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    21 Works to Ring in 2021

    Ring in 2021, and reflect on 2020, with 21 inspiring works from our collection! Each work is associated with a unique theme to help you and your family explore how art can tell diverse stories that reflect our shared humanity. Whether you choose to use these prompts as a jumping-off point for daily dinner conversations or as discussion topics for weekly walks, we hope you find a sense of renewal in these mini-reflections as we look with hope toward the new year.

    Balance

    Shown from the waist down, two pairs of legs, silhouetted in matte gold, float to our left of center from top edge of the composition against a streaks and smears of cobalt blue and muted mint green in this abstract, horizonal print. The image spans two pieces of paper, so there is a narrow white margin down the center. The legs seem to face each other in profile, knees touching or overlapping. One foot in the pair to our right is lifted behind the body and the person to the left stands up on the toes of both feet. A network of stylized stems, leaves, palm fronds, and perhaps narrow tree trunks in rust brown overlays the blue and green field. In pencil under the image in the lower left, an inscription reads, “il sogno del cortile 14/50,” and to the right, “Kay WalkingStick 2004,” though not all the letters are fully articulated.

    Kay WalkingStick, il sogno del cortile (The Courtyard Dream), 2004, color screenprint, collagraph, and lithograph on two sheets of Rives BFK wove paper, Gift of Jon D. Smith, Jr., Harold and Janet Tague, and Riley Temple, 2008.82.12.1–2

    On the left side of this work, two bodies dance amid a magnificent field of colorful plants. They are counterbalanced on the right by more densely rendered vegetation. This interplay between the human art and ritual of dance and the natural world creates a bridge that unifies our internal, spiritual world with the external world around us. Together, the two make a complete, balanced composition. This makes me reflect on the importance of balancing both my inner, mental health with my outer, physical health.   ~ Chrissy Waldron, instructional technologist, User Services

    Look

    Imagine that this work of art could make a sound—what song or sound effects would you hear?

    Connect

    Which parts of your life do you seek to balance? How do you create that balance?

    Create

    Create a diptych—side-by-side image such as this one—to express two aspects of your life that you wish to keep in balance

    Calm

    Shawn Walker, Untitled (Harlem, New York), c. 1980, gelatin silver print, Charina Endowment Fund, 2018.82.4

    Walker captures the most quotidian of winter happenings: snow melting on a sidewalk. I follow the craggy, icy edges of the waning snow as it sinks into the asphalt. My eyes quietly trace the resulting abstract patterns of moisture—reassuring in their persistence, calming in their inevitability—as they move across the picture to meet Walker’s shadow. With the outline of his camera just visible, he stands still, framing Harlem as a site of the everyday, of the passing seasons, and of a tranquil beauty.   ~ Anjuli Lebowitz, exhibition research associate, Department of Photographs

    Look

    What shapes can you see within this image? Trace the edge of the different shapes with your eyes.

    Connect

    What gives you a sense of calm or inner peace?

    Create

    Take a photograph that captures the feeling of calm. It might be a place, time of day, or person that brings you peace. Or create an abstract painting with the colors that bring you a sense of calm.

    Creativity

    Al Loving, Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al, 1972 (later revised), stained, torn, cut, and sewn canvas, and wooden rod, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2013.61.1

    Loving’s painting Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al is a collection of stained bands of cloth, some tied in knots, that hang from a wooden rod. Notably, the bands, which are torn, cut, and sewn, extend from the surface of the wall to the floor. This is a big work of art, both in scale and concept. I am inspired by the artist’s creativity. Loving boldly pushes the traditional definition of what a painting is.   ~ Martha Schloetzer, museum specialist, Division of Education

    Look

    This work is made up of layered lines. Find vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. Slowly trace each line with your eyes.

    Al Loving, Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al, 1972 (later revised),
    stained, torn, cut, and sewn canvas, and wooden rod, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2013.61.1

    Detail of strands of canvas

    Al Loving, Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al, 1972 (later revised),
     stained, torn, cut, and sewn canvas, and wooden rod, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2013.61.1

    Detail of strands of canvas

    Al Loving, Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al, 1972 (later revised),
    stained, torn, cut, and sewn canvas, and wooden rod, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2013.61.1

    Detail of strands of canvas

    Al Loving, Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al, 1972 (later revised), 
    stained, torn, cut, and sewn canvas, and wooden rod, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2013.61.1

    Detail of strands of canvas

    Al Loving, Brownie, Sunny, Dave, and Al, 1972 (later revised),
    stained, torn, cut, and sewn canvas, and wooden rod, Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund, 2013.61.1

    Connect

    Creativity allows us to bring something new into the world by connecting us to the beauty of sound, design, color, movement, ideas, and words. Who are some people you admire for their creativity? When do you feel most creative?

    Create

    Make a work of art with nontraditional materials, perhaps with items found in your kitchen. Play, experiment, imagine. Let the materials push you to be innovative.

    Explore More

    Outliers and American Vanguard Artist Biographies

    Community

    560 panels, each painted a unique, flat color, are hung in a grid to create an abstract work of art. The grid has ten horizontal rows of fifty-six panels. The surface of each panel is covered from edge to edge with a single color. The colors range from mahogany to peach, almond white to dark brown. Some panels are smoothly painted while brushwork is visible on others.

    Byron Kim, Synecdoche, 1991-present, oil and wax on lauan plywood, birch plywood, and plywood, Richard S. Zeisler Fund, 2009.39.1.1-560

    The title of Kim’s Synecdoche refers to a figure of speech in which the whole refers to the sum of its parts, or vice versa. It is a group portrait made up of individual skin tones, arranged alphabetically by the sitter’s first name. The artist continues to add panels to this ongoing work, broadening its scale and representation. Over time, this work has enabled me to see the spectrum of colors that comprise our one human race.   ~ Molly Donovan, curator of contemporary art, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art

    Look

    What does this work of art remind you of?

    Connect

    What does community mean to you? Describe a time when you have been a part of a community—how did that feel?

    Create

    Make your own skin tone portrait. Try mixing a color that approximately matches the color of your forearm. Then, paint a 10 × 8–inch piece of wood or paper, covering the entire surface. Display them with those made by family members or friends.

