of Instead t c .do you see? and differences sorts of similarities What elf-Portrait with Hand on Forehead a S e b ” . o artists in smaller circles, connection maintain a strong to she preferred ncerns to a larger audience. a larger to ncerns with Kollwitz, resonated message Klinger’s o r Self-Portrait (New York:(New Neue Galerie, 2002), 164. 4 cial c in the best periods in history. our century, [In] degen- arts the figurative have Käthe Kollwitz: Artist ofArtist Käthe Kollwitz: the People hose not t e ith othe b ger number of people. with her approach. or disagree Ask them if they agree ing so o itz c t w l d ling w rt always the artist between be] an understanding as there must and the people such ed edition of an image, as most artists did. Instead, of prices keep to in order prints her larger audience. larger ol ompare Käthe Kollwitz’s Käthe Kollwitz’s ompare ainting. Ask why or why not.

to Kokoschka’s to Kokoschka’s [A use of the wretchedness to erated galleries. exhibition “the wretchedness to meant when she referred Ask your students what they think Kollwitz of exhibition galleries display their work for the public to see in museums and galleries. Artists traditionally they have seen works of art other Ask your students to consider some of the places where Ask your students to compare Kollwitz’s comment with Kollwitz’s Ask your students to compare accessible more her works of art choice to make Ask your students to consider Kollwitz’s to a lar to reach works of art in order more Ask if they think that an artist must necessarily create a Ask if they feel that the way Kollwitz represented herself communicates the idea that there communicates the idea that there herself represented Ask if they feel that the way Kollwitz is a connection between art and its audience K C How would you compare herself? about has chosen to express do you think Kollwitz What you have seen? with others self-portrait Kollwitz’s printmaking choosing primaryBy as her means of art, making more make could Kollwitz vary even after years when age,vary years after even life, of the persona changed have ambitions creator. the self-portraits of in the sense painted All my were stock-taking, in the view of estimating individuality. to express. is trying Kokoschka what they think Ask your students or Ask if they support with his statement.disagree their ideas about this comment changes Kokoschka’s Ask if p unicat Hildegard Bachert,Hildegard et al., in Elizabeth Prelinger Griffith,Fiona Letter from Oskar Kokoschka to Dorothy Miller, Dorothy to 4, Oskar Kokoschka October from Letter 1953. G. Tobias Natter,

f with social issues, current touch suggests: following as her statement and Berlin, 1909–1914 5. 6. 4. ming with public;a larger be elitist and out to artistic the developing movements she considered o • • • • From an early age,From an artist. in becoming an interest expressed Käthe Kollwitz During the late century,nineteenth men, admitted only art the state-run in Germany academies so Kollwitz art women. a private for school attended 1890, In in painting studies after up her gave Kollwitz ofseeing an exhibition (1857–1920), Klinger Max prints by a German artist who advocated the use of printmaking and drawing, copies, in multiple can exist which as a means of com- m • • printmaking.and she began pursue to ofcopies people. more to available work her practice She did not the tradition of printing a limit affordable, of copies numerous she produced a single image. also published her Kollwitz in periodicals,work support to various posters social causes. and she created occa- People of their copies sent sionally sign them. so that she could her prints to •

