Santa Barbara Museum of Art: Connecting to the CCSS UNKNOWN Egyptian, the Faiyum Mummy Portrait of a Woman early 4th c. CE tempera on wooden panel HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: When you look at the sparkle in the arresting eyes of this elegant woman, it seems that she could take us back in time. Our subject lived in the ancient Egyptian town of Philadelphia, located in the northern Faiyum region -­‐ about 200 miles up the Nile from Cairo. Philadelphia was first settled by the Greeks, but became a Roman Colony in Hadrian’s time. Like the Nile Delta, the Faiyum was a rich agricultural area where barley, flax, and sesame were grown, carried by caravan, and shipped though Cairo to other ports around the Mediterranean. Despite the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Philadelphia remained a major economic trade center, filled with merchants of many cultural backgrounds (including Greeks, Romans, and Ethiopians). The Romans had adopted some Egyptian customs, including mummification of the body at death. While painted cartonnage mummy cases date back to pharaonic times, the Faiyum mummy portraits were an innovation dating to the Coptic time period of the Roman occupation of Egypt. Faiyum portraits are also known as “mummy portraits” because they were placed over the face of the deceased and wrapped inside the linen wrappings of mummies. Setting it into the bands of cloth gave the effect of a window-­‐like opening through which the face of the deceased could be seen. The whole mummy cartonnage would be kept in the house or the courtyard to serve as an ancestral shrine until that time when the person was no longer remembered, or the casket was badly damaged. Then, it was taken and deposited in a grave at the “necropolis" or burial grounds. Dating from the period of Roman occupation of Egypt (beginning in the late first century BCE), Faiyum portraits were much more naturalistic than earlier Egyptian mummy masks that were idealized depictions of the deceased. These portraits were typically painted either in tempera (egg yolk paint) or encaustic (hot wax mixed with pigment) on wooden panels, and preserved due to the dry climate of the region. The SBMA funerary portrait would have been painted at some important point in this woman’s life, perhaps for her wedding, or whenever the family could afford it. Then it was kept in the home the way we keep photographs or painted portraits. As the custom became more common, portraits were done of all types and ages of people in varying degrees of qualities and styles. The paintings reveal the hairstyles, clothing, and even items of jewelry that were worn at the time. 1 Integrated Art and Writing Activity: Background The Ancient World: Egypt Santa Barbara Museum of Art: Connecting to the CCSS UNKNOWN Egyptian, the Faiyum Mummy Portrait of a Woman early 4th c. CE tempera on wooden panel Notes on the production of the original portrait: Art Activity : History of Production : Materials N The Ancient World: Egypt To prepare for the egg tempura application, the painter would have coated a wood panel in a mix of animal glues and gypsum (a white powdery earth substance). This was done to preserve and seal the wood, and to provide a white base that shows through the subsequent layers of paint. The lighter underpainting added a glow to the skin, making it seem moist. Next, a sketch was drawn, usually in black. The SBMA Faiyum Portrait was painted in water-­‐based egg tempura (a water-­‐
soluble medium made of a mixture of pigments and egg yolks with animal glues, gums, and resins). The use of egg tempura allowed the painter to work quickly with brushes, and to blend and maintain control of the brush strokes at all times. In the SBMA Faiyum Portrait, a dark blue-­‐black mixture was placed on the background, a khaki-­‐green color was applied to the skin areas (warmer tones were subsequently painted over the green pigment), and a yellow ochre tone was used for the thinner under-­‐garment or tunic. A deep burgundy red highlighted the ribbon around the woman’s neck and the edge of the cape that is laid over her shoulder. A bit of pink was added as a blush to the cheeks. A dot of white paint gave a sparkle to each of her eyes, and white highlights accentuated her earrings. Small brushes and strokes were used to apply the egg-­‐tempera paint. 2 Santa Barbara Museum of Art: Connecting to the CCSS Egyptian, the Faiyum Mummy Portrait of a Woman early 4th c. CE tempera on wooden panel Student Art Lesson Art Activity : Creating a Faiyum Portrait Using Egg Tempera Paint : Materials N The Ancient World: Egypt Please refer to the Creating a Faiyum Portrait Using Egg Tempera Paint lesson for a sequenced, illustrated lesson. Before painting a portrait, students should complete a sketch of themselves, the woman depicted in the Faiyum Mummy Portrait, a historical figure, or a contemporary person. Please refer to the Portrait Proportions and Portrait Sketch Lesson PDF’s on the SBMA website. In this art project, students will follow a sequence that is similar to the process used by the original artist, using readily available art supplies. 3 Santa Barbara Museum of Art: Connecting to the CCSS Integrated Writing and Art Lesson As they write self-­‐portrait poems, students will describe both their physical features and the essence of their personalities through the use of figurative language (similes, metaphors, and personification). Artful Thinking Discussion When art historians and archeologists discover an antiquity like the SBMA Faiyum Mummy Portrait of a Woman, they “read” the object for clues. What do the materials reveal about the culture? What do the portrait details reveal about this particular woman, and/or about the place where she lived, the society she lived in, and what the culture honored and believed? What would she say if she could sit down and converse with us? For example, what do you notice about the object, and/or the woman in this portrait? What stand out to you, and what clues can you discover? Consider small details about her person, her clothing, her accessories, etc. After you point out a clue, speculate about what it tells us, and explain why you came to that conclusion or made that educated guess. Writing & Thinking Connection Similarly, writers reveal facts and information about individuals and society in their works; poems, stories, myths, folk tales, letters, lectures, and narratives can be read as anthropological or historical finds. They also reveal, sometimes indirectly, important and interesting details about a civilization or culture, or a person who lived at a