Tableaux Vivant

Tableaux Vivant  

Suitable for all grades

SET UP

Two wooden tables up front with all the supplies on it, projector screen down.

U shape tables closer to the front end of the room.

MATERIALS

Ipads x2

Studio camera (white digital)

Brown paper

Black paper

Cardboard

Scissors

Oil pastels

DISCUSS

So we know from the tour that a large part of Adad Hannah’s art practice focuses on working with old paintings. He brings them into a different setting and makes the viewers look at them in a new way. He recreates old paintings and turns them into photographs or videos, allowing us to study them closer. In order to recreate these old masterpieces, he has to study each painting extensively! He learns about the artist, how it was painted, why it was painted, and he studies it for a long time in order to become familiar with each and every element within the painting.

So we know that within each painting we saw in the gallery there were props. Who knows what a prop is? It’s a word used often on movie, TV or live theatre sets. Props are extra objects other than the people to help complete the scene.

Can you remember some props we saw in The Raft of the Medusa? The raft, flags, fabric for the water/sky, the sail, barrels, clothing,etc.

What about Blackwater Ophelia? Her dress, flowers, trees, grass etc.

Backyard Guernica? For this one he made the props look 2D to mimic the way the painting looks. He made paper cut outs of all the people, animals and other shapes that Picasso painted in his original painting.

So our workshop today is going to focus on looking at an old masterpiece and really observing all the different elements of it. Then we’re each going to pick something out of the painting and make a paper cut out of it! That could mean making a mask, a tree, and a hat, whatever you see in the painting! Remember that because it’s a painting that we’re recreating, all of the props we make today will be 2D (check to make sure everyone knows what 2D is).

PROCESS

Pull up an image of Sunday on la Grande Jatte and tell the class a little bit about it (Georges Seurat, painted in 1884-86, pointillism, how he studied and planned each and every bit of the painting, down to the trees, etc.). Then go around the class and get each of them to name an element of the painting they see. Make it clear that they have to each name something new, no repeats! Once everyone has said an observation you can now split the group into 2 if it is a full class, if not, move to next step.

Assign or work as a group to assign different props/elements to each person. One prop/element per student. For example, in the case of the character lying in the grass, one student may not make his hat while another student makes his pipe. Once everyone has their prop decided on, encourage them to do a quick sketch of their prop. Then direct them to the front where they can find supplies.

The rest is fairly straightforward, so just help students make their props as needed.

Save 20 min at the end to quickly tidy, then all work together to recreate the pictures! Do it in front of the table cabinet so they can look across to the projector and reference the original painting. Take a picture and get the teacher’s email and notify everyone you will be sending the picture shortly!

*note: please send Anyssa the picture as soon as the class leaves so the teacher can receive the pic as soon as possible *