San Diego History Center’s
EDUCATOR’S GUIDE
San Diego Art during the 1930’s
Contents
A Visual Heritage of San Diego...................................................................................................................... 3
The Visual Art Classroom (from SDUSD) ....................................................................................................... 4
Lesson: The Landforms of San Diego ........................................................................................................... 6
Lesson: The Land Regions of California......................................................................................................... 8
Lesson: The Illusion of Space ........................................................................................................................ 9
Lesson: San Diego during the Great Depression ......................................................................................... 12
Lesson: What is plein air painting? ............................................................................................................. 13
Field Trip to San Diego History Center ........................................................................................................ 14
A Few San Diego Artists .............................................................................................................................. 15
Vocabulary .................................................................................................................................................. 16
Elements of Art ........................................................................................................................................... 16
References .................................................................................................................................................. 17
A Visual Heritage of San Diego
San Diego has a rich history of artists whose works have been inspired by the landscape of our
city. During the early 20th Century, we saw California painters, sculptors and muralists flourish
in San Diego from 1900 into the 1930’s including Charles Reiffel and Belle Baranceanu. Many of
the most notable artists of San Diego during that time were also hired through the Works
Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, creating works that depicted the
urban and rural landscapes of our city. San Diego also developed the City Schools Curriculum
Project, also a WPA unit that employed artists and writers to create audio-visual instructional
aids to benefit public school students.
Since 1928, the San Diego History Center was founded to the continued preservation of our
local history through interactive exhibitions, stunning collections, and public programs that
educate and engage our visitors from around the world.
This Educator’s Guide, in partnership with San Diego Unified School District’s Visual and
Performing Arts Office, was created to work in conjunction with the exhibitions: Landscapes
Rediscovered and Charles Reiffel: An American Post-Impressionist to introduce educators and
students to the works of San Diego artists during the 1930-40’s, a background on San Diego
during the 1930’s, the unique landscape of San Diego, and to the art of plein-air painting.
Educational Objectives include:
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Introduce students and teachers to the life and work of San Diego artists, including Charles
Reiffel, Belle Baranceanu, among others.
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Provide a greater understanding of the Great Depression and the Works Progress
Administration by looking at this history through the local lens of San Diego.
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Students will learn about the unique characteristics of San Diego’s land forms and bodies of
water through artworks and photographs from the 1930’s – 1940’s.
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Students will be able to identify, describe, and locate foreground, middle ground and
background in works of art, including their own.
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Introduce students to “plein air painting.” Students will draw or paint a landscape that
demonstrates a basic understanding of this technique.
The Visual Art Classroom (from SDUSD)
Setting up the Visual Art Classroom
 Create an organized, visually rich environment
 Reproductions of the masters, instructional posters depicting concepts and
techniques
 Word wall with visual art vocabulary
 Variety of interesting everyday objects for still life drawing
 Area to display student art work
 Store supplies in organized, convenient manner for easy access by students
 Create an area for storage of finished pieces of art. This may be a large portable plastic bin
with a lid filled with paper portfolios or a storage unit of shelves and or drawers.
 Create a “drying” area. Use a manufactured drying rack, create your own drying rack by
stacking discarded bread racks or other commercial units or hang a clothes line and use
clothes pins.
 Assure plenty of “elbow” room for each student to successfully create.
Creating a Positive Art Learning Environment
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Create a safe environment physically and emotionally where ALL students and their work is
honored.
Balance the importance of following directions and creative expression.
Praise students for following directions AND for finding new ways to create art.
Encourage students to solve art problems uniquely and individually.
Honor student ideas by compiling them in an individual or classroom journal or sketchbook.
Consistently provide time for all students to tell about their artwork, their creative process
and new ideas using visual art vocabulary.
Honor student artwork by displaying work in an attractive, organized manner.
Develop self-confidence in students’ artistic ability by refraining from drawing, painting or
marking on their work in any way. Demonstrate examples for individuals on separate
pieces of paper or on a white/chalk board.
Have fun! The best way to create a safe environment for creative expression for students is
to be free to creatively express yourself.
Make mistakes gracefully and turn them into new opportunities to create art.
Develop ways for students to comment about other students’ works of art by orchestrating
positive comments only, NOT criticism.
