LSC-CyFair Library LIFE Workshop for May 6, 2020.

1. The Art of
Observation
LIFE Workshop
Claire B. Gunnels May 6, 2020
W

2. Amy Herman’s
book
Based on

3. Introduction
Click the speaker icon to hear
Claire Gunnels give an
introduction to this program:

4. Who
What
Where
When
Why

5. Death of Chatterton by
Henry Wallis
A tragic suicide
Chatterton by Henry Wallis is an example of the
Victorian approach to history painting. The
picture illustrates the suicide of the poet
Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770). Despairing
over his lack of literary success, the young poet
tore up his manuscripts and took a lethal dose
of arsenic.
Wallis’s shows the pale, still body of Chatterton
lying on a bed, his head and right arm dangling
loosely over the edge, his tattered papers and
the poison vial beside him. His white shirt and
stockings help to silhouette the figure against
the darker background, while the vivid purple of
Chatterton’s knee breeches and his reddish hair
grab the viewer’s attention.
Read more: https://smarthistory.org/wallis-
chatterton/

7. Amy Herman
observes The
Portrait by Rene
Magritte . . .
• Objects: full bottle red wine,
small clear juice glass empty,
white dinner plate mostly
covered by a round slice of
ham with an eye in the
middle, one fork and one
knife. Tan table, blue wall,
shadows.
• Now let’s really observe: Go
back and look even closer.
Puzzle if everything is really on
a table, what about the light
source? Did you notice the red
staining on the glass? But the
bottle is full? Maybe they are
on a second bottle?
• Now without turning back,
draw the picture from
memory. Then go back to look
and fill in more detail. To
further enhance your
retention abilities, wait an
hour and draw the painting
again. Go back and fill in more
detail.
• Practice daily by looking at a
single object-your watch, a
water bottle, or your hand
bag. Study it for a full minute.
Cover it up and write down
what you remember. Now
study it for three minutes.

9. It’s in the
Details
• Think of this picture not as art, but
as a collection of data points. Take
your time and really describe this
painting in painstaking detail.
• “Small details can solve crimes.
Small details can lead to significant
diagnoses. Small details reveal big
things.”(67)
• “Employing a similar investigative
method of objectively assessing a
person’s attire, behavior, and
interactions with objects can help us
uncover the identity or intentions of
unknown people . . .” (68)

10. The Automat by Edward Hopper
• Clothes, jewelry, age, height,
weight, facial expression, food,
time period.
• One glove? Distracted or cold?
Hiding a blemish? Wedding ring?
• Room: radiator, industrial
lighting, restaurant table, chairs

12. Marcchagall.net
• I and the Village is a "narrative self-portrait" featuring memories of Marc
Chagall's childhood in the town of Vitebsk, in Russia. Russian landscape
and symbols from folk stories. The picture can be broken down into five
distinct sections. The first at the top right includes a rendering of Chagall's
home town, with a church, a series of houses and two people. The
woman and some of the houses in the village are upside down, further
emphasizing the dreamlike quality of the work. Below that we see a
green-faced man who some say is Chagall himself. At the bottom of the
work, we see a hand holding a flowering branch. Next to that, an object
which some say is a child's bouncing ball - perhaps a plaything from
Chagall's earlier days. Finally, we see the image of a milkmaid layered
atop the head of a lamb - a motif common to Chagall. (Cows, bulls and
lambs figure in many of Chagall's paintings as cosmic symbols).
• The important thing to note about this picture is that it is a reflection of
Marc Chagall's dreams and memories. Also relevant is the fact that many
of Chagall's pictures (including this one) have symbols that relate
specifically to Jewish folklore.

13. So, you have taken
the first step toward
your observational
prowess. Make it
part of your day.
When you walk,
observe. When you
talk, observe. Read
Amy Herman’s book!