AO Picture Study Schedule

We encourage Ambleside Online listmembers to follow this term calendar as a group for Artists, Composers, Plutarch, Shakespeare, Folksongs and Hymns. Staying on schedule together for these subjects is voluntary, but greatly enriches our studies as it enables us to share timely and topical resources and experiences on the list.

Just as a small point of interest, our policy of only using works of art that are available online for picture study is also the reason why we don't choose works of art for next term until nearly the end of the previous term- in the early days when we chose further ahead we found that we had to do the search work all over again at term time, because the websites we had chosen had moved their pictures around, so the links didn't quite work anymore.;-/

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2002-2003 TERM 1 (Lee-Anne Penny's Study Notes)

John Singleton Copley (American, 1738-1815)

1. Paul Revere, 1768-70 Image and commentary

2a. Watson and the Shark 1778 Larger image or here

[PLEASE NOTE: This is perhaps the best known of Copley's works, and depicts an actual

event; however, it is graphic. Please preview to determine whether it is suitable for your

children's sensitivities. We offer an alternate work for those who prefer.]

2b. (Alternate selection) The Copley Family, 1776-7 Larger image

3. The Red Cross Knight, 1793

Gilbert Stuart (American, 1755 - 1828)

1. The Skater (Portrait of William Grant) 1782 Larger image

2. Joseph Brant, 1786

3. George Washington (Lansdowne Portrait) Image with historical information

2002-2003 TERM 2

Edgar Degas (day-GAH) (French, 1834-1917)

1. The Dance Class, 1873-75; smaller

2. The Little Dancer (sculpture)(executed ca. 1880 or 1881; cast in 1922) Different angle

3. Race Horses, 1885 Discussion of Race Horses or here (quoting the same text):

Of all the famous artists of their time, Degas and Manet were the two who painted race

horses. The race course at Longchamp near Paris had opened recently and horse racing

was very popular at the time. Both artists liked to paint unconventional views of the horses.

Here is a race horse painting by Manet for comparison to Degas: Races at Longchamp, c.

1867

More Degas art for further study:

L'etoile OR La danseuse sur la scene (The Star OR Dancer on Stage) 1878, T he Orchestra of the Paris Opera 1868-69, Place de la Concorde (Portrait of Vicomte Lepic, his daughters, and his dogs) 1875, Ballet Dancers and Theater (no nudes). These two race horse pictures are early examples of Degas' work, unlike selection #3 above, which is late and done in different media: Aux courses en province (At the Races in the Country) c. 1872, de Chevaux a Longchamp (Racehorses at Longchamp) 1871, possibly reworked in 1874.

Degas pictures of women bathing, horses, and other things:

Tour: Edgar Degas

300 works searchable by theme, date, technique, and a short bio:

Degas biography and discussion of paintings: (NOTE: Please pre-read; may require

parental editing.)

Biography and a bit of info about the Little Dancer:

More detailed biography:

Biography and 117 small images of Degas art

Édouard Manet (man-AY) (French, 1832-1883)

4. Concert in the Tuileries, 1860-62 Brief discussion of the painting at Artchive: or here

OR Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe (The Picnic, or Luncheon on the Grass), (contains nudity;

included because it is arguably his most famous painting) More information about

Luncheon on the Grass:and also at the Artchives site mentioned above.

5. The Railway Discussion of this painting

6. Le Bar aux Folies-Bergère, or here 1881-82;Painting briefly discussed at the Artchives:

(NOTE: For vocabulary, look up "peinture claire," a technique developed by Manet.)

Good discussion of Manet's works:

Tour: Manet and His Influence

Eighteen more Manet works (includes nudity):

Fifteen more Manet paintings of people:

Huge list of Manet's work with a little discussion (non-authoritative):

2002-2003 TERM 3

In an effort to emphasize the goals of a CM education for art study, Picasso is being replaced with selected works of The Hudson River School Artists -Cole, Church, Cropsey, & Durand, 19th Century, American

Thomas Cole (1801-1848)

Read a 14-page article about Thomas Cole by David Quine, Adventures in Art, Cornerstone Curriculum (first appeared in Home Schooling Today.) Used with persission. This is a pdf file and requires Acrobat Reader, a free download, to view. There is also another article about the Hudson River School artists online here from World Magazine; registration is required to view but is currently free of charge.

1 & 2. Voyage of Life, 1842 (An allegorical series of 4 paintings, always exhibited together.

Take 2-4 weeks with these, as you think best.) Oil on canvas, each approx. 55 X 77 in.

