READ A WORK OF ART AS YOU WOULD READ A BOOK Art is a powerful pathway into the Hawai‘i Common Core

Learn more at Observe Describe Interpret Connect HawaiiPublicSchools.org Look closely and quietly. What do you see? What do you think this What does this remind you of? painting is about and Why? What more do you want what makes you say that? to know? Why? ON THE COVER: The Artwork: Connecting to Standards The Lei Maker Analyze how two or more texts address American (1859 1939) similar themes or topics in order to build more A er only two days on O‘ahu, the painter knowledge or to compare the approaches the The Lei Maker, 1901 was quoted by the Evening Bulletin authors take.

Oil on canvas newspaper as saying, “…The  ower girls CCSS.ELA LITERACY.CCRA.R.9 35 5/8 x 29 in. on the street corners a ord an abundance of material for paintings of originality and Understand and apply art materials, techniques with wealth of local color…I think a series and process in the creation of works of art and of pictures representing Hawaiian life understand how the visual arts communicate would be looked upon in the art circles as ideas, feelings and experiences. an innovation.” As he had done in Japan, Content and Performance Standards III Fine Arts-Standard 1: Visual Arts Wores hoped to capture the daily life and spirit of the islands before it gave way to Western in uence. Sample prompts for writing While Wores observed people making lei and/or discussion: in downtown , this painting was actually painted in a studio. The previous • Why do you think Wores choose to do this owners of this work have a photograph particular portrait? What might you infer from the clothing, objects and setting? that shows the girl in the painting posing for Wores, holding an ‘ilima lei. Wores’ • If you were going to paint a portrait that would widow identi ed the girl in the portrait as capture Hawai‘i today, what might you paint Lizzie Victor. How might Lizzie Victor have and why? What objects would you include? felt while having her portrait painted? Where would the setting be? What type of clothing would be worn? Consider the six elements of portraiture (facial expression, eyes, gesture, clothing, setting, objects) as you discuss/write about or create your portrait.

• The Honolulu Museum of Art has several The Artist: portraits by artists who tried to capture Hawai‘i at a particular time and place. The previous Theodore Wores Observe, Describe, Interpret, Connect two posters in the Common Core Poster Series BORN IN SAN FRANCISCO IN 1859, to (ODIC) (Hawaiian Troubadour and Study of Hawaiian Hungarian-German parents, Theodore Four simple steps to engage with art: Fish) were done by Hubert Vos. Ask students to compare and contrast two of the works using Wores went on to become a well-known The key to this looking strategy is to prompt the six elements of portraiture, giving speci c students to describe and report as much as they California Impressionist painter. When examples. Ask students which portrait they see, with evidence from within the artwork. he was 16, he attended the Royal think best conveys the spirit of Hawai‘i. Ask You may be surprised what they come up Academy in Munich, Germany, then them to explain their opinion with details from with given the opportunity to just look. the portraits. spent the next six years painting and The hardest part is allowing time to look on traveling in Europe with his mentor, their own—resist the urge to share what you • Wores wanted to “immortalize the vanishing the American painter Frank Duveneck. see or what you think they should see. spirit of Hawai‘i.” Explain what this means By the time Wores returned to San OBSERVE: Start by taking a minute or two to and whether you think Wores was successful Francisco in 1881, he had adopted do some silent, close looking. in doing this. Use speci c details from the Duveneck’s method of using color to magazine article “Lizzie” (found on the represent sunlight and shadow in DESCRIBE: Have students describe what they Honolulu Museum of Art website) and the see, using evidence from within the artwork. paintings. Preferring bright colors, painting in your response. What is the rst thing you notice? Where do you similar to the work of Impressionist see that? Think about the elements of portraiture Visit honolulumuseum.org, artists in France at the time, Wores (facial expression, eyes, gesture, clothing, setting chose to paint outdoors—a practice and objects) as you describe what you see. Use click on Learn in the menu called plein air painting—in addition quantity, size, and color words to better describe and go to Teacher Resources. to working on studio commissions. the elements. Wores was the first artist to seriously INTERPRET: Have students interpret what depict scenes and portraits from San they see by thinking about the time, place, Francisco’s Chinatown. Over the next mood, intention, and content of the painting. decade, he also lived and painted in Japan. On his way to Japan in 1892, his CONNECT: Have students connect the artwork ship stopped for one day in Honolulu, to their own lives to make it relevant. which he captured with quick oil Does this remind you of something from your sketches. Wores vowed to return, and did own life? Can you relate to what’s going on in this picture? What more do you want to know? If you in 1901. During Wores’s 18-month stay in could ask the artist one question about the image, Hawai‘i, he painted what is considered what would it be? one of his best works—The Lei Maker, which was donated to the Honolulu The museum o ers: Museum of Art in 1986. Free guided school tours Teacher resources Lending Collection Outreach programs Art School classes To learn more, go to honolulumuseum.org and click on Learn