    Explore More

    Podcast
    Uncovering America: Expressing the Individual

    Connection

    This free-floating sculpture, called a mobile, hangs from the ceiling. Thirteen flat, uniquely shaped paddles are suspended on curving, painted wires in bowing, branch-like forms. Three black crescent shapes hang to our right in this photograph. Ten crimson teardrops, ovals, and rounded triangular forms float in two tiers in an arc that descends gently to our left. The red shapes get smaller as they move away from the black forms. Three of the red shapes are pierced with holes.

    Alexander Calder, Triple Gong, 1951, steel, wire, brass, and paint, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus G. Perls, 1996.120.27

    In Triple Gong, every element is connected yet independently floats freely: when the two upturned hammers connect with the three brass forms, they produce sound. Calder said, “Noise is another whole dimension.” Of his more than 22,000 documented works, around four dozen were designed to be seen and heard. Connection begets connection, as the sounding gong unexpectedly connects the mobile with the ear of the viewer. Unpredictable and ever-changing, Triple Gong connects us to the delight of serendipity.   ~ Emily Pegues, assistant curator, Department of Sculpture and Decorative Arts

    Look

    Describe the shapes. What do they remind you of?

    Connect

    What gives you a sense of connection to the world? What might you do to nurture connections that give you strength, hope, and peace?

    Create

    Experiment with creating a work of art that makes a sound, or a three-dimensional work that interacts with the space around it. As you work, think about how a work of art connects to an audience.

    Explore More

    Tower 2: Alexander Calder
     The Elements of Art: Form

    Courage

    A man wearing a full suit of armor rides a horse on a narrow path alongside a ghoulish, skeletal creature wrapped in snakes and a goat-headed, horned creature, all set again sheer, rocky outcroppings that nearly fill this vertical engraving. The scene is created with fine, black lines built up in hatching and crosshatching to make deep shadows, and is printed on cream-white paper. The armored man rides toward our left in profile with a long lance resting on his right shoulder, farther from us, and the other hand holding the muscular horse’s reins. The lance extends off both sides of the paper and is wrapped with a fox’s tail near the top. The man’s face is wrinkled with deep-set eyes staring straight ahead. He has a prominent, bumped nose and wide mouth closed in a line, with the corner we can see pulled slightly up. The visor of his helmet is pushed up but his eyes are shielded from the creatures beyond the horse by the flaring sides of his helmet. Armor covers every inch of his body, including his hands and feet, and a long sword hangs at his left hip, closer to us. Spanning the width of the composition, his muscular horse walks with one front and one back leg raised and its chin pulled back, also looking straight ahead. A long-haired dog runs in the same direction between the horse’s feet over a lizard scrambling in the opposite direction. Seen between the armored man’s body and his horse’s head, the ghoulish creature at the side of the dirt path wears a spiky crown entwined with a snake and another serpent winds across his shoulders. The creature looks toward the armored man with round, piercing eyes, a hole where the nose should be, and a nearly toothless, gaping maw. He has a long, lanky beard and hair, and he holds up an hourglass topped with a clock-like dial. This creature also rides a horse, whose head hangs close to the ground. To our right, the goat-headed creature looks toward the armored rider with round eyes and its long snout slightly open to show fangs and teeth. Horns curl down to its shoulders and one long, sharp horn, dotted with spikes at the base, curves up and back over the creature’s face. It holds a double-pronged, spear-like halberd like a walking stick. Immediately beyond the group, rocky outcroppings push into the sky. The branches of barren trees and bushes are outlined against the blank, white sky and their craggy roots poke out of the rock. High on a hill in the deep distance is a castle complex or town. A plaque near a human skull resting on a tree stump in the lower left corner has the date of the print and the artist's monogram.

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil, 1513, engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    The courage exemplified by the armored horseman in Dürer’s engraving Knight, Death and Devil feels especially resonant and inspiring for me during this difficult season of isolation and uncertainty. Dürer’s solitary knight focuses his gaze on the unseen horizon even as he is hounded by monsters that aim to slow his progress along an already rocky path. His fortitude—bolstered by the companionship of the dog by his side—will deliver him to the safety of the distant castle just visible at the top of the composition.   ~ Brooks Rich, associate curator, Department of Old Master Prints

    Look

    Find these clues to the story:
    1)  Hourglass (a symbol of time and mortality)
    2) Foxtail speared on knight’s lance (stands for lies)
    3) Dog (a symbol of truth and loyalty)
    4) Scurrying lizard (a hint of coming danger)
    5) Skull (symbol of death)
    6) Death (with a crown of snakes)
    7) Devil (with the face of a goat)
    8) Knight’s shining armor (symbol of faith)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Hourglass (a symbol of time and mortality)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Foxtail speared on knight’s lance (stands for lies)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Dog (a symbol of truth and loyalty)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Scurrying lizard (a hint of coming danger)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Skull (symbol of death)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Death (with a crown of snakes)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Devil (with the face of a goat)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil (detail), 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Knight’s shining armor (symbol of faith)

    Albrecht Dürer, Knight, Death and Devil , 1513
    engraving on laid paper, Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1941.1.20

    Connect

    What does courage mean to you? Discuss with your family the different ways in which people can demonstrate courage.

    Create

    Choose an act of courage that inspires you—it can be from history or the present day. Make a drawing or painting describing that courageous act. As an artist, consider how the setting, characters, facial expressions, gesture, and descriptive details help bring a story to life on the page.