LESSONS 12 LESSONS 13 s 7 , this print made after Nolde between Nolde’ e (Image Six). students Ask your Prophet and etching, make to and learned how 8 Prophet Ask them if knowing about how . (Boston: of Museum ArtsAngeles in association with Fine the Los intaglio Prophet considering that the artists used two different considering that the artists used two different , , 15. Nolde: The Painter’s Prints The Painter’s Nolde: another look at e by the artistby Nolde. Emil Titled Self-Portrait . inally named Emil Hansen. Nolde name to his family changed later He ig r ocesses ollwitz’s ollwitz’s woodcut rimal beings that scientific research already rejected long ago, rejected long already rimal beings that scientific research and that are, was o Nolde: The Painter’s Prints The Painter’s Nolde: e and K r, because the group at odds he felt with departed from his colleagues. he eventually old e v e hen they look at this image.hen they look at this Ask why they chose those words. hen ask your students what words they would choose to describe the person’s expression. person’s they would choose to describe the what words hen ask your students w printmaking pr what they see in the image.what they see in the that come to mind descriptive words Ask them to think of three w Ask your students what they think Nolde meant by this statement. Ask them if his comment supports their ideas about his work. not. Ask why or why Nolde made the work of art changes their ideas about it. Nolde made the work of art changes their they would mak Ask your students what kinds of comparisons Prophet Ask your students to tak Ask them what they see that makes them say that. that makes Ask them what they see “prophet.” the word Ask your students how they would define their def- them compare Have painting.inition to Nolde’s way Nolde chose to depict a prophet. Ask what they think of the T than in a museum, in a public park, sculptures such as large school or in the at murals library, in books. reproductions and a work of art changes think the meaning of Ask if they it is displayed. on where depending or why not. Ask why look at Emil Nolde’s a few minutes to Give the class o oodcut prints remained one of one oodcut prints remained methods of his preferred art creating because of of some Benson etBenson al., Timothy O.Timothy Benson, et in Benson al. County Museum ofCounty Museum Art, 1995), 37. 8. 7. • • group, with the Brücke printmaking was briefly skills involved with he exchanged Nolde where members;the other he taught about them woodcuts. Nolde, artists, with along Brücke other the art. in non-Western an interest shared H • his agricultural to was strongly attached roots,Nolde urban with clashed which the group’s cultural sensibility.“.. described his art He as . a rural art qualities in all [that] believes human and in the p indeed, be within found to the city no longer walls.” recovering from a serious illness. from recovering of issues address him to illness inspired His spirituality in his work, passages. Biblical to he began and making references this print, creating to Prior of began a cycle Nolde of the life on religious paintings centering Christ. Jesus Emil N • ofin honor his birthplace, of in the state town a seaside Schleswig-Holstein, Denmark.Although of a region on bordering northern Germany a farming family, he came from Nolde an artist. factory becoming in a furniture before worked that making explained once He w the same skills and delights with it shared making. furniture example, For to he chose his woodblocks. and knots from in his prints the inconsistencies include described once He ofthe process accidents.” (and happy) “controlled as making woodcuts • This is a image • Ask . , by was painted Image Seven) and ask Farming Generations ( (Image Four). (Image Kokoschka’s Hans Ask them to pair up with a aph. Self-Portrait How do the two paintings differ? ? was taken by August Sander.August by was taken Shown in the pho- . , Hans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat and Erica Tietze Hans Self-Portrait tzes fled Germany and came to the United States. the United and came to fled Germany tzes In ie ans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat H ect them to look closely at all the elements of this image and his the T moment to look at the photograph titled moment to look at the photograph Dir . n, a e io e arming Generations F in their best church attire and would therefore most likely be receptive most likely therefore and would attire bestin their church cupat d c Ask them what they notice about the photogr esse azi o dr e Hans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat and it has remained in the Museum’s collection ever since. ever collection in the Museum’s and it has remained to spend a few moments looking closely at the image.to spend a few moments what Ask them to describe ould b his bicycle and set offhis bicycle of a few to Westerwald, in the towns of that many aware the fami- ing the N w er to help finance the cost of the cost help finance to er relocation, their sold this painting, the Tietzes they which how your students Kokoschka’s how your students Kokoschka’s o hem hey see in the painting. in the painting. them what they can tell about the two people Ask Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat

classmate to make a list of similarities and differences between this picture and Kokoschka’s between this picture a list of similarities and differences classmate to make painting Ask your students what they can determine about the people in the photograph. Ask them who they suppose they ar Ask your students to tak (Image Eight). Ask your students what kinds of similarities they can find between Ask your students what kinds of similarities Ask your students to take a look at the space around the two figures. a look at the space around take Ask your students to Ask how they would describe the space. S t t their gestures. Ask them to describe Ask your students if, based on what they see, between is a relationship they suppose there the two figures. say that. them they see that makes Ask them what to us about these people. reveals them what details they think the photograph d ans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat were a married were couple. and Erica Tietze-Conrat ans Tietze Kokoschka They commissioned ur his photograph, called

r nt tograph is a farming family from Westerwald, tograph is a farming from family Germany. in southwestern an area During youth,Sander’s and small, farming communities many contained Westerwald family-run mines. he had opened his own photography this photograph in 1912 after took Sander in a suburbstudio of Cologne. his photographic equipment packed Sander One Sunday o lies • T • • H portrait, double paint their to home.their in they which kept art historians were The Tietzes work.and supported Kokoschka’s However, this painting in public, show to they refused ofregardless of in an exhibition inclusion for it borrow to attempts Kokoschka’s his work. D o up and carriedhad rolled with them. of The Museum the painting Art purchased Modern in 1940, • This painting, portrait a double called • • in 1909,Kokoschka his he completed before years four Throughout his artisticThroughout career, with most closely collaborated his wife, Nolde Ada. She often of helped and printed his work maintain fastidious him records his prints. 1926, In the settled permanently in Seebüll,couple birthplace. village a quiet Nolde’s near There, Nolde where they and museum a foundation established where a house and his wife purchased today. exhibited are works Nolde’s to having their portraits their having to taken.

