Storytelling in Art
Teacher Resource Packet
Grades K-12
Revised ©2016
Marcy Koch, Associate Curator of Education
Glenn Tomlinson, William Randolph Hearst Curator of Education
1451 South Olive Avenue
West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
www.norton.org
INTRODUCTION
Storytelling in Art
It has been said that people are storytelling animals. Just think of how we tell stories to share
values, traditions, beliefs and so much more in ways that are entertaining and informative.
Then consider how many formats we have developed to tell stories; novels, poetry, television,
film and video, music, social media, and, of course, the visual arts, among others. While the
ways of telling stories continue to evolve, the visual arts remind us that people have told stories
using painting, sculpture and other visual arts since our ancestors lived in caves… and probably
before!
This tour and tour packet will encourage you to:
1. Consider different types of stories that artists have conveyed through painting and
sculpture;
2. Introduce techniques artists have used to tell stories through their work (such as the
elements of art and compositional emphasis);
3. Engage students in critical thinking and discussion;
4. Explore opportunities for students to exercise their own creativity while looking at art.
About this Teacher Resource Packet
The packet contains information about major artworks in the Norton Museum of Art collection,
and related interdisciplinary lessons that were developed to integrate a variety of academic
subject areas, in consideration of the Florida Standards.
We encourage you to read the background material on the artworks and artists, as well as the
lesson questions. Please amend the lesson to suit your students’ grade and academic levels,
and to make the lessons as relevant as possible to your classroom. Please share your feedback
with us at [email protected].
Students benefit the most from their tours of the Norton Museum of Art if they have a chance
to explore these resources with you in the classroom before the visit. If time does not allow for
this, please consider employing these lessons after their tour, to reinforce what students
learned at the Museum. Of course, if you can integrate these materials into classwork before
and after their visit, students will reap the greatest benefits.
About the Norton Museum of Art
The Norton Museum of Art was founded in 1941 by Ralph Hubbard Norton (1875-1953) and his
wife, Elizabeth Calhoun Norton (1881-1947). The Nortons were actively interested in fine arts
and developed a sizeable collection of paintings and sculpture.
An industrialist who headed the Acme Steel Company in Chicago, Mr. Norton retired in 1939 to
make his permanent home in West Palm Beach, Florida. Upon moving south, the Nortons
decided to share their collection with the public. In 1940, the Norton Gallery and School of Art
was built on property located between South Olive Avenue and South Dixie Highway in West
Palm Beach. Mr. Norton commissioned architect Marion Sims Wyeth to design the building.
The late Art Deco/Neo-Classic structure opened its doors to the public on February 8th, 1941.
The museum Collection consist of approximately 7,000 works of art concentrated in the
following departments: European, American, Chinese, Contemporary and Photography. In
addition, the Museum hosts several major special exhibitions each year. Our dedicated staff
also creates and supports a wide variety of educational programs for all ages. For more
Museum information, please visit www.norton.org.
Consider questions such as these to stimulate classroom connections that relate to
storytelling:
Plot / Sequence of Events:
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What is happening in this artwork? How can you tell?
What do you think was happening before this moment? What might happen next?
Why do you think the artist chose to depict this moment in the story?
Characters:
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Who are the main characters in this artwork? How can you tell?
Who do you think is the most important figure in the artwork? What makes you say
that?
What clues do you get from what the figures are wearing and carrying? How do they
help to tell you who these people are?
Look at the facial expressions on the figures, what do you think each of them is feeling?
What makes you say that?
What do the figures’ gestures and poses reveal about the story?
How would you describe the mood of the painting?
Setting:
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Look carefully at the composition of the artwork. How has the artist used lines, shapes,
colors, and space to focus our attention on certain parts of the work?
Do figures in the artwork hold props? What do the props reveal about the story?
What aspects of the story has the artist highlighted using these visual elements?
Purpose:
Have students examine each other’s responses to questions about the artworks featured in this
resource packet. Discuss the students’ interpretations as a class, indicating for each response
the details in the painting that caused them to answer as they did. How much of their response
is based on details from the painting and how much from their own background and
experiences? From this, define and clarify the difference between analysis (refraining from
inserting your own viewpoint) of any work of art and interpretation (adding your own
viewpoint).