Classroom Management and Clean Up
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Before you attempt any art project in class, create it yourself. As you are making the
prototype, think like your students. Develop strategies that will eliminate or minimize
failure.
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Be aware of student clothing. Parents should know what days students will be creating art
and dress their children accordingly. Have paint shirts or aprons available for painting or
clay work.
Sometimes, you just have to make a mess.  Be proactive. Be prepared.
Develop a clear, easy clean up plan including storage of artwork, and supplies.
If students need to wash hands or equipment, be prepared with buckets or basins of water
or procedures to use the sink. Baby wipes can be helpful too.
Lesson: The Landforms of San Diego
Grade Level: Elementary
LESSON: Option 1: Students will use clay or dough to create three dimensional landforms
representing deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas/oceans and lakes.
Option 2: Students will collect illustrations/pictures of landforms from magazines or draw visual
representations of the geography terms.
Learning Goals:
 Students will understand the unique characteristics of earth’s landforms and bodies of
water.
 Students will be able to describe and name local landforms.
GRADE 3 CONTENT STANDARDS:
History/Social Science:
3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs,
photographs and charts to organize information about people, places, and environments in a
spatial context.
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Identify geographical features in their local region (e.g. deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal
areas/oceans and lakes).
MATERIALS & PREPARATION:
 Images of landforms: Desert, Hills, Mountains, Ocean/Coast and River.
o Photographic reproductions from the San Diego History Center.
 Option 1: Clay, dough of playdough & pointed wooden stick, popsicle stick, trays
SALT DOUGH RECIPE:
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
½ cup water
1 teaspoon oil
a few drops brown food coloring
Mix the salt and flour in a large bowl and then add the water. Knead the mixture
until it becomes smooth and elastic. Store in baggie to prevent dough from drying
out.
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Option 2:
11x17 paper
colored pencils/crayons/markers, white paper and scissors
or Colored construction paper, scissors and glue
WARM-UP:
Review landforms using the overhead/powerpoint images. Remind children that a landform is a
natural formation or area of land. There are different types of landforms all over California. E.g.
Look at an image of a mountain together and how it rises above the surrounding areas.
GUIDELINES:
OPTION 1:
1. Each student will need a ball of dough/clay, a pointed wooden stick and flat stick.
2. Materials should be used on trays or paper plates. Avoid using on the table to keep the
clay/dough and table clean.
3. Have students create the landform combinations listed. After each instruction, have
them ball up the dough and start new with the next one.
Landforms to create:
 Mountain
 Make two mountains next to each other.
 Make five mountains in a row.
 Make a mountain with a hill next to it.
 Make a coastline.
 Make a flat circle of dough, carve a river into it.
 Make a flat circle of dough, carve a pond into it.
 Make a flat circle of dough, make a row of mountains with a river that runs through
them.
 Make an example of 3 of the landforms that they’ve learned.
OPTION 2:
1. Each students will need:
 one 11x17 piece of paper
 scraps of colored construction paper or magazines, and glue.
OR white paper, colored pencils/crayons, glue and scissors
2. Have students draw a large island, filling the 11x17 piece of paper. Tell students that the
island is very unique as this island has each of the landforms that they’ve learned. Have
students create the landform combinations listed.
Once the students have finished, allow students the opportunity to explore the classroom to
get an up-close look at all of the projects.
DEBRIEF:
What did we learn?
Lesson: The Land Regions of California
Grade Level: Elementary
Lesson Goals:
Students will utilize what they have learned about the four regions of San Diego geography to
create a scenic representation using one of the geographic regions of San Diego.
Materials:
 shoeboxes
 glue
 construction paper
 tempera paint
 brushes
 cups for water
 paper towels
 objects collected (seashells, sand, leaves, etc).
Warm-up:
 Review the four regions – coastal, central valley, mountain and desert regions.
 Discuss with the class around physical composition of each region, the availability of
water, animal populations, etc.
 Have students also use vocabulary of colors, shapes and texture to also describe the
landscapes.
 As a class, create a list for each of the four regions for students to reference.
Guidelines:
1. After students review the four regions, they will select one that they will create a scenic
representation.
2. Each student will need one shoebox, glue, construction paper, paint and miscellaneous objects
collected for this project.