particular time in a particular place. This is what you will do in this writing activity, by using similes and metaphors to help someone “read” the clues you offer in a poem that describes you. Here is an example: Self-­‐Portrait My wheat-­‐colored hair, like dry grass that grows near the sea, is straight and tangled and moves in the wind. In this poem, the writer does not present a “literal” summary of her physical features, likes, dislikes, experiences, and opinions, but invites the reader to figure out the clues she reveals. My feet wear hiking boots: well-­‐worn and hard-­‐traveled, ready for the journeys that inspire, challenge, and educate m e. My eyes are an indigo sky, I live in paintings and thumb-­‐marked books, waiting for m oonlight filled with marginalia. to instill a glow, or the depths of the sea, I eat color and birdsong, inky and clear. and words for dessert. My heart is a Joni Chancer physical map with mountains that touch the sky, deserts for expanse, warmth and light, and rivers that flow with freedom and energy. For example, she does not write: I am a writer and an artist and I like to travel the world, but you won’t find me on a cruise ship. I like to dream up my own adventures, and leave lots of open time for surprises. I don’t sit around on a journey. I have deep blue eyes and long hair, and I would never use styling gel or hairspray – I like to feel free. I love to h ike and go for long walks in natural p laces. I ALWAYS have a book I am reading and a painting I am working on. I like to think about the books I read and the art that I view and create -­‐ they all help shape me into who I am. The writer lets the clues inform you about who she is. 4 Your turn: Consider writing a Self-­‐Portrait Poem about yourself, or a Portrait Poem about someone else – possibly a friend, relative, character in a book, or historical figure. If you need a jumpstart, create some columns on a piece of scrap paper and think about both literal and inferential (or metaphoric) descriptions for objects and features. Describe anything about yourself: your features, clothing, things you like to do, what you respect, your goals, your dreams, etc. Try to offer clues to the reader through the use of similes and metaphoric language. Connections to CCSS: The CCSS spiral through the grades, with increasing levels of depth and complexity. The following are examples of the many CCSS that are inherent in this lesson, and in facilitated discussions about the art. Reading Standards for Literature and Informational Texts Craft and Structure (Standard 4) Students are expected to determine the meaning of words and phrases, and to distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. By grade 5, the standards add that students will determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (Standard 7) Throughout the standards, and beginning in Kindergarten, students are expected to explain how specific aspects of … illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). By Grade 8, students are expected to analyze how visual elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text. Key Ideas and Details (Standard 1) “Reading an illustration” employs the same higher-­‐order thinking skills as reading a text. This is acknowledged in the CCSS. The f reading standards apply to this assignment, or any assignment in which a student views, thinks about, and evaluates an image or work of art. Students are expected to refer to details and examples in a text (or image) when explaining what the text (or image) says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text (or image). Speaking and Listening Standards Comprehension and Collaboration (Standard 1) All of the lessons on the SBMA website include the use of Artful Thinking Routines and facilitated, open-­‐
ended discussions about art. The focus of these discussions is to invite students to look closely, make inferences, offer opinions, support their ideas with evidence, glean new perspectives from other 5 discussion participants, and come to new understandings about art, culture, the world, and themselves. Throughout the standards, students are expected to engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. They should follow agreed-­‐upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). They are also expected to ask questions to check understanding of information presented, and link their comments to the remarks of others, and to explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. By Grade 5, students should …make comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on the remarks of others, and review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in light of information and knowledge gained from the discussions. Language Standards Vocabulary Acquisition and Use (Standard 5) At all grade levels, students are asked to demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings, and to distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context. By Grade 4, students must be able to demonstrate understanding of figurative language…and explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors in context. History/Social Science: Grade 6, Standard 2, #3: Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Kush. Standard 7, #3: Identify the location of and the political and geographic reasons for the growth of Roman territories and expansion of the empire, including how the empire fostered economic growth through the use of currency and trade routes. Visual & Performing Arts: Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of the Visual Arts Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to the visual arts and artists. Responding to, Analyzing, and Making Judgments About Works in the Visual Arts Students analyze, assess, and derive meaning from works of art, including their own, according to the elements of art, the principles of design, and aesthetic qualities. Compare and describe various works of art that have a similar theme and were created at different time periods. Identify and describe objects of art from different parts of the world observed in visits to a museum or gallery. Write about a work of art that reflects a student’s own cultural background. Describe how using the language of the visual arts helps to clarify personal responses to works of art. Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Visual Arts Use the conventions of facial and figure proportions in a figure study. Use accurate proportions to create an expressive portrait or a figure drawing or painting. Use contrast (light and dark) expressively in an original work of art. 6