Two original sets: 1) National Gallery of the Arts, Washington, DC 2) Munson-Williams

Proctor Institute, Utica, NY

3. View From Mount Holyoke, Northampton, Massachusetts, after a Thunderstorm

("The Oxbow"), 1836 Oil on canvas, 51 1/2 X 76 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Frederick Edwin Church (1826-1900)

4. Niagara, 1857 Oil on canvas, 42 1/2 X 90 1/2 in. Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

5. Heart of the Andes, 1859 Oil on canvas, 66 X 119 in. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900)

6. Autumn -- On The Hudson River, 1860 Oil on canvas, 60 X 108 in. National Gallery of

Art, Washington, DC

Further Interest:

Cole - Expulsion From the Garden of Eden, 1828

We recommend Cole's "Course of Empire" series (5 paintings) for older House of Education students. David Quine's study of Cole, linked above, includes an in-depth study of this series of paintings on pages 5-14 of the pdf file.

Church -. Twilight in the Wilderness, 1860

Church -. Cotapaxi, 1862

Church - The Icebergs, 1861

Asher B. Durand - (1796-1886) Kindred Spirits, 1849 alternate view Oil on canvas; 46 X 36 in.The New York Public Library

2003-2004 TERM 1 (Rubens, Velasquez, sometimes spelled Velasquez)

PETER PAUL RUBENS (Flemish, 1577-1640)

Biographical information on Rubens is plentiful on the web, at sites such as www.artchive.com . A Google search will turn up several other sources.

1. Daniel in the Lion's Den c. 1615

Oil on canvas (HUGE!) 88 1/4 x 130 1/8 in. (224.3 x 330.4 cm) National Gallery of Art, Washington DC (USA)

2. Return of the Peasants from the Fields, c. 1632-34

Oil on panel 47 5/8 x 76 3/8 in (121 x 194 cm) Pitti, Florence (Italy)

3. Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment, and Their Son Peter Paul, c. 1639

Oil on wood 80 1/4 x 62 1/4 in. (203.8 x 158.1 cm)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (USA)

For further interest:

a. Dance of the Villagers (sometimes titled A Peasant Dance), c. 1636

[Preview for parental discretion: one woman has a slipping neckline that partially reveals her breast (could be easily "edited" if you choose). We include it for its unusual energy and motion; a lively, fun painting.]

Oil on board 28 3/4 x 41 3/4 in (73 x 106 cm) Museo del Prado, Madrid (Spain)

b. St. George and the Dragon, 1606-07

[Preview for parental discretion - a masterful painting of a story familiar to AO scholars, but may be too intense for sensitive children.]

Oil on canvas Museo del Prado, Madrid (Spain)

c. Landscape with Rainbow, early 1630s [Nothing objectionable in this one!]

Oil on canvas transferred from panel The Hermitage, St. Petersburg (Russian Federation)

DIEGO VELAZQUEZ (Spain, 1599-1660)

There is useful commentary on Velazquez here, which discusses all of the paintings below:

1. Old Woman Frying Eggs, 1618

Oil, 100.5 x 119.5 cm National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh

2. The Waterseller of Seville, 1623

Oil on canvas, 42 x 31 7/8 in. (106.7 x 81 cm) Wellington Museum, London (England)

3. Las Meninas (The Maids of Honor), 1656

Oil on canvas 10'5" x 9'1" Museo del Prado, Madrid (Spain)

For further interest:

a. Joseph's Coat Brought to Jacob, 1650

Oil on canvas 87 3/4 x 98 3/8 in. (223 x 250 cm) Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial(near Madrid, Spain)

b. Juan de Pareja, 1630 (for those reading the book mentioned below*)

Oil on canvas 32 x 27 1/2 in. (81.3 x 69.9 cm.) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City (USA)

*I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth B. De Trevino -- You may wish to supplement your study of Velazquez with this book, which won a Newbery Medal in 1965. This is not just one of those historical novels where an imaginary character interacts with someone from history: Juan de Pareja was a real person. He grew up in Spain as a slave and was sent as a young man to assist Velazquez. He himself became an accomplished artist, but he had to keep it a secret even from Velazquez (who became more of a friend than a master) because of a law prohibiting slaves from learning to paint. The book is well written and gives some interesting technical information about the process of mixing colors and painting. There is a strong theme of loyalty and friendship.

[Note: A few small things that might be trouble spots for some: there is a visit to a sculptor who admits that he uses tortured and dying men as models for his crucifixes (he's a minor character, but we wouldn't want to read that to young children); there's an unflattering description of the king's dwarves (not the magic kind) who act as his court jesters (he also has an "idiot boy" jester); and Juan de Pareja's wife has fortune-telling abilities and makes some predictions that eventually come true (Juan is not happy about her fortune-telling, but obviously she does have some power of prediction).]

