LATITUDES: LATIN AMERICAN MASTERS FROM THE FEMSA COLLECTION

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LATITUDES LATIN AMERICAN MASTERS FROM THE FEMSA
COLLECTION

• STUDY GUIDE FOR TEACHERS GRADES 7 AND UP

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Exhibition Summary
• California Classroom Content Standards
• Classroom Activities
• Pre-Visit Discussion
• Pre-Visit Activity
• Post-Visit Activity
• Post-Visit Discussion
• Additional Resources for Teachers
• Types of Art Information for Teachers

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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EXHIBITION SUMMARY

• This exhibition features paintings from a leading
  Latin American beverage company, FEMSA, which
  holds a prestigious collection of more than 1,000
  modern and contemporary works of Mexican and
  Latin American artists.
• This thematic exhibition explores the 20th
  century art movements and styles of Cubism,
  Portraiture and Landscapes, Identity, Mexican
  Muralism, Surrealism and Abstraction, and
  includes work by many noted artists, including
  Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Wilfredo Lam,
  Roberto Matta, José Clemente Orozco, Diego
  Rivera, David Alfaro Siquieros, Jesús Soto, and
  Rufino Tamayo.
• The exhibition is organized by FEMSA and has been
  traveling throughout South America. This show
  represents a collaboration between the Bowers
  Museum, FEMSA, and the Mexican Consulate.

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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CALIFORNIA CONTENT STANDARDS

• Visual Arts
• Aesthetic Perception
• Creative Expression
• Historical and Cultural Connections
• Aesthetic Valuing
• Applications
• Relationships
• History/Social Science
• English/Language Arts

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
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PRE-VISIT CLASSROOM DISCUSSION LATIN AMERICA
LATIN AMERICA WHAT IS IT? Latin America makes
up 3.9 of the Earths surface, covering an area
of approximately 7,880,000 square miles. Latin
America is comprised of those territories in the
North and South America that were once part of
the Spanish and Portuguese Empires. That
includes Mexico, most of Central and South
America, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto
Rico. As of 2008, its population was estimated at
more than 569 million. There is no singular
Latin American culture. The people of Latin
America are a composite of ancestries, ethnic
groups, and races, making the region one of the
most diverse in the world. This exhibition is
a representation of a diverse group of artists
from ten of the Latin American countries.
Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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PRE-VISIT CLASSROOM DISCUSSION GEOGRAPHY

• THE LATIN AMERICAN ARTISTS OF FEMSA WHERE ARE
  THEY FROM?

• MEXICO
• Diego Rivera
• Angel Zárraga
• Roberto Montenegro
• Alfredo Ramos Martinez
• Cordelia Urueta
• Manual Rodriguez Lozano
• Carlos Orozco Romero
• Gerrardo Murillo
• Jose Clemente Orozco
• Leonora Carrington

• ARGENTINA
• Antonio Berni
• Leonor Fini
• Alfredo Hlito
• César Paternoso
• Rómulo Maccio
• Luis Tomasello

• Remedios Varo
• Frida Kahlo
• Guellermo Meza
• Agustin Lazo
• Olga Costa
• Alfonso Michel
• Carlos Mérida
• Rufino Tamayo
• Pedro Coronel
• David Alfaro Siquieros

• URUGUAY
• Pedro Figari
• José Gamarra
• José Gurvich
• Joaquin Torres-Garcia
• Francisco Matto

• VENEZUELA
• Armando Reverón
• Jacobo Borges
• Jesús Soto

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• THE LATIN AMERICAN ARTISTS OF FEMSA WHERE ARE
  THEY FROM? (continued)

• CHILE
• Roberto Matta

• BRAZIL
• Ibere Camargo
• Arcangelo Ianelli

• CUBA
• Wilfredo Lam

• ECUADOR
• Oswaldo Guayasamin

• NICARAGUA
• Armando Morales

• COLOMBIA
• Fernando Botero

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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MAP OF LATIN AMERICA
ACTIVITY Locate the artists listed in the
previous two slides on map of Latin America below.
map taken from http//web.mac.com/davidashirk/LA_
Politics/Materials/Entries/2007/1/1_Data__Maps.ht
ml
Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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PRE-VISIT CLASS ACTIVITY

• VISUAL IMAGERY
• ITEMS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN LOOKING AT ART

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• Using the terms line, composition, color,
  texture, and perspective, discuss the following
  three paintings from the exhibit. Being able to
  identify these elements before your visit will
  help you get more out of your experience.