LESSONS 14 LESSONS 15 10 . was unable Sander Farming Generations 9 , ed. Sander, Gunther trans. Linda . , or their own museums , Face ofFace Time Our (New York:(New Aperture, Inc., 1980), 17. either in books Citizensof Century Twentieth the “scientific objectivity” in their own words. include They should hat do they tell us? Gestures often communicate specific feelings or communicate often theyhat do us? Gestures tell aits they have seen, reate a self-portrait as you envision yourself a self-portrait envision reate as you years. in twenty-five twenty-five years from now. What do you think you will be doing? How do now. will from How think you years be doing? you do twenty-five What ourself in the Future (Image Four) ourself in the Future hka, sought of outside asylum Germany, while others, as Kollwitz, such es and w lf ur se August Sander: of Photographs August an Epoch, 1904–1959 osc August Sander: Citizens ofAugust Century,Twentieth the Photographs, Portrait 1892–1952 est ok our g e as K ine y or this activity,or small groups.Ask into students divide your a gesture create to group each h re affected by the suppression of the suppression by affected re political, individual, and artistic rights. artists, Some Ulrich Keller, hat ar F Ask your students to respond to this information.Ask your students to respond to compare Ask them with other family portr Ask your students to define other examples of photographs that they have seen.other examples of photographs your students to consider whether Ask scientific objectivity,or not they feel that the image represents on what they know based photograph.about Sander’s or why not. Ask them why Along withAlong his portraits of farmers,Westerwald the also photographed Sander writers, local or environment. home his photographs made sitter’s in the often Sander was also He photo album at home. or differences. Ask if they notice any similarities Ask them to explain their response. Sander’s frequent trips through Westerwald inspired him to begin him to ambitious endeavor an inspired Westerwald trips frequent through Sander’s main the same? C e Robert Kramer, Robert ou think you will have changed? Do you suppose certain suppose characteristics of Do you changed? willou think you have yourself will e uc mag 10. 9. 3. Banned Art (Image Seven) During the 1930s, in Germany. party power to rose the Nazi artists and intellectuals Many w s 2. The Meaning of Body Language (Image Seven) W messages. instance, For hello. say a hand to wave we can be ambiguous, gestures Some leading differently. them interpret people to the following:that communicates happiness, sadness, fear, anger. I y r ACTIVITIES/PROJECTS 1. Looking at Y • • this self-portraitCompare did earlier. with you the one similarities or any notice Do you differences? to complete the project during the project lifetime, his complete to his son, in 1980 but Gunther, a group published of photographs the in a book called artists, bankers, miners, lawyers, performers, circus musicians, beggars, gypsies. and goal His social and as possible German types professions as thoroughly capture different was to from strata. The organization of of own sense Sander’s was based these images on eco- Germany’s and sociologicalnomic structure at the time, scientific with and was not associated any research. than following Rather a typical social order, hierarchical own philosophy Sander’s and nature, man between connection espoused the strong privileged farmers and therefore because of the earth. ties to their close very particular of the composition about the photograph; be had body to entire the subject’s the knee up.visible from in the photograph else cropped or that these com- believed Sander of maintained a level positional choices scientific objectivity in his work. around 1911 that would span over forty years. over span that would 1911 around A selection of these portraits pub- first was lished in 1929, of as a volume sixty photographs titled Keller (Cambridge:Keller The Press, MIT 1989), 28. in e se t ’ don . Alternatively, Landscape with your selected ? canvas in his painting e Farming Generations Citizens of Century Twentieth the Farming Generations (Image Seven), the artist used his fingernails s or evealing the bar r Compare Sander’s Sander’s Compare the picture? Take some time to discuss what you discuss what you time some to Take the picture? f aph with Sander’ ing o Faces ofFaces Time Our tt lection/depts/photography/blowups/photo_009.html atch marks on the surface of the canvas. left Matisse deliberately the se ol t your photogr ou rg/c e ab Hans Tietze and Erica Tietze-Conrat l l graph as well. further steps away the photograph ten had taken Sander Suppose ma.o e o Web site,Web instance, thoughts For about his work? your what are think that he you do eate small scr a hot ou t hotograph? What do you think you would see? would think you you do What hotograph? .mo escribe what happened when this picture was taken. when this picture escribe what happened m