 Why do you think the artist created this artwork? What do you think is its purpose?
Florida Standards:
VA.K.O.1.1/VA.K.H.2.2
VA.2.C.1.2/VA.2.H.2.1
VA.4.C.1.2/VA.4.H.1.1/VA.4.O.1.2
VA.68.C.1.2/VA.68.H.1.1/VA.68.O.3.2
VA.912.C.1.4/VA.912.C.3.1
VA.912.C.3.3/VA.912.H.1.8
SS.912.H.2
LAFS.K12.SL.2.4/LAFS.K12.W.1.3
David Teniers the Younger,
Flemish, 1610-1690
The Interior of a Nobleman’s
Gallery, after 1635
Oil on canvas
Gift of Valerie Delacorte in
memory of George T. Delacorte,
Publisher and Philanthropist,
2007.42
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. What objects can you identify in this painting?
2. If you were to collect objects representing your own life, what would they be?
3. Why might a collector keep a record of the paintings in their collection?
A new enthusiasm for collecting and displaying extraordinary artworks and objects exploded in
16th century Europe, a direct result of global exploration, trade and a thirst for humanist
learning. Galleries in private homes where these collections were installed were called
kunstkammer, (pr. koonst.kāmer) the German word for “art room.”
The Interior of a Nobleman’s Gallery provides an opportunity to peek into the real and imagined
display and activities that occurred in a kunstkammer. The walls are covered with paintings and
sculpture. We see representations of actual paintings by leading contemporary artists, including
David Teniers the Younger, Jan Fyt, and Peter Paul Rubens. The scale of the paintings
overshadows the three pairs of figures, especially the man and dog at the rear of the room.
They look away from the viewer, each gazing at a different painting. The two men in the center
engage with a small painting; one holds it while the other bends down to get a closer look.
Artist David Teniers the Younger, sits at an easel with a brush and palette in hand looking
directly at the viewer. A fettered monkey faces the painter, but looks at his half-eaten apple.
The monkey may symbolize the art of painting and sculpture, skills they were regarded as
imitative and linked with an animal known for mimicry.
Kunstkammer paintings served many purposes: they illustrated an artist’s skill, at a time when
the art market was highly competitive; they inventoried a collection; and they visualized
current intellectual preoccupations. The artist’s self-portrait also suggests the new status of the
artist as not only a producer of art, but also a potential owner and connoisseur. Teniers was
court painter to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria, Governor of the Austrian Netherlands.
As the curator of the Archduke’s art collection, he compiled the first illustrated catalogue of an
art collection, the Theatrum Pictorium, or Theater of Painting, in 1660.
Lucas Cranach the Elder
German, 1472-1553
The Betrayal and Capture of Christ, 1515
Oil on wood, 29 7/8 x 21 5/8 in
Purchase, the R. H. Norton Trust, 57.22
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. How would you describe the setting of this artwork? Who do you think the central
character is? Why?
2. What is the crowd doing? What might they be reacting to? What do notice about the
work that makes you say that?
3. Select one person from the painting and list some character/personality traits. Explain
which details led you to your conclusions. High School: Some characters in stories can
be defined as archetypes. Which characters in this artwork might represent a certain
“type” of personality?
4. This painting represents the same subject that French artist Paul Gauguin painted in
1888 (also featured in this packet). How does Cranach’s telling of the story differ from
Gauguin’s?
This painting, The Betrayal and Capture of Christ, is a “continuous narrative” meaning it
represents different points in time within the same frame. This was a very common way for
European artists during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to depict famous stories from
religion and ancient myths. Two important episodes from the story of Jesus’ life are painted
here – we see him praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested, and the
moment he was captured. These scenes were written about in the four Gospels of Matthew,
Mark, Luke and John.
Look in the upper left corner of this painting. See the figure on the ground in blue robes with
his arms outstretched? That figure represents Christ praying as a messenger angel appears
with a cross, foretelling Christ’s Crucifixion. Behind him, three of Jesus’s disciples (Peter, James,
and John) sleep serenely, unaware of the importance of the night.