    Explore More

    Albrecht Dürer Biography

    Generosity

    A child and woman stand at the open door of an entryway with black and white marble floors, as the child drops a coin into the hat of a disheveled boy accompanied by a nursing mother across the threshold in this vertical painting. Beyond the entryway, a man and woman look on from a room with a landscape painting hanging over a tall mantle. All the people have pale skin. The child standing with the woman inside, near the door, looks at us with gray eyes. Blond ringlets frame a round face with full cheeks, a snub nose, and parted coral-red lips. The ringlets are tied with butter-yellow ribbons and the rest of the head is covered with a white cap. The child’s garment has a wide, flaring, flat collar, a tight-fitting bodice, and a flaring, floor-length skirt. Pale plum-purple, puffy sleeves are tied with pale yellow and azure-blue ribbons, and a cape of the same fabric lined with pale grass-green falls from the shoulders. A medallion hangs from a thick gold chain looped over the child’s right shoulder, to our left, across to the opposite hip. The child touches the hand of the woman standing behind with one hand, to our right, and drops a silver coin into the proffered hat with the other. The woman’s body faces us but she turns her oval-shaped face to look down at the boy holding out his hat. She wears a scarlet-red, long-sleeved bodice with a wide, white collar over her chest. A taupe-brown apron covers her dark skirt and her bonnet is long on the sides, draping to brush her shoulders. She rests her right hand, to our left, on her stomach and touches the fingertips of the child in front of her with the other. Near the lower right corner of the painting, a small white dog with ginger-brown spots stands on the black and white marble floor, looking up toward the exchange. Light pours into the entryway through the open door and a transom window above it. The walls are light gray and the doorways are surrounded with darker gray molding. A painting of a landscape hangs above the doorway leading to the room beyond. The man and woman there look at us from in front of a mantle that is taller than the woman who stands next to the man, who is seated. The woman’s hair is pulled back under a cap, and she wears a silver-gray dress lined with a wide band of white fur. She holds one hand to her waist and gestures toward the foyer with the other. The man wears a black suit with a wide, flat collar. The floor in this room is a checkerboard pattern of white and brick-red squares, and sky-blue panels with gilded leafy designs cover part of the walls. A carved stone cherub like a small, chubby child, stands on the mantle to our left, next to the landscape painting there. Back in the entryway, across the threshold, the boy steps with one foot onto the floor of the foyer as he holds out his frayed, brimmed hat. He has short-cropped blond hair and wears a mustard-yellow shirt with tattered brown pants. The nursing woman stands next to the door, out of sight of the people inside, holding a baby to one round breast. The boy and woman’s faces, necks, and hands are noticeably tanned, almost orange. Two small children huddle, almost out of sight, in the narrow space between the boy and the left edge of the painting. They look down onto a few light tan disks, perhaps coins, on the step in front of them. In the distance beyond the family are a few trees and buildings beneath a vibrant blue sky with puffy white clouds. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower right corner, “J. Ochtervelt f. 1663.”

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer, 1663, oil on canvas, The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    Accompanied by his nurse, a young boy—probably no more than five or six years old—drops a coin into the hat of the youthful mendicant (or beggar) who, with his mother and younger sibling, has approached this elegant home. Ochtervelt’s sensitive portrayal of the nurse conveys her compassion for the visitors and her gentle encouragement of the boy’s generosity. From the room beyond, the boy’s parents can see that he recognizes the importance of charity toward the less fortunate.   ~ Betsy Wieseman, curator and head, Department of Northern European Painting

    Look

    How many people are in this scene?
    Describe each person’s facial expression, gesture, and attire.
    How does everyone contribute to the story?

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer,  1663, oil on canvas,
    The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    How many people are in this scene? How does everyone contribute to the story?

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer (detail), 1663, oil on canvas,
    The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    Describe each person’s facial expression, gesture, and attire. 

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer (detail), 1663, oil on canvas,
    The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    Describe each person’s facial expression, gesture, and attire. 

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer (detail), 1663, oil on canvas,
    The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    Describe each person’s facial expression, gesture, and attire. 

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer (detail), 1663, oil on canvas,
    The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    Describe each person’s facial expression, gesture, and attire. 

    Jacob Ochtervelt, A Nurse and a Child in an Elegant Foyer, 1663, oil on canvas,
    The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund, 2015.68.1

    Connect

    Think of a time when someone was generous to you. Discuss with your family some of the ways that you can be generous.

    Create

    Share your creativity. Make a work of art to brighten someone’s day!

    Explore More

    Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century

    Gratitude

    Fruit, flowers, birds, small animals, insects, and fish are piled in and set around a woven basket in woodland setting in this vertical still life painting. The color palette is dominated by rich colors of emerald and pine green, plum purple, butter yellow, and pumpkin orange, with touches of silver and robin’s egg blue. The scene is lit strongly from our left, and the background is swallowed in shadow. The wicker basket with its tall, arched handle has been set before a rough-hewn, stone archway. Birds perch in the tree branches above the basket and on the handle. The fruit in the basket includes green, red, and purple grapes, peaches, plums, oranges, and yellow pears. Tendrils of wheat wind through the fruit and leaves, and around the handle. Green, striped gourds sit to our left next to a cantaloupe at the foot of the basket. Green frogs, a living and a dead lizard, a caterpillar, snail, and insects sit, lie, or move on the dirt ground around the gourds and melon. To our right, about a third of the way up the composition, worms spill out of a wooden box from which hang several fishing lines holding silvery fish. A small, ivory-white butterfly with black markings and a patch of vivid orange on each wing sits on the lid of the box. Above the box of bait, a nest with four cream-white eggs is tucked among the branches of a hibiscus plant with pale blue, flaring blossoms. A mossy, narrow oak tree trunk bearing acorns rises behind the basket, in front of the stone arch, and off the top edge of the painting. A fishing rod and a cylindrical wooden case painted golden yellow with rust-red designs are propped at the back of the basket. Dark silhouettes of cattails, rocks, and frogs are shown around a pool of water in the lower left corner.

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest, c. 1675, oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Like a cornucopia, Mignon’s bursting basket of food reminds us of being grateful for the fruits of an abundant harvest, the fresh fish ready to fry, and the wheat to grind for bread. It reminds us to be thankful for life in its many forms—birds, butterflies, insects, frogs, and flowers. This painting makes me reflect on the sense of peace and calm we feel when we have everything we need. It also inspires a sense of generosity for others who have not experienced that same feeling of plenty.   ~ Cynthia Kaufmann, chief, Office of Horticulture Services

    Look

    Find these details that symbolize the bounty of water and land:
    1) Fishing rod
    2) Bait box
    3) Bundle of freshly caught fish
    4) Wheat
    5) Grapes
    6) Melon
    Find these details that symbolize the cycles of life:
    7) Nest with eggs (birth)
    8) Open blossoms (maturity)
    9) Ripe fruit (maturity)
    10) Gnarled tree stump (old age)
    11) Dead lizard (death)

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Fishing rod

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Bait box

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Bundle of freshly caught fish

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Wheat

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Grapes

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Melon

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Nest with eggs (birth)

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Open blossoms (maturity)

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Ripe fruit (maturity)

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Gnarled tree stump (old age)

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest (detail), c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Dead lizard (death)

    Abraham Mignon, Still Life with Fruit, Fish, and a Nest, c. 1695,
    oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. John Heinz III, 1989.23.1

    Connect

    Reflect on what it is that you are most grateful for. It could be simple daily gifts—such as breakfast or books—or larger issues like health and family.