3. Tell students to create a representation using these materials of their selected geographic
region.
DEBRIEF:
What did we learn?
Lesson: The Illusion of Space
(Lesson from San Diego Unified School District)
Grade Level: Elementary
Learning Goals:
Students will be able to identify, describe and locate foreground, middle ground and
background in works of art including their own.
Materials & Preparation:
 Reproductions of masterworks of landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes (see Reference
section)
 Chart paper
 Performance Task Assessments for Illusion of Space (one each per student)
o Identifying Fore, Middle and Background Worksheet
o Object in Space Worksheet
o Student Checklist
o Landscape, Seascape, Cityscape Scoring Rubric
 Pencils and erasers
 Crayons or colored pencils
 12” x 18” white construction paper
 Tempera paint or watercolor paint, brushes, water containers, paper towels
WARM UP
 Display at least one landscape, one seascape and one cityscape created by the masters in an
area easily seen by all students. These works may be drawings, paintings or photographs.
 As a class, list the similarities and differences between the three types of compositions on the
board or on chart paper.
 Write the terms landscape, seascape, and cityscape and write the definitions on the board or
on chart paper.
 Instruct students to write the terms and the definitions in their sketchbook/journals.
 Introduce the concepts of foreground, middle ground and background by writing the words
and definitions on the board or on chart paper.
 Identify the foreground, middle ground and background areas in each of the landscape(s),
seascape(s) and cityscape(s).
 Allow students to write these terms and definitions in their sketchbook/journals.
Guidelines:
MODELING (A) (Presentation of new material, demonstration of the process, direct instruction)
 Distribute one Identifying Fore, Middle and Background Worksheet to each student.
 Distribute a purple, green and brown crayon or colored pencil to each student.
 Explain the directions on the worksheet clearly and instruct students to complete the
worksheet independently.
 When students have completed the worksheets, instruct them to attach the finished
worksheets to the sketchbook/journal by stapling or taping.
 Draw three squares on the board or on a single piece of chart paper; or use three separate
pieces of chart paper. (Note: If chart paper is used, display the chart paper(s) in an area easily
seen by all students.)
 Write the word “foreground” on one of the squares or chart papers. Also write the words
“largest, most detailed and highest intensity of color” on the same square or chart paper
identified as foreground.
 Write the word “middle ground” on the adjacent or middle square or chart paper. Write the
words “smaller, less detailed and less intensity of color” on the square or chart paper
identified as middle ground.
 Write the word “background” on the last square or chart paper. Write the words “smallest,
least detailed and least intense color” on the square or chart paper identified as background.
 Choose a single object you find easy to draw. (e.g., a tree, a house, a flower, etc.).
 Draw the chosen object large, detailed and with intense color in the square or chart paper
titled foreground using marker or crayon.
 Draw the same chosen object smaller, less detailed and with less intense colors in the square
or on the chart paper titled middle ground.
 Draw the same object again smallest, with least detail and intensity of color on the square or
chart paper titled background.
 Distribute one Object in Space Worksheet to each student.
 Instruct students to choose a single object that they can easily draw.
 Allow students to draw the chosen object in each of the squares on the worksheet according
to the criteria demonstrated and displayed on the board or chart papers.
 Attach this completed worksheet to the students’ sketchbook/journals using staples or tape.
 Choose to illustrate one of the following types of works of art for the following part of the
lesson: landscape, seascape OR cityscape.
 Brainstorm with the students and list on the board or chart paper at least six objects that
would appear in the work of art. (e.g., for a landscape, objects might be a tree, fence, house,
mail box, mountain, etc.)
 Plan the work of art by deciding where to place each of the selected objects. (e.g., mountain
in the background, house in the middle ground, and tree in the foreground)
 Distribute 12” x 18” white construction paper to each student. Each student should have a
pencil and an eraser.
Foreground:
 Demonstrate how, and instruct students to, sketch one object chosen for the foreground
first on the 12” x 18” white construction paper using pencil making the object appear large
and detailed so it appears closest to the viewer.
Middle Ground:
 Demonstrate how, and instruct students to, sketch one chosen item in the middle ground.
 This object may be partially hidden behind solid objects in the foreground using placement
and overlapping.
 Demonstrate how to make the item in the middle ground appear smaller and less detailed
than the object in the foreground.