The center of this painting represents a later moment during the same night, when Judas
greeted Jesus with a kiss on the cheek. This was the signal Judas agreed to make so the soldiers
with him knew who to arrest.
Lucas Cranach the Elder (pronounced “kraw-nock”) was an important artist in Germany during
the Renaissance. This painting was made to help Christians imagine the suffering of Christ.
Cranach used pose and expression to show Christ’s calmness and strength in contrast to the
beastly looking soldiers who surround him. Oil paint, a relatively new invention, helped
Cranach achieve great detail because it dried slowly and could be refined more easily than
other media. Another important aspect of Renaissance art was the intense desire to represent
nature convincingly. Cranach’s depiction of the darkness, the burning torches and glinting
armor, represents his desire to capture a believable sense of light at night.
Paul Gauguin, French, 1848-1903
Agony in the Garden, 1889
Oil on canvas
Gift of Elizabeth C. Norton, 46.5
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. Describe what you think is happening in this picture?
2. What objects does Gauguin use to divide the space on the canvas?
3. Who is the most important figure in this scene? What devices does the artist use to let
the viewer know this? Explain.
In this painting, the figure of Jesus Christ appears in the left foreground of the painting. He
gazes down and his right hand appears limp. The colors of his tunic match the earth behind
him, and the contour of his upper left arm echo the hillside behind. In these ways, the figure of
Christ seems trapped within this nocturnal environment. The silhouetted tree that stands
behind him separates Christ from the background, where shadowy figures appear to abandon
him. In contrast to the brown and blue tones of the painting, the brilliant red hair and beard
that frame Christ’s face draw us to his gaunt, expressive features.
Like many artists before him, Gauguin (pronounced “go-gan”) portrayed Christ in the Garden of
Gethsemane on the night when his disciples abandoned him and he was betrayed by Judas and
arrested. What is less common is that Gauguin portrayed himself as Christ. The painting was
begun in June of 1889, the month when he wrote to a fellow artist: “I have begun a Jesus in the
Garden of Olives that will turn out well I think… It is a kind of abstracted sadness, and sadness is
my line, you know.” His letter mentioned nothing about a self-portrait. Later that year, Gauguin
identified with the Savior’s contemplation and grief. As he stated in an interview: “There I have
painted my own portrait… But it also represents the crushing of an ideal, and a pain that is both
divine and human. Jesus is totally abandoned; his disciples are leaving him, in a setting as sad as
his soul.” The somber colors of Gauguin’s dark palette, Christ’s physical separation from the
other figures, and the central, silhouetted tree that evokes the cross, are all elements of the
painting that heighten its poignant impact.
Paul Manship, American, 1885-1966
Diana and Actaeon, 1940
Nickel-bronze
Purchase, the Palm Beach Art League
Construction Account, 41.14
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. What do you notice? Describe what you see.
2. If you could create a story about the subjects of these sculptures, what would you call
it? Why?
3. Explain the differences between 2 Dimensional and 3 Dimensional works of art.
In the sculptures on the original Norton Museum façade, the goddess Diana appears swift
enough to rise to Mt. Olympus; in one spiraling motion, she powers forward while twisting to
fire a deadly arrow. The forward movement of her legs and torso are echoed in the running
hound beneath her and the clothing which blows behind her. Yet, she gazes in the opposite
direction towards Actaeon, a great hunter who has become her target. Actaeon’s movements
mirror hers as he tried to flee; he leans forward in full stride, turning his torso to the viewer.
However, defenseless in the face of Diana’s wrath, he sprouts the horns of a stag as his dogs
leap up to devour him. According to the Roman poet Ovid (who retold the ancient Greek story
of Diana and Actaeon in his Metamorphoses), Actaeon stumbled accidently upon Diana, the
Goddess of the woodlands and the hunt, as she bathed. As he gazed at her beauty, she saw him
and was enraged by his audacity. Diana fired an arrow and transformed him into a stag that his
once loyal dogs turned upon. Even in this brief retelling, several moments in the story offer
themselves as potential subject matter for the visual artist, and it was frequently painted from
the Renaissance onwards. While many artists portrayed Diana at her bath, the American
sculptor, Paul Manship, chose to sculpt the athleticism of the mythic heroes, as well as the
tragic moment when Actaeon’s transgression led to his death.