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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LATTITUDES IMAGES FOR ACTIVITY
Alfredo Ramos Martinez, Casamiento Indio
Alfonoso Michel, Naturaleza
Roberto Montenegro, Retrato de Gabriel Fernandez
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PERSPECTIVE SPACE

• Is the picture two-dimensional?
• Does it look flat like paper?
• Is the picture three-dimensional?
• Does it look realistic like we can touch it?
• Is there a vanishing point?
• Where are we seeing the image from? From the
  ground or high in the air? From an angle or
  straight on?

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LINES

• A line defines a trip through space. Lines are
  perhaps the most important component of a
  painting because they can help delineate shapes,
  which we will learn about next.
• Lines help to define the subject of the painting.
  
• A line does not have to be unbrokenthings like
  birds and clouds and rain can also be considered
  lines in art.
• VERTICAL lines show action, strength and
  authority. HORIZONTAL lines show rest or peace.
  DIAGONAL lines show action and drama.
• What is the purpose of the lines in the painting?
  Are there some that help move our eyes to a
  specific part of the work? Keeping in mind what
  we learned about horizontal, vertical and
  diagonal lines, what could thick or thin lines
  show?

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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COLOR

• The response to color is highly personal because
  we each react individually and emotionally to
  color.
• Colors can be bright or dull, light or dark.
  Colors can also be cool or warm.
• Some colors make us happy, like yellow, pink or
  orange. Some make us sad, like blue or purple.
  What color make you happy, sad, scared, angry,
  etc.?
• Look at the picture. Do the colors imitate
  reality? If not, why? What do you think the
  artist is trying to tell us?
• Are the colors in the painting in harmony to each
  other? Are they dramatically opposite? What
  kind of mood does this create?

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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TEXTURE

• Texture is how something feels.
• It is easy to feel texture with our fingers, but
  our eyes can feel texture too! Our eyes can
  tell the difference between a soft blanket and
  the hard floor, even in a work of art.
• Look for texture in the painting. How does the
  artist create a feeling of rough or smooth, hard
  or soft, the feel of wood, glass, textiles, etc.?
  Name some of the textures you see in this
  painting.

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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COMPOSTION

• How is the work arranged? Horizontal? Vertical?
  Are objects neatly arranged or scattered all
  over the place? Is it symmetrical, balanced and
  quiet, or asymmetrical and dramatic?

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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POST-VISIT CLASS ACTIVITY

• Choose one of the paintings you saw in the
  exhibit. Write a story based on the work. What
  do you think this painting is about? What do you
  think is happening? What was the artist thinking
  when he painted this piece? Share with the
  class. (20 minutes).

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POST-VISIT CLASS DISCUSSION IDENTITY

• The subject of this exhibition is Latin American
  artists. Latin America is made up of many
  diverse cultures, so what does being Latin
  American signify?
• One of the major themes in this exhibition is
  identity. Artists featured in here were
  grappling with many aspects of identityboth
  their identity as a person, and their
  cultural/social/religious/national identity.
  What does identity mean to you? What do you
  consider your identity to be? Are any of your
  identities in conflict with one another?

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009
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ADDITIONAL RESOUCES

• Bowers Museum Press Release for Latitudes
  Exhibit http//www.bowers.org/index.php/general/n
  ewsroom scroll down to Current Exhibitions
  heading. Latitudes is the fifth entry.
• For more in depth background information, please
  contact the Bowers Museum Education Department.

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• TYPES OF ART INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS

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TYPES OF ART

• When you look at a work of art, try to figure out
  which of the following it is.
• PORTRAIT A portrait is a picture of a person.
  People have always been a favorite subject of
  painters. A portrait is not simply a likeness of
  a person, as it can also express the artists
  special observations about a subject.
• STILL-LIFE A still-life is a painting of
  inanimate objects (like fruit, flowers, kitchen
  utensils). The artist depicts the color, shape,
  and surroundings of the objects often as a way to
  show off his or her skill as a painter.
  Sometimes still-lifes are very realistic, and
  look three-dimensional. This is called
  trompe-loeil, which is French, and means to
  fool the eye.
• LANDSCAPE Landscape paintings focus primarily on
  nature as the subject matter. Landscape artists
  try to capture as many moods and facets of nature
  as possible.
• GENRE PAINTING Genre art is the painting of
  ordinary, everyday subject matter that is easily
  recognizable by the viewer. They show scenes
  from daily life and usually tell a story.
• SCULPTURE A three dimensional work of art.
  Often made out of bronze or marble.

Bowers Museum Education Department November 2009