Background:
 Demonstrate how, and instruct students to sketch one chosen object in the background
making it the smallest object in the work.
 Demonstrate how the object in the background may be partially hidden behind objects in the
middle ground and in the foreground.
 Demonstrate how to separate sky and sea or sky and land areas by using a horizon line (the
line at which the earth's surface and the sky appear to meet) if applicable. (Note: Sky areas
are generally considered part of the background.)
Debrief:
What did we learn?
Lesson: San Diego during the Great Depression
The artist for the first time in our history has a chance to
produce with the sure knowledge that his work will be used
by the society in which he lives.
-- Ralph M. Pearson, America Today: A Book of 100 Prints,
1936
Grade level: Eleven
Learning Goals:
Students will gain a greater understanding of the
Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the
Great Depression by looking at these through the local
lens of San Diego. Students will be introduced to the
lives and works of San Diego artists including Charles Reiffel and Belle Baranceanu while
developing critical thinking skills in looking at art.
CONTENT STANDARDS:
Grade 11: History-Social Science 11.6
Students analyze the different explanations for the Great Depression and how the New Deal
fundamentally changed the role of the federal government.
Materials & Preparation:
Utilize images from the San Diego History Center which includes WPA-commissioned works from that
time.
Warm-up:
Tell students that they will be looking at photographs and artwork from the 1930’s. Ask them
what they know about the Great Depression and the Works Progress Administration. Provide
students with historical background on the Works Progress Administration, if needed, and the
artists in San Diego who were employed through the WPA during this time.
Guidelines:
1. Display at least one or two reproductions of paintings created by San Diego artists
during the Great Depression.
2. Ask students to examine the first image silently for a few moments.
3. Why were these paintings created?
4. What knowledge can we gain from these works of art about the artist?
5. What knowledge can we gain about the time period?
6. Could something like the WPA be instituted today? Why or why not?
Lesson: What is plein air painting?
Plein air is a French term, meaning to paint “in the open air.” In the late 1800’s, the act of going
outside and painting what one saw was considered unusual and quite revolutionary. The term is
frequently used to describe paintings produced by California-based artists from 1915 to 1935.
For this lesson, teachers should consider an
appropriate selection of a suitable painting
site. The weather will also have an impact on
the lesson but will be a potentially rich and
exciting art activity.
Materials & Preparation:
 Paper
 Colored pencils
 Thick pieces of cardboard
 Binder clips
Warm-up:
 Display 1-2 reproductions of plein air
paintings.
 Introduce the French term “plein air” to students, meaning “in the open air.”
 Discuss the content of the paintings with the students. Introduce the term “landscape.”
Examples of discussion questions:
o What kinds of lines are being used?
o What colors do you see here?
o What kind of patterns are in the painting?
o What is the temperature?
o Put yourself in the painting – what might you feel? Smell? See?
Guidelines:
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Have students go outside (field trip, playground if appropriate, etc.) to sit and find a view of trees,
flowers, hills, etc.
Have students place the cardboard on their knees and laying the paper on top. (Binder clips can be
used here to keep the paper in place).
Ask students to look to find the details that make up the tree, the shrub, flower, etc.
Students will draw the impression of what they see.
Extension:
 Students will use paints, much like the plein-air painters to do a follow-up exercise.
Field Trip to San Diego History Center
The San Diego History Center (formerly the San Diego Historical Society), was founded by civic
leader George W. Marston in 1928. Today, the History Center operates facilities in two national
historic landmark districts: The History Center and Research Library in Balboa Park and the
Serra Museum in Presidio Park. As a major community resource, the History Center showcases
San Diego and its diverse communities, highlighting what makes San Diego unique and the
region’s emerging role in our 21st century world.
In its vast repository, the History Center owns, preserves, and makes available to the
public: 45 million documents; 1,500 oral histories; one of the largest photography collections on
the West Coast; a diverse film collection; 15,000 objects reflecting local history; one of the
finest collections of historic costumes in the U.S.; and a large, historically significant collection
of San Diego artwork. These extensive collections document the people, places and stories of
San Diego’s past and present. Researchers can access San Diego history through books,
ephemera, original maps, manuscripts, architectural drawings, public records and the extensive
photographic collection. The Object Collection consists of items that represent the diverse
history of the city’s development from Kumeyaay land into a sprawling metropolitan region.
