Slide #5: Mary Turner Sargent, 1763, John Singleton Copley Function: Most of the paintings you will see in the American galleries at the de Young were not originally created to hang in a museum. The primary purpose of many paintings was to decorate a private home or public place such as a government building. However, a work of art may serve multiple functions. For example, before the invention of photography, portrait painting was the only way to record a person's appearance. Portraits became important family records as well as statements about the education, character, and social standing of the sitter. This painting was intended to depict Mary Sargent's admirable personal traits and her high standing in society. What for us may seem like a stiff and unnatural pose was meant to reflect Mrs. Sargent's proper upbringing and privileged social status. Notice the dress that she wears; during the colonial period, only a very rich person could afford to wear such elaborate clothing. Mary Sargent may not have worn such fancy clothes in her day-to-day life; however, most formal portraits were carefully planned to represent people at their best and as they desired to be perceived by others. Discussion with Photos from Home: Ask your students if they have ever posed for a formal photographic portrait. What clothes did they wear? Did they try to present a certain expression on their face? Note that the answers to these questions tell us about how the students, the photographer, or the students' parents wanted them to look or be perceived. Are there any examples of formal portraits and candid shots; which type is more common? What is the difference between these two types of photographs? How do they differ in function? Based on their answers, discuss the function of photographic portraits in our culture and how that purpose might differ from the function of formal portraits painted in colonial times.
SLIDE 5
LESSON PLAN #1
EXAMINING PAINTINGS FOR THEIR FUNCTIONAL, FORMAL, AND HISTORICAL CONTENT
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