    Create

    Draw or paint your own still life that captures what you are grateful for. That could include the things that have helped you get through the year. You can find objects to symbolize aspects of your life—friends, family, health, school, etc.

    Explore More

    An Eye for Art: Observing Everyday Life—Osias Beert the Elder, Willem Claesz Heda, and Jan Davidsz de Heem (PDF 13.8MB)
    Teaching Resource: Painting in the Dutch Golden Age

    Hope

    A person, outlined in black, lassos two puffy clouds with long ropes, all against an abstract patchwork of rectangles in the background of this horizontal painting. Many of the rectangles are cream white and others are muted tones of pink, beige, tan, and blue. Some darker sage-green, violet, and brick-red rectangles are scattered across the bottom of the composition. A narrow band across the top of the painting is made up of triangles in pale blues, yellows, and pinks. The person is drawn with thin black lines and superimposed over the background. This person stands on the right side of the canvas facing our left, almost in profile. His feet are widely planted and his knees bent. His mouth is wide open, and his curly, shoulder-length hair hides his eyes. He wears a floppy cap on the back of his head. His costume has long sleeves underneath a jerkin-style jacket and loose, knee-length pants. A dagger hangs off his belt on his right hip, and a small pouch hangs near his left hip. His arms extend straight out in front of his body, with a thick, twisted rope wrapped around each forearm. He pulls the ropes taut to catch clouds in the upper center and lower left. A few wisps of clouds fill the upper left corner. A small sailboat floats near the center of the composition on a horizon line that bisects the canvas. Near the boat, swirls and streaks of sky and navy blue, crimson red, and sunflower yellow funnel from a wide base along the left edge of the canvas to a narrow band across the center.

    Sigmar Polke, Hope is: Wanting to Pull Clouds, 1992, polyester resin and acrylic on canvas, Gift of the Collectors Committee, 1993.59.1

    Combining details from a 16th-century woodcut into a scene of patchworked color, this work reminds me that hope is not easy to hold onto. With ropes wrapped tightly around his arms, Polke’s subject has done the impossible: lassoed the clouds. The man strains to pull the clouds toward him, allowing the tiny sailboat safe passage into a vibrant sunrise or sunset. To me, this painting expresses that hope, or optimism, is not easy to have or keep, but can make the impossible a reality.   ~ Samantha Niese, event planning specialist, Office of Special Events

    Look

    What shapes do you see? What colors do you see? What image(s) do you see? Describe them. Why might the artist have made this image to express hope?

    Connect

    Hope is looking toward the future with optimism. What do you hope or dream for? What do you hope for others?

    Create

    What makes you motivated to move forward? Write an acrostic poem inspired by what gives you hope. In an acrostic poem, the first letter of each line forms a word or phrase. The vertical word is usually the poem’s subject. The lines can describe a subject or even tell a brief story about it.

    H ________________________________________
    O ________________________________________
    P ________________________________________
    E ________________________________________


    Explore More

    Learning Resources: Remixes
    Art since 1950 (PDF 2.4MB)

    Humility

    A barefoot man wearing tattered clothing, with his hands clasped at his chest, kneels at the feet of an old, bearded man in this almost square painting. The pair is flanked by five people on our right and a man, boy, and calf on our left. All the people have pale skin. The kneeling man faces our right in profile and tilts his head up to look at the old man who embraces him. The younger man has shaggy, dark brown hair and a heavy five o'clock shadow. A small white dog jumps at his dirty, bare feet. The old man has a long gray beard and wears a black skullcap over gray hair. His voluminous dusty rose-pink cloak drapes over a teal-blue robe. To our right of the pair are a child, a woman, and three men. Some look at the embracing men while the others look at each other. At the front of that grouping, two men have brown hair and wispy mustaches. One wears a golden-yellow tunic and holds a silver tray piled with a shimmering sky-blue and pale pink garment, a bright white shirt, and a pair of sandals. Just beyond him and looking into his face, the second man wears gray with a dark green cloak draped over one shoulder. He holds up a gold ring with a ruby-red stone. To our left of the embracing men, a smiling blond boy leads the calf into the scene. Just beyond him is a thin, muscular man carrying an ax over one shoulder as he gazes down at the boy. The scene is set in a courtyard with walls that extend back on either side. Billowing putty-gray and white clouds fill the background.

    Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1667/1670, oil on canvas, Gift of the Avalon Foundation, 1948.12.1

    On one level, The Return of the Prodigal Son is a scene from a morality play, foreshadowing man’s salvation by Christ. But within the stagey composition, fabric, animals, and figures are very realistically depicted, including the prodigal’s brother, at right, holding the ring, and looking understandably skeptical about his father’s lavish welcome. The prodigal’s parable also reflects a more general psychological reality: on the threshold of adulthood, many children rebel against parental values. Reconciling the parties at odds may require humility from all concerned.    ~ David Essex, curatorial associate, Department of Italian and Spanish Paintings

    Look

    Imagine what each person is thinking or feeling in this moment. What different perspectives might they be experiencing of this shared moment in time?

    Connect

    Humility is being modest, humble, and unpretentious; considering others’ views and needs as important as our own; and admitting mistakes and learning from them. When have you experienced a moment of humility (in yourself or others)?