Manship’s sculpture earned praise immediately after his return from Europe in 1912, and his
artwork sold well. The artist’s fame lasted throughout his life. Although Manship’s artwork
preceded the movement, he has often been associated with the architectural and decorative
arts style known as Art Deco. His most famous work may be the massive figure of Prometheus
located in the Plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
Augusta Savage, American, 1892-1962
Gamin, circa 1929
Painted plaster
Purchase, the R. H. Norton Trust, 2004.26
Savage stated: “If I can inspire one of these
youngsters to develop the talent I know they
possess, then my monument will be their work.”
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. What do you notice about the subject of this sculpture?
2. Why do you think the artist chose to create a sculpture of this particular person?
3. Imagine having a conversation with this boy; what would he tell you about his life?
What would you want to ask him?
Gamin evokes the urban youth that Augusta Savage encountered after she moved to Harlem in
1921. Savage portrayed Gamin (French for “street urchin”) looking past the viewer; his head is
slightly cocked, and his glance is focused. He wears a newsboy’s cap at a jaunty angle which,
along with his bearing, captures a sense of the boy’s street-wise character. Yet, Savage’s statue
does not become a stereotype. Savage asked her young nephew to model for the sculpture,
and his personality emerged in the work, giving it a humanity viewers readily grasp. In this way,
Gamin reflects Savage’s commitment to sculpting dignified portrayals of African Americans at a
time when derogatory stereotypes were common in art and the mass media.
Savage began making sculptures in clay when she was a child living in Green Cove Springs near
Jacksonville, Florida. When she was a teenager her family moved to West Palm Beach, where
she earned her first public success at the 1919 Palm Beach County Fair. Although she was hired
to teach art at the Industrial High School, Savage joined the wave of African Americans
migrating north to find greater opportunities in cities like New York. There she studied
sculpture at the Cooper Union. She created celebrated portrait busts of W.E.B. Du Bois and
Marcus Garvey.
Although her career was marred by racial discrimination, her greatest success came when she
created a sculpture for the 1939 New York World’s Fair. The work, titled Lift Every Voice and
Sing, celebrated African American contributions to music and was extremely popular. Savage
also became an important mentor and teacher for young artists in the Harlem community.
Colossal head of a Buddha, 673-705, Tang dynasty
Limestone
Purchase, R.H. Norton Trust, 61.14
Photograph© Bruce M. White
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. What do you notice about this sculpture?
2. What features stand out? What do you think they reveal about the subject?
3. How does the facial expression make you feel?
4. Where do you think this sculpture was originally created? For what purpose?
Imagine that you could see this sculpture in its original location in China. You have disembarked
from a boat at the edge of a river, beside a cliff honeycombed with chambers excavated right
out of the rock face. As you enter one of these chambers and your eyes adjust to the darkness,
you find yourself before a massive seated figure of the Buddha. You gaze at the candlelit
features of the Buddha, whose downcast eyes seem to gaze back at you with compassion.
The features of this colossal head of a Buddha suggest peace and permanence. His gently
swelling forehead cheeks and chin contrast with the sharply carved details of the eyes and
mouth to animate the light and shadow upon the face. The hair is carved in a pattern of tight,
snail-like curls, while forms that originally stood beyond the sight of viewers, such as the
ushnisha, (the swelling on the Buddha's head that signifies wisdom), are roughly carved.