2003-2004 TERM 2 (Corot, Courbet)

Camille Corot (French, 1796-1875)

1. The Bridge at Nantes or here, 1827, Musee du Louvre, Paris

2. Chartres Cathedral, 1830 (retouched 1872), Oil on canvas, 64 x 51.5 cm, Musee du Louvre, Paris

3. A View Near Volterra or here, 1838, Oil on canvas, 69.9 x 95.5 cm (27 1/2 x 37 5/8 in.)

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

4. The Letter, approx. 1865, Oil on wood, 55 X 36 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Gustave Courbet (French, 1819-1877)

5. The Stonebreakers, here or here 1849

6. Sleeping Spinner, 1853, Oil on canvas, Musée Fabre, Montpellier

2003-2004 TERM III Jacques-Louis David (French, 1748-1825)

(pronounced ZHOCK lu-WEE dah-VEED)

1. Belisarius, 1781, Oil on Canvas, 9'5" x 10' 2", Musée des Beaux-Arts at Lille

Information about the painting

2. Oath of the Horatii, 1784 Oil on Canvas, 10' 10" x 13' 11" Musée du Louvre at Paris

Information about the painting:

3. Death of Socrates, 1787 Oil on Canvas, 51" x 77 1/4" Metropolitan Museum of Art

Information about the painting

4. Portrait of Levoisier and His Wife, 1788, Oil on Canvas, 8' 8" x 7' 4"

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Explanation of the picture:

5. Napoleon Crossing the Alps (or the "St. Bernard"), 1800, Oil on Canvas, 9' 11 1/2" x 7' 2", Musee du Louvre, Paris

6. The Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine in Notre Dame, 1806 and 1807

Oil on canvas, 621 x 979 cm, Musee du Louvre, Paris

FOUR ADDITIONAL INTEREST PAINTINGS (Optional)

A. Napoleon In His Study, 1812, Oil on canvas, 203.9 x 125.1 cm (80 1/4 x 49 1/4 in.)

National Gallery of Art in Washington or larger image here: The National Gallery of Art has

an online "NGA Kids" activity to go with this painting, which you might find useful:

B. Students who have read The Iliad will find this painting of interest:

Andromache Mourning Hector, 1783, Oil on Canvas, 9' 10 1/2" x 6' 8", Musée du Louvre at

Paris

C. Students who studied Plutarch's Brutus will find this painting of interest:

The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons, 1789, Oil on Canvas, 10' 7" x 13' 10"

Musée du Louvre, Paris or here:

D. HEO users: David's most well-known painting is probably too dark for most Ambleside

students, but HEO students may opt to study it:

The Death of Marat, 1793, Oil on Canvas, 65" x 50 3/8", Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts

at Brussels or here:

2004-2005 TERM 1 Mary Cassatt (American Impressionist, 18441926)

1. Woman in Black at the Opera, 1880 Oil on canvas Museum of Fine Art, Boston

2. Woman and Child Driving,1881 Oil on canvas 89.3 x 150.8 cm Philadelphia Museum of Art

3. Children on the Shore, also here 1885 Oil on canvas 97.4 x 74.2 cm (38 3/8 x 29 1/4 in.)

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection 1970

4. The Child's Bath, 1893 Oil on canvas 100.3 x 66 cm Art Institute of Chicago, Robert A. Waller Fund, 1910

5. The Boating Party, also here 1893/1894 Oil on canvas 90 x 117.3 cm (35 7/16 x 46 1/8 in.)

National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, Chester Dale Collection 1963

6. Young Mother Sewing, 1900 Oil on canvas 36 3/8 x 29 in. (92.4 x 73.7 cm) Metropolitan Museum of Art, H.O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H.O. Havemeyer, 1929

Additional Interest:

7. Breakfast in Bed, (scroll down to view this painting) 1894 Oil on canvas 25 5/8 x 29 inches

The Huntington Library, California

And a special treat just for the moms... because it's simply an "aahhh" picture for mothers, a luscious Cassatt you might never see otherwise because it's privately owned:

Mother Berthe Holding Her Baby, 1900, Pastel on paper, Private collection

2004-2005 TERM 2 (Giotto, Masacchio)

2004-2005 TERM 3 (Homer, Eakins)

2005-2006 TERM 1 (Michelangelo)

2005-2006 TERM 2 (Jan Vermeer)

2005-2006 TERM 3 (Matisse, Kandinsky, Mondrain)

2006-2007 TERM 1 (Holbein, Breugel)

2006-2007 TERM 2 (Turner, Constable)

2006-2007 TERM 3 (Titain, Veronese)

2007-2008 TERM 1 (Da Vinci)

2007-2008 TERM 2 (Rembrandt)

2007-2008 TERM 3 (Grunwalde, Van Eyck)

2008-2009 TERM 1 (Hals, Steen)

2008-2009 TERM 2 (Goya)

2008-2009 TERM 3 (Van Gogh)

2009-2010 TERM 1 (Raphael)

2009-2010 TERM 2 (O'Keefe, Singer-Sargent)

2009-2010 TERM 3 (Monet)

2010-2011 TERM 1 Albrecht Durer (1500)(Renaissance)

2010-2011 TERM 2 Carravagio (1600) (Baroque)

2010-2011 TERM 3 Theodore Gericault (1820), Eugene Delacroix (1838)

2011-2012 TERM 1, Antoine Watteau, Jean Honore Fragonard (Rococo)

2011-2012 TERM 2 (Boticelli)

2011-2012 TERM 3 (Pollack, Rockwell, Hopper)