    Create

    Try an exercise in perspective-taking. Write a poem from someone else’s point of view. Choose a figure from Murillo’s painting or select another painting to explore. Try to imagine the individual’s perspective as you complete these phrases:

    I am _____________________
    I wonder __________________
    I see _____________________
    I feel _____________________
    I hear ____________________
    I worry ____________________
    I think ____________________
    I dream ___________________

    Explore More

    Spanish Paintings of the Fifteenth through Nineteenth Centuries (PDF 42MB)

    Humor

    Honoré Daumier, Auguste-Hilarion, Comte de Kératry, model c. 1832/1835, cast 1929/1930, bronze, Rosenwald Collection, 1943.3.4

    The exaggerated facial features and unpretentious treatment of the surface of this portrait make Daumier’s sculpture an excellent representative of his caricatural portrait busts. Although Daumier exaggerates his subject’s long, crooked nose, short neck, and wide, Cheshire-cat smile, I can’t help but think that his portrait busts were nevertheless truer to life than any other portrait or photograph. When I look at Daumier’s sculptures, I like to picture who each caricature might be in today’s popular culture: to me, this portrait reminds me of the Penguin character portrayed by Danny DeVito in the film Batman Returns (1992).   ~ Sarah Turner, museum technician, Office of Media Productions

    Look

    Daumier made a series of caricatures of French members of Parliament, exaggerating their facial features for satirical effect. What do you think Auguste-Hilarion’s personality was like?

    Connect

    What makes you laugh? Why might humor be important?

    Create

    Draw or sculpt a caricature of someone you know or someone in the news: exaggerate the features that make that individual unique.

    Explore More

    Exhibition: Sense of Humor

    Joy

    Alma Thomas, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, 1969, acrylic on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac), 2015.19.145

    I am captivated by Thomas’s visual poetry—her colorful brushwork joyfully dances across the canvas with a rhythm that lifts my heart. Thomas took her inspiration from everyday encounters with nature—a tree in her front yard, flowers in her garden, the starry sky. She translated her experiences of the world into abstract compositions, where color, line, shape, pattern, repetition, gesture, and texture sing in harmony.   ~ Nathalie Ryan, senior educator, Division of Education

    Look

    Describe the colors, shapes, and lines that you see. How do the colors, lines, and shapes contribute to the mood or feeling of this work of art? Why do you think the artist gave the work the title Tiptoe Through the Tulips?

    Connect

    What gives you joy, peace, and happiness? How do you bring joy to others?

    Create

    Make joyful marks. Experiment with different tools (paintbrush, marker, pastel, pen, pencil, fingers) and colors. Discover how you can express joy through the different lines, shapes, and marks that you make.

    Explore More

    Alma Thomas: Create a Color Square!

    Love

    We look slightly down onto a woman dressed in golden yellows, sitting in a pale green chair, with a nude child sitting in her lap as they both gaze into a mirror in this vertical portrait painting. Both the people have pale, peachy skin. The chair is angled to our left so the woman’s knees and child cant down toward the lower left corner of the composition, and the woman leans onto the arm closer to us. The chair is painted mint green and the rose-pink upholstery is visible on the seat and a corner behind the woman’s shoulder. To our right, the woman’s vibrant, copper-colored hair is pulled loosely to the back of her head. She has a rounded nose, flushed cheeks, and her full, coral-pink lips are closed. Her long dress has a low, U-shaped neckline. The fabric shimmers from pale, cucumber green to light sunshine yellow. The sleeves of the dress split over the shoulder and a second long, goldenrod-yellow sleeve falls from her elbow off the bottom edge of the canvas. An oversized sunflower, larger than the woman’s face, is affixed to her dress near her left shoulder, closer to us. She looks with dark eyes down toward the small, gold-rimmed mirror she holds in her right hand, farther from us. The child also holds the handle of the mirror with both hands, and in the reflection, the child looks back at us with dark eyes, a button nose, and pink lips. The child’s hair in the reflection is the same copper color as the woman’s, but the child on her lap has blond, shoulder-length hair. The woman rests one hand on the child’s left shoulder, closer to us. The child has a rounded belly and smooth, rosy limbs. The woman and child are reflected in a second mirror hanging on the wall alongside them, opposite us. Their reflections are very loosely painted. The wall behind the pair is sage green across the top and it shifts to fawn brown across the bottom. Brushstrokes are visible throughout, especially in the woman’s dress and hair, and are more blended in the bodies and faces. The artist signed the painting in the lower right corner, “Mary Cassatt.”

    Mary Cassatt, Woman with a Sunflower, c. 1905, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection, 1963.10.98

    Until recently, I viewed this painting through the lens of sentimentality often associated with Cassatt’s domestic scenes. While there is no doubt that this painting is a tender depiction of the love between a mother and child, recent scholarship has offered me the opportunity to see it differently and have a deeper understanding of the artist’s intent. The large sunflower at the center of the composition was associated with the women’s suffrage movement, a cause dear to Cassatt’s heart, and conveys a powerful message about the changing role of women in society.   ~ Michelle Bird, curatorial associate, Department of French Paintings

    Look

    What parts of the painting catch your eye? How do the colors, lines, and shapes move your eye around the composition?

    Connect

    Who do you love? What issues are you passionate about? How do you show love through your words and actions? 

    Create

    Write a love letter to your favorite work of art. Tell it what you love about it. You can use the writing prompt below to get you started.

    Dear [work of art],
    I love your . . .
    You remind me of . . .
    You make me think about . . .
    I wish . . .

    Explore More

    Blog: Mary Cassatt’s Suffragist Symbolism
    An Eye for Art: Observing Everyday Life—Mary Cassatt (PDF 10.1MB)

     

    Loyalty

    Two large dogs approach a man lying unconscious and mostly buried in the snow in this horizontal painting. The head of the man comes toward us, at the lower center of the composition, and the dogs are close to us. In the center of the painting, a large tan and white dog has short, glossy fur and floppy ears, and its jowly mouth hangs open with the pink tongue visible. It paws at the snow partially covering most of the body of the man, who wears an olive-green coat with a fur collar and white shirt. The dog looks up to our right, and its body and white-tipped tail recede diagonally into the picture to the left. There is a red blanket with black edging over the dog’s back, and the hound wears a wide, fur-lined silver collar ornamented with metalwork lions and bells. The second dog, a dark brown brindle color, sits to the immediate left of the first dog. It gazes down at the prone person and bends its head down to lick a bare pale, pink hand that protrudes from under the snow. The brindle dog wears a small barrel around its neck on a brown buckled leather collar. The man’s dark brown hair falls over the snow. His pale gray face is upward, and his shoulders are visible while his arms splay out, and the rest of his body, extending into the picture, is covered with snow. The man’s eyes are closed. His right hand, in a tan leather glove, reaches toward us from the snow, while a green velvet cap with a red ribbon lies under the hand. The scene is enclosed by large, angular, steel and blue-gray boulders and rock formations, with two craggy pine trees above. Beyond lies a mountain landscape with a V-shaped pass at the center top framed by the steep ascent of jagged, snowy hillsides and a sliver of blue sky. A blocky stone building is nestled in among the crags to our right. On a path leading from the building, three bearded men wearing black caps and robes hurry toward the dogs. The nearest of them holds up a staff with a cross on the top and waves or signals to the men farther back along the path.