According to tradition, the first Buddha was born in 563 BCE as the son of king Shakyas of
Northern India. As a young man, the prince Gautama Siddhartha was troubled by human
suffering. He gave up his riches to search for understanding about the human condition. He
abandoned the religious practices of his people to find his own path to enlightenment. After
meditating in earnest, he achieved enlightenment as the Awakened One, the Buddha. He spent
the rest of his life sharing the "eternal truth" he had learned. Buddhism proposed that one
could overcome life's sadness by leading a spiritual life. The ultimate goal of this spiritual
practice was nirvana, a state of release from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, a
traditional belief. Several centuries after the Buddha’s life, this new religion entered China
along the western Asian trade routes known as the Silk Road. By 65 CE, Buddhism was
practiced at the Emperor’s court, and the religion continued to flourish in China for centuries.
Theodore Roszak
American, born Poland, 1907–1981
Sea Quarry, 1950
Steel
Bequest of R. H. Norton, 53.169
Questions for students to consider in a discussion of the work:
1. Take a moment to observe the image of this sculpture.
2. Choose one word that comes to mind to describe what you see. Why did you choose
that word?
3. Why do you think the artist titled this Sea Quarry? If you could give it a title, what
would it be?
4. How do you think the artist created this sculpture? What materials did he use? What
do you notice as you look at this sculpture?
Even before you learn the title of this artwork, it evokes a variety of associations – the gaping
mouth of a fish, a fossil, bones, claws, the pockmarked surface of stone or coral. The silvery
surface can suggest a hard, enduring substance or the flash of a reflection in rushing water. The
open structure diminishes its mass, and emphasizes the curved and jagged contours of its
distinct, interrelated parts. No single vantage point allows the object to resemble something
we know from the world around us; instead, the artwork evolves as we look at it from different
angles and begin to interpret it.
Abstract art like this work called Sea Quarry represents a departure from traditional
art. Instead of representing an object or scene we can recognize from the world around us,
abstract art uses space, shapes, lines, textures and colors to suggest imagery, meaning and
expression. This kind of art demands that we exercise our imaginations in order to interpret
what we see. While different viewers may not share the same interpretation of a work of
abstract art, different perceptions of successful abstract art are usually related. For example, it
is unlikely that someone will look at Sea Quarry and interpret it as a lovely bouquet of flowers!
It is much more likely that one would see the work as suggesting something dangerous or
threatening. In fact, sometimes it is more useful to think not about what noun an abstract
artwork might represent, but to think instead about what adjective it might suggest.
Theodore Roszak was a sculptor whose work before World War II was made of shining metals,
streamlined geometric forms and polished surfaces. His sculptures suggested a celebration of
the machine age and its promise for the future. Although he did not serve as a soldier in World
War II, he did work in an airplane factory during that period, and the War dramatically affected
his art. The story that this work tells can be one that we imagine, but it is also the story of a
person trying to understand tremendous change in his world. As Roszak stated in 1952:
“The work that I am now doing constitutes an almost complete reversal of ideas and
feelings from my former work… The forms that I find necessary to assert, are meant to be blunt
reminders of primordial strife and struggle, reminiscent of those brute forces that not only
produced life, but in turn threaten to destroy it. I feel that, if necessary, one must be ready to
summon one’s total being with an all-consuming rage against those forces that are blind to the
primacy of life-giving values…”
Vocabulary
Allegory: a story or description where the characters and events symbolize a deeper,
underlying meaning
Antagonist: a major character in a narrative whose values or behavior are in conflict with those
of the protagonist
Archetype: is a typical character, action or situation that seems to represent universal patterns
of human nature. It may a theme, a symbol or even a setting. An archetype may shape the
structure and function of a literary work
Climax: the most important or exciting point in an event or story
Conflict: opposition between or among characters or forces in a literary work that shapes or
motivates the action of the plot
Dialogue: conversation among characters, discussion or discourse
Imagery: the figurative language, especially metaphors and similes, used in poetry, plays, and
other literary works.
Metaphor: the application of a word or phrase to something it does not apply to literally (ex.
food for thought).
Plot: is series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.
Protagonist: the central character or leading figure in a story. Sometimes called a “hero”, the
word originally comes from the Greek language describing the person who led the chorus in a
Greek drama.
Setting: is where, when and under what circumstances a story is taking place and can create
the mood or scent of a literary work.
Theme: the central idea or belief in a story.
Tone: the general quality or character of something as an indicator of the attitude or view of
the person who produced it.