This is how I saw today.
This is how you saw.
We experimented with point of view.
Donald Graves wrote, “When you use your hand to see, you will encounter your life differently.” Can you find a way to see the familiar, the everyday this weekend? Feel free to add your photos and drawings to the comments section.
As the viewer in the gallery approaches the image from a distance, how does its narrative begin to unfold? What is the first impression the image makes? What main ideas does it communicate at first sight? Big sky, big ship – what’s happening here?
What surprised and delighted me as the group settled in and began to explore the image was how accessible the smallest details were. Facial expressions on individual passengers on both ships – some rendered with a single stroke of Turner’s brush – became the focus of in depth discussions. It was as if there were paintings within the paintings, like stories within a story.
Who are these people? Are they approaching or departing? Friendly or hostile? Do they know one another, or are they strangers? What inferences can we make based on the details of the clothing – the shape of the man’s hat, for example? All of these questions began to emerge from the group.
We noticed, too, how masterfully the reflection of both the small boat and its passengers is executed. The small patches of brilliant red and blue, and their reflections, are two of the brightest points in the whole painting. In contrast, other reflections are blurred and vague. Taken in isolation, they resemble some of Turner’s later masterpieces to my eye.
Every picture certainly tells a story, but Turner’s sprawling canvas here becomes more like a novel, and its details become compelling subplots with vivid characters.
How does this “zooming in” correlate to your classroom work? Can you think of specific examples where this sort of focus would support your teaching goals?
We look forward to reading your comments on this trial blog post!
NOTES:
I’ve discovered that my iPhone is an incredible useful – and fun – tool to have in a museum*. Without a flash, and keeping a safe distance from the painting, I can photograph minute details, down to the smallest brush stroke or crack in the varnish.
*Most museums (including YCBA) allow non-flash photography of artworks in their permanent collection. (Artworks on loan from other institutions usually can’t be photographed.)
To see the full image on the museum’s website – click here: http://collections.britishart.yale.edu/vufind/Record/1667701