    Sir Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler, 1820, oil on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund, 2019.120.1

    Loyalty demands dedication, faithfulness, commitment, and the strength to do that which others will not or cannot do. Here, in the Great Saint Bernard Pass in the Alps, two determined dogs are bent on rescuing a lost traveler they have discovered buried in snow. The monks of the hospice there bred such dogs for exactly this purpose. For these dogs saving victims of weather and terrain was their duty in life, and the cause to which they gave their unquestioned and undying loyalty.   ~ Franklin Kelly, chief curator and Christiane Ellis Valone Curator of American Paintings

    Look

    Find these clues to the story:
    1) Dog collar with bells and lion (symbol of courage)
    2) Small keg of brandy to revive the wounded traveler
    3) Red blanket marked with “St B” to warm the wounded traveler
    4) Monks from the nearby St. Bernard monastery
    What do you think might happen next?

    Sir Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (detail), 1820, 
    oil on canvas, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2019.120.1 

    Dog collar with bells and lion (symbol of courage)

    Sir Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (detail), 1820, 
    oil on canvas, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2019.120.1 

    Small keg of brandy to revive the wounded traveler

    Sir Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (detail), 1820, 
    oil on canvas, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2019.120.1 

    Red blanket marked with “St B” to warm the wounded traveler

    Sir Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler (detail), 1820, 
    oil on canvas, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2019.120.1 

    Monks from the nearby St. Bernard monastery

    Sir Edwin Landseer, Alpine Mastiffs Reanimating a Distressed Traveler, 1820,
    oil on canvas, Patrons’ Permanent Fund, 2019.120.1 

    Connect

    What does loyalty mean to you? Discuss with your family when/where you feel loyal. Why is this an important trait?

    Create

    You might be loyal to a pet, a friend, or family members. You might feel loyal to an athletic team, hometown, or social or environmental issue. Make a drawing that expresses your concept of loyalty.

    Reflection

    María Berrío, A Sunburst Restrained, 2019, collage with Japanese paper and watercolor on canvas, Gift of Erika and John Toussaint, 2020.2.1

    Berrío captures her two subjects lounging amid a sea of pastel and neon colors that, to me, have a sun-kissed energy. The two women, their cheeks flushed, rest their heads against their hands in a way that seems to signify a weighty fatigue that contrasts with their light and airy garments. Both stare out of the painting to a place beyond the viewer. They appear lost in the moment as they reflect, perhaps on their day’s tasks. As a viewer, I cannot help but be caught in their state of deep meditation.   ~ Tyrese Davis, management analyst, Administrative Services Division

    Look

    What mood or feeling does this work of art communicate? Why? How does the artist create the feeling of a sunlit courtyard in her image?

    Connect

    How do you build time for reflection into your day, week, year? What are the benefits of taking time to reflect?

    Create

    Draw or paint a self-portrait. Use a mirror to study yourself as you work. Reflect on how you might show your interior thoughts and feelings through artistic choices.

    Resilience

    The spruce-green silhouette of a broad-shouldered man standing among palm fronds looks up at a faint red star against a field of green circles radiating out from the horizon in this abstracted vertical painting. The scene is made with mostly flat areas of color to create silhouettes in shades of slate and indigo blue, lemon-lime and pea green, plum purple, and brick red. To our right of center, the man faces our left in profile. His eye is a slit and he has tight curly hair. The position of his feet, standing on a coffin-shaped, brick-red box, indicate his back is to us. He stands with legs apart and his arms by his sides. Terracotta-orange shackles around his wrists are linked with a black chain. A woman to our left, perhaps kneeling, holds her similarly shackled hands up overhead. A line of shackled people with their heads bowed move away from this pair, toward wavy lines indicating water in the distance. The water is pine green near the shore and lightens, in distinct bands, to asparagus green on the horizon. On our left, two, tall pea-green ships sail close to each other at the horizon, both titled at an angle to our right. Concentric circles radiate out from the horizon next to the ships to span the entire painting, subtly altering the color of the silhouettes it encounters. To our left, a buttercup-yellow beam shines from the red star in the sky across the canvas, overlapping the man’s face. Spruce-blue palm trees grow to our right while plum-purple palm fronds and leaves in smoke gray and blood red frame the painting along the left corners and edge. The artist signed the painting in the lower right, in black, “AARON DOUGLAS.”

    Aaron Douglas, Into Bondage, 1936, oil on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase and partial gift from Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr., The Evans-Tibbs Collection), 2014.79.17

    In Into Bondage, Douglas depicts African people forced to walk toward their own enslavement in the Americas. With Douglas’s recognizable painting style, silhouetted figures and rich shades of pink, yellow, blue, and green fill the scene. The central figure looks to a star, likely the North Star. Decades before the Civil War, African Americans escaping Southern plantations on the Underground Railroad used the North Star as their guiding beacon. This star represents hope, resilience, and a path to freedom.   ~ Mel Harper, associate projects manager, Interpretive Resources, Division of Education

    Look

    What mood or feeling is expressed here? What makes you say that? How do the colors, lines, and shapes contribute to the feeling of this work?

    Connect

    Think of a time when you had to overcome adversity. Think of a person from history who has had to overcome adversity. What qualities help you develop resilience?

    Create

    Brainstorm a list of your personal strengths—qualities, skills, and tasks that you do well. Design a poster with all the words on it. When you are facing disappointment, loss, or challenges, look at this list to remind yourself of the skills that you can use to overcome adversity.