portrait. of it? How do you think the medium of each work affects your interpretation Explain your ideas. specific this idea further by taking into consideration can explore You techniques the artist used and choices he or she made. instance, For in Kokoschka’s painting to cr spaces between the marks of paint, Consider your own experiences taking pictures, you have seen. or other photographs Return you chose of your family or friends for the class discussion earlier.to the picture How would you compar this lesson or another lesson in this guide. from Choose another portrait Consider the type of medium the artist used. D details:Consider the following in the the photo? How many people were took Who they? Did everyone pose, and who were picture was the Where did people move around? or do you Why included in the photograph? details were other What taken? picture included? think they were ow that you have spent time looking at a few photographs from one of one spent time photographs looking at a few from have you that ow books or Sander’s hoose two or three photographs to compare. photographs to three or hoose two similaritiestheir List and differences. o

• • 5. Faces of Our Time (Image Eight) ofObtain a copy Sander’s Ask your students to bring a photograph to of students your Ask with friends. or family taken themselves Students of the rest to picture their show to can volunteer discussion. for the class • • the p than he actually did. the scene from change point would vantage think this new you do How the p N fr his goal ofachieved of a record creating him during his lifetime? the people around remained in the country ofremained fear for against members. family repercussions the Research impact of during period this in Germany the artists on political events in this guide. an As extension, of examples consider impact their and artists. other on political other events Portraits (Image Eight) 4. Group you can view Sander’s photographs on the following Web sites: Web photographs the following on can view Sander’s you www www.getty.edu/art/collections/bio/a1786-1.html www.metmuseum.org/special/August_Sander/Germany_images.htm C would people in the photograph? or about the person How you tell image each does What example, the photograph? describe when made For he took Sander the decisions you what can y

LESSONS 16 LESSONS 17 . , 11. Faces ofFaces Time Our aphs? August Sander: of Photographs August an Epoch . is the effect of looking at this image by What oup of photogr hy? W 11 acteristics of this person that you excluded? Explain. acteristics of this person Farming Generations someone you know, you someone as a friend member. family or such make you As f received commissions to create portraits create to of commissions received well. people they not know do e esent these details? v ait o (Image Eleven). to consistent according made were photographs Sander’s r epr t certain char r sus looking at it as part of a gr o e ists ha p t rtrait, track of keep the way. along make you the decisions a o ar ther e y purpose of of the experiences compare this activity to students enable is to a creating e hat sorts of things do you want other people to know about this person? How did you to know about this person? hat sorts of things do you want other people ow would you describe the system Sander used to organize these photographs? these photographs? the system Sander used to organize ow would you describe earn more about critics’ responses to Sander’s work. to Sander’s about critics’ responses earn more example, For Thomas the writer compositional choices,compositional as the arrangement such of objects or in space. figures eat Letter from Thomas Mann to Kurt Wolff, Kurt to January Thomas Mann 6, from Letter 1930, Kramer, in guidelines that he had established;guidelines either from appeared that the subject he made sure head to toe. or from the waist up What types of other choices did you make? What choose to r W Ar observation, direct from your portrait Did you create memory, from a photograph? or from Why? Take another look at Take Mann once commented: with ideas and those of other writers Mann’s you suppose Mann meant? Compare do What your own ideas. with these statements? or disagree Do you find that you agree H L This of collection of lovers for photographstreasure-trove is a and unpretentious precise opportunity and an outstanding of the study physiognomy for types human as stamped and socialclass. profession by at Collioure itself ver an Portrait ofPortrait Know You Someone ow do you suppose knowing this information would influence your work? How would you would How work? your influence knowing this information would suppose you do ow r he f our p 11. Suppose you were an artist and were asked to make a portrait make to of asked an artist and were were you Suppose not know. do you someone kinds ofWhat a portrait? create to in order about this person know to like you things would H certain characteristics ofrepresent in the portrait? this person Yourself Looking at a self-portrait.Create working, While the types consider of choose. you materials track Keep o • M • • • A C • 6. Portrait versus Self-Portrait T portrait of and a self-portrait. acquaintance a close • • • Find out more about some of about some more Find out in photographs the other included y the portraits you created for this activity? In your view, you created the portraits these sense to make would it make ortraits before or after looking closely at the portraits in this lesson? Why? this lesson? in or after looking closely at the portraits before ortraits hink about the works of art that you discussed in this lesson.hink about the works play a role these portraits Did n

i p T What did you include in your self-portrait—your face, in your self-portrait—your did you include What why? your body—and you describe your pose? How would a title, to give your work were have for you? If you do these choices kinds of meanings What you call it? what would

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LESSONS 18