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Third Grade Print
The Torn Hat, 1820
By Thomas Sully (1783-1872)
(SUL-lee)
Technique: oil on canvas
Size: 21 ½” x 16 ¼”
Collection: The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Art Genre: Portrait
OBJECTIVES:
✦The students will be introduced to the work of Thomas Sully.
✦The students will discuss the artistʼs rendering of the light and shadows on the boyʼs face.
✦The students will discuss the proportions of a human face.
✦The students will create a self portrait, emphasizing the correct proportions for their face.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Thomas Sully lived and worked in the United States, he was born in England. Sully was the leading
portrait painter of his day, painting portraits of English royalty and more than two thousand other
portraits. He also painted landscapes and miniatures. A miniature is tiny painting or portrait that
could be worn in a locket or display. The detail in paintings and miniatures was important to Sully-he
looked very carefully at his world.
Sully was also a teacher and the director of Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts. One of his most
famous paintings is of George Washington crossing the Delaware. In all his paintings, Sully tried to
make people look honest and loving as well as handsome and beautiful.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK:
The Torn Hat is a portrait. (A portrait is a picture or sculpture of a real person.) A quiet, gently smiling
boy looks straight out at us. He is neatly dressed, but his straw hat is rough and worn. The brim of
the hat is torn away from the top. (Define brim if necessary.) A little bit of sunlight peeks through the
tear, making a bright spot on the boyʼs forehead. The rest of the hatʼs brim casts a shadow across
the boyʼs face. Sunlit areas in the painting contrast sharply with the shadows. (We say one thing
contrast with another when they look like opposites: light contrast with dark, thick contrast with thin,
and so on.)
The boyʼs jacket is blue-darker blue in the shadows and light blue in the sunlight. The blue is
repeated in a band of color around the hat. The deepest shadows on the jacket match the deep
shadow under the back of the hat brim. Notice how the artist uses some of the blue of the jacket to
paint the boyʼs white shirt.
The boy is probably a farm boy. We can tell from the style of his jacket and because his hat is made
of straw. He was probably a very typical boy in the 1820ʼs. He also looks as if he could be someone
who is living now. What do you think he is thinking about?
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QUESTIONS AND POINTS FOR DISCUSSION:
✦What did you look at first in this painting?
✦Do you think the boy is happy or sad? Who do you think the boy is looking at?
✦What colors do you see in this painting? (Draw attention to light and dark shades of blue, and light
and dark areas of straw color.)
✦Where is the straw color lighter? What does the lighter straw color tell you? (That light is shining on
that area.)
✦What kinds of lines do you see in this painting? (curved lines) Do you see lines that make an “S”?
✦What shapes do you see? Do you see any circles? Half circles? Squares? Do you see a triangle
shape? (The hat and the boyʼs neck and shoulders form triangle shapes, as do the boyʼs shirt collar
and the lapels of his jacket.)
✦Do you see the stripes? Where? (in the hat) What places might feel soft? What places might feel
scratchy?
✦Can you find sunny places in the painting? Can you find places that are in shadow?
✦The name of this painting is The Torn Hat. Why do you think the artist gave the painting this name?
Why is The Torn Hat a good name for the painting? (It draws attention to the hat and the fact that it is
torn.) What does the torn hat tell you about the boy?
PROJECT:
There are stand up mirrors on the art supply shelf that the students may use. The Photo Request
letter is optional. Students at this age may have a hard time transferring what they see to a drawing.
The students do not have to draw exactly what they see. The photo may be used as a reference to
facial proportions.
Looking in the mirror or at the photo, the students will draw a self-portrait (face, neck and shoulders).
First discuss a few tips for drawing faces (see attached sheet “How to Draw a Face”). Model for the
students how they will lightly pencil sketch their portraits first. The head, neck and shoulders should
fill in most of the 9 x 12 drawing paper. When the pencil sketch is complete, the students may use oil
pastels to color their portraits. Show the student show to rub and blend the oil pastels. Have the
students sign their artwork. The artwork may be mounted/framed on construction paper to be displayed or
saved in the studentsʼ portfolios.
SUPPLIES:
✓ 9 x 12 drawing paper
✓ Pencils and erasers
✓ Oil pastels
See Page 3… How to Draw a Face
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How to Draw a Face
Every face is unique, but there are general proportions that can help artists place the eyes,
nose, ears, and mouth.
•Look at the facial map:
•Line C divides the face in half vertically, and line A divides the face in half horizontally.
•The bridge of the nose starts where lines A and C intersect. The end of the nose is at line
B.
•The ears go from just slightly above line A to line B.
•The eyes are just under line A
•The mouth is a little less than half-way between the nose and chin.
•The inner corners of the eyes line up with the outer sides of the nose.
•The outer edges of the mouth line up with the middle of the eyes.
•NOTE: All of the facial features are in the lower half of the oval except for the eyebrows.
Also, notice the placement of the neck lines.
✦Try holding a pencil or ruler up to a friendʼs face and observe how the eyes are located
about half-way between the top of the head and the chin.