    Explore More

    Blog: Look to the Light
    American Paintings, 1900–1945
    Uncovering America: Harlem Renaissance

    Resourcefulness

    Andy Goldsworthy, Leafhorn, 1994, sweet chestnut leaves, Gift of Emily and Mitchell Rales in Honor of Victoria Sant, 2019.41.1

    When I first saw Leafhorn shortly after it arrived at the Gallery, I was struck by how delicate yet resilient it appeared. The work is made entirely from sweet chestnut leaves, a material that the artist gathered and selected in his hometown in Scotland. Today, over 25 years after its making, these leaves remain intact and the sculpture holds its spiral, cornucopia-like shape. You can still see the organic veins weaving in and out of the work’s papery layers.   ~ Emily Ann Francisco, curatorial assistant, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art

    Look

    What does the shape of this sculpture remind you of? Examine its texture. What might it feel like to hold this sculpture?

    Andy Goldsworthy, Leafhorn, 1994, sweet chestnut leaves,
    Gift of Emily and Mitchell Rales in Honor of Victoria Sant, 2019.41.1

    Detail of Leafhorn

    Andy Goldsworthy, Leafhorn, 1994, sweet chestnut leaves,
    Gift of Emily and Mitchell Rales in Honor of Victoria Sant, 2019.41.1

    Detail of Leafhorn

    Andy Goldsworthy, Leafhorn, 1994, sweet chestnut leaves,
    Gift of Emily and Mitchell Rales in Honor of Victoria Sant, 2019.41.1

    Detail of Leafhorn

    Andy Goldsworthy, Leafhorn, 1994, sweet chestnut leaves,
    Gift of Emily and Mitchell Rales in Honor of Victoria Sant, 2019.41.1

    Detail of Leafhorn

    Connect

    How are you (and your family) resourceful? How might you be more resourceful in repurposing materials from your environment?

    Create

    Take a nature walk. See what natural materials you find as you wander along the way. Examine the colors and shapes of nature. Study patterns and designs. Touch different materials. Compare their texture, weight, and size. What did you learn during your walk? Did you see something that you’ve never noticed before? Like Goldsworthy, you might be inspired to make a work of art during your walk. Take a photo to remember it.

    Explore More

    Blog: Swept Drawings
    An Eye for Art: Studying Nature—Andy Goldsworthy (PDF 5.7MB)

    Respect

    Shown from the knees up, a woman with brown, wrinkled skin, wearing a white blouse, apron, and black skirt is shown in front of a pale gray background in this vertical portrait painting. Straight-backed, she faces and looks at us with her hands resting in her lap. Her wavy, iron-gray hair is parted in the center and pulled back from her face. Her eyebrows are slightly raised, and her face is deeply lined down her cheeks and around her mouth. She wears a heart-shaped brooch with a red stone at its center at her neck and a gold band on her left ring finger. The light coming from our left casts a shadow against the wall to our right. The artist signed and dated the painting in the lower right corner: “A.J. MOTLEY. JR. 1922.”

    Archibald John Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother, 1922, oil on canvas, Patrons' Permanent Fund, Avalon Fund, and Motley Fund, 2018.2.1

    I am always struck by the detail with which Motley described his grandmother’s face and hands. Their lines, contours, and shading show age and work. They visualize his love and reverence for her. This portrait is my favorite Motley work, for beyond its display of his virtuosity as an artist, it recalls my love and respect for my own grandparents, who taught me empathy, kindness, humility, and generosity.   ~ Steven Nelson, dean, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts

    Look

    Describe the choices that Motley made when he painted his grandmother—what is she wearing, how is she posed, what is the expression on her face, and what aspects of her identity or personality have been emphasized? If you could interview Motley’s grandmother, what would you want to ask her?

    Archibald John Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother, 1922, oil on canvas, 
    Patrons’ Permanent Fund, Avalon Fund, and Motley Fund, 2018.2.1

    What do you see? What is she wearing? How is she posed?

    Archibald John Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother (detail), 1922, oil on canvas, 
    Patrons’ Permanent Fund, Avalon Fund, and Motley Fund, 2018.2.1

    What is the expression on her face?

    Archibald John Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother (detail), 1922, oil on canvas, 
    Patrons’ Permanent Fund, Avalon Fund, and Motley Fund, 2018.2.1

    What aspects of her identity or personality have been emphasized?

    Archibald John Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother (detail), 1922, oil on canvas, 
    Patrons’ Permanent Fund, Avalon Fund, and Motley Fund, 2018.2.1

    What aspects of her identity or personality have been emphasized?

    Archibald John Motley Jr., Portrait of My Grandmother, 1922, oil on canvas, 
    Patrons’ Permanent Fund, Avalon Fund, and Motley Fund, 2018.2.1

    Connect

    Make a list of all the people you respect. Then, reflect: What qualities do these individuals possess that makes you admire them?

    Create

    Draw or paint a portrait of someone you respect. Consider including details in your work that describe the qualities that inspired your respect.

    Explore More

    Uncovering America: Faces of America—Portraits
    Blog: Tribute to a Grandmother
    Online Feature: Harlem Renaissance

    Strength

    Three people with dark brown skin lie on a marigold-orange ground that extends toward a high horizon line in this stylized, vertical painting. An ant and two other bugs cling to a screen of tall, moss-green, flame-shaped leaves that span the width of the composition and separate us from the people. Beyond the leaves, the large soles and rounded toes of the woman’s feet are almost half the height of the painting. She holds a rifle against her body, which is enclosed in a mostly round, periwinkle-blue shape with narrow strips of cranberry-red around the top, left, and bottom. Her head is tilted sharply to our left, her ear near her shoulder so her face points upward in profile. Her nose and mouth are created with thin strokes of golden yellow. Her closed eyes are marked with slivers of white, and a raspberry-pink scarf covers her hair. A slender green stem with pointed leaves rises at an angle next to her head. Beyond her, a man lies with his body curled, so his body curves toward us with his head to our right. He wears only black, shin-length pants. His bald head rests on crossed arms, and his ankles are also crossed. His closed eyes are painted with white and his features outlined in gold, like the woman. Just behind him, a woman curls around an object held in one large hand. Fields of pink and blue, in the same shades as the other woman, read as a blue cap and skirt, and a pink wrap or blanket. A round, brown shape within an off-white field appears to be a baby cradled close to her head. One tall, blade-like leaf grows up behind her shoulders. The orange ground comes to a point to our left of center and dips down to our right. The area beneath the straight horizon line is filled in with midnight blue, nearly black. Above, a sapphire-blue band fills the top quarter of the composition. The artist signed and dated the lower right, “Jacob Lawrence 67.”

    Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak - A Time to Rest, 1967, tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

    In Daybreak—A Time to Rest, Lawrence gives permission to Harriet Tubman, the courageous conductor of the Underground Railroad, to rest. He depicts her not as a hero on a plinth, but as a human who must regain strength to lead her passengers to safety. As she lies down, we can study the soles of her feet. Oversized and misshapen, they embody the hard journey from enslavement to freedom. Her soles are a reminder that sustained strength is found in rest.  ~ Jeannette Shindell, gallery support specialist, Office of the Director

    Look

    Examine these details that help tell the story:
    1) Baby in mother’s arms
    2)  Harriet Tubman’s feet
    3) Walking stick (a symbol of the walking stick that Tubman used)
    4) Ant (a symbol of something small that carries a large load on its back)

    Describe the way in which Jacob Lawrence tells Harriet Tubman’s story. What colors does he use, what shapes, and perspective? How has the artist chosen to show Tubman’s personal and physical strength?

    Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak – A Time to Rest (detail), 1967, 
    tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

    Baby in mother’s arms

    Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak – A Time to Rest (detail), 1967, 
    tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

    Harriet Tubman’s feet

    Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak – A Time to Rest (detail), 1967, 
    tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

    Walking stick (a symbol of the walking stick that Tubman used)

    Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak – A Time to Rest (detail), 1967, 
    tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

    Ant (a symbol of something small that carries a large load on its back)

    Jacob Lawrence, Daybreak – A Time to Rest, 1967, 
    tempera on hardboard, Anonymous Gift, 1973.8.1

    Connect

    Reflect on your heroes: What are their strengths?

    Create

    Make a drawing or painting to honor one of your heroes. How will you show their strengths by the choices you make as an artist?

    Explore More

    An Eye for Art: Telling Stories—Jacob Lawrence (PDF 7.5MB)
    Black Art & Artists in the Collection

    Wisdom

    Shown from the waist up, an older man with pale, peachy skin looks out at us with deep-set, gray eyes under a furrowed brow, in front of a sable-brown background in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled to our left, and his face turns to us. He has a faintly pink, bulbous nose, and his slightly sunken cheeks are shaded with gray. His peach-colored lips are framed with a wispy, gray mustache and goatee. Bronze-orange lines are incised within the battleship gray of his hair to create soft curls under his brown beret, which has gold trim around the base. The dark collar of his fawn-brown coat is turned up so his neck is covered. He is lit from the upper left, so his body and the right side of the painting are deeply shadowed. On our left, the canvas is painted with blended strokes of tawny and dark brown. His dark coat blends into the background, and his folded hands are in shadow in the lower left corner. The brushstrokes are visible in some areas, especially in the man’s face. The painting is signed and dated next to his shoulder, to our left, “Rembrandt f. 1659.”

    Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1659, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.72

    When I look at this painting, I think about how an artist’s innate wisdom and artistic skill are developed over a lifetime of work. I cannot help thinking about the man holding the brush, and in the brief moments before paint was applied to canvas, how each previous piece of work guided his hand. After that pause, he applied each stroke of paint purposefully and confidently, using color and texture to create form, and not a single stroke of paint appears misplaced.   ~ Dina Anchin, associate conservator, Painting Conservation

    Look

    What aspects of his appearance and personality has Rembrandt chosen to feature?

    Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1659, oil on canvas,
    Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.72

    What aspects of his appearance and personality has Rembrandt chosen to feature?

    Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait (detail), 1659, oil on canvas,
    Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.72

    What aspects of his appearance and personality has Rembrandt chosen to feature?

    Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait (detail), 1659, oil on canvas,
    Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.72

    What aspects of his appearance and personality has Rembrandt chosen to feature?

    Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, 1659, oil on canvas,
    Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.72

    Connect

    What wisdom have you appreciated?

    Create

    Write a letter to your future self sharing all the wisdom you wish to remember, your reflections on the past year, and your hopes for the future. Seal the envelope and mark your calendar to open it on your birthday in 2022!

    Explore More

    An Eye for Art: Exploring Places—Rembrandt van Rijn (PDF 9.7MB)
    Teaching Resource: Painting in the Dutch Golden Age
    Video: Rembrandt
    Video: Self-Portrait, 1659, Rembrandt van Rijn

    Wonder

    We hover over the bottle-green surface of a river as it rushes toward a horseshoe-shaped waterfall that curves away from us in this horizontal landscape painting. The water is white and frothy right in front of us, where the shelf of the riverbed changes levels near the edge of the falls. Across from us, the water is also white where it falls over the edge. A thin, broken rainbow glints in the mist near the upper left corner of the painting and continues its arc farther down, between the falls. The horizon line is just over halfway up the composition. Plum-purple clouds sweep into the composition at the upper corners against a lavender-colored sky. Tiny trees and a few buildings line the shoreline to the left and right in the deep distance.

    Frederic Edwin Church, Niagara, 1857, oil on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund), 2014.79.10

    I wonder at the falls’ scale and power—the dizzying height, thundering water, and vast expanse from one side to the other. I wonder at the artist’s skill in invoking my senses but also my mortality, as my awe before nature soon turns to wonder at how I am meant to experience this scene. Am I safe on a ledge, just above the drop? Or am I about to follow the path of the tree limb, nearing the falls’ edge just ahead?   ~ Catherine Southwick, curatorial associate, Department of American and British Paintings

    Look

    What does this work of art make you wonder? Imagine that you are standing at the edge of the falls: What would you hear, smell, feel?

    Connect

    What in nature inspires you? What do you find beautiful and mysterious?

    Create

    Find something in nature that gives you awe—it can be small or large. Take some time to examine it closely. Then, draw or paint a record of that experience.

    Explore More

    Uncovering America: People and the Environment
    Video: Seeing in Detail: Frederic Church and the Language of Landscape