The History Center offers dynamic interactive exhibitions that tell the story of San Diego
– past, present and future. A robust education program serves over 10,000 K-12 students
annually, providing essential history lessons tied to school curricula. It also offers popular public
education programs ranging from History for Half Pints to San Diego History 101.
Since 1955, the History Center has continuously published the prestigious Journal of San
Diego History, in partnership with the University of San Diego. With its rich, San Diego-related
content and online photo sales, the History Center’s website serves over 500,000 unique
visitors annually. The History Center also operates the Serra Museum, an iconic, historic
regional landmark, which is the site of school programs, public outreach programs and
performances, and is also a popular wedding venue.
EXHIBITION INTRODUCTIONS:
Landscapes Rediscovered
The San Diego History Center has entered into an agreement with the San Diego Unified School
District that allows it to show a series of rare, Depression-era paintings that for decades hung in
public schools and administration buildings. The exhibit “Landscapes Rediscovered: DepressionEra San Diego Paintings,” opened September 7, 2012 at the History Center in Balboa Park.
Charles Reiffel
The San Diego Museum of Art and the San Diego History Center present a comprehensive and
collaborative, two-museum retrospective of the work of Charles Reiffel celebrating the 150th
anniversary of the artist’s birth.
A Few San Diego Artists
Belle Baranceanu b.1902-1988
(American painter, printmaker, muralist) Baranceanu moved to San Diego in 1933. She painted
murals in San Diego during the Great Depression under the Works Progress Administration. She
served as the President of the San Diego Art Guild.
Maurice Braun b.1866-1941
(American/California Impressionist artist) Braun became known as a portrait painter although
he painted and drew landscapes of San Diego city and countryside.
Charles Fries b.1854-1940
(Illustrator, painter and teacher) Fries has been referred to as the “Dean of San Diego Painters.”
His works primarily focused on landscapes.
Charles Reiffel b.1862-1942
(American Post-Impressionist artist). Reiffel is considered a founding father of the California
landscape school, often referred to as the “American Van Gogh.”
Donal Hord (1902-1966)
Hord lived in San Diego most of his life and arguably, San Diego’s most famous sculptor. He
worked primarily in wood, diorite and bronze..
Vocabulary
LANDFORMS
Bay:
Canyon:
Coastline:
Hill:
Island:
Lake:
Landforms:
Mountain:
Peninsula:
Valley:
SPACE
foreground:
middle ground:
background:
landscape:
seascape:
cityscape:
Elements of Art
Line
Shape
Form
Space
Color
Texture
a body of water like a lake but has an outlet/inlet to the ocean.
a valley formed by a river running through a mountain.
where the ocean meets the land.
smaller than a mountain and more rounded on top.
a body of land that is surrounded by water on all sides.
a body of water that is surrounded on all sides by land.
shapes of the Earth’s surfaces – such as mountains, hills, canyons,
peninsulas and mesas.
a large rock formation with a pointy top/peak.
a body of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.
the v-shaped land that is formed between two mountains.
part of a two-dimensional work of art that appears to be nearer the
viewer or in the front
area of a two-dimensional work of art between the foreground and the
background
the part of the picture plane that seems to be farthest from the viewer
a work of art with land as the main subject
a landscape about the sea or ocean
a landscape about the city
References
For more information on San Diego artists:
 Belle Baranceanu: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/baranceanu/baranceanu.htm
 Lydia Knapp Horton: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/horton/knapp.htm
 Charles Arthur Fries: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/fries/fries.htm
 Maurice Braun: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/bio/braun/braun.htm
 Eliot Bouton Torrey: http://www.sandiegohistory.org/journal/2001-3/imagestorrey.htm
Websites for reproductions of masterworks of art:
 Landscapes:
o www.vangohartprints.net
o www.georgiaokeefemuseum.org
o www.expo-cezanne.com
 Seascapes
o www.jamesbartholomew.co.uk/
o www.art.com
o www.reif.com
 Cityscapes
o www.fulcrumgallery.com
o www.cityskylineart.com
o www.citiscapes-art.com
San Diego History Center
 www.sandiegohistory.org