Lesson
II: The Early Influences of Environment on the Development of Jack Yeats as
an Artist.
Overview:
Jack, as well
as William Butler Yeats, spent considerable time at the maternal grandparents'
home in Sligo. The grandfather was a ship owner, and it was at Sligo that
Jack became particularly drawn to the sea. As a child, he constructed imaginative
line drawings of coastlines, pirates, pirate coves and villages. He also constructed
a miniature theater and developed and produced dramatic manuscripts, many
of which centered on pirates and sea adventures. This consuming interest in
the sea would be evident in his works throughout his life, enhanced by his
eventual close relationship with the poet, John Masefield.
Another passion of Jack's
would emerge as a direct result of the experience he had when attending art
school in London. Having purchased a season ticket to the American Exhibition
at Earl's Court, he became imbued with the star of the exhibition, Colonel
"Buffalo Bill" Cody. Thus developed a passion for a romantic vision
of the Wild West that would prevail not only in his early works, but also
as a recurring strand in his artistic expression throughout his life. As observed
by T. J. Rosenthal, the influence would be projected even in his pirate and
circus themes. The following activities are designed to help students access
the above influences as they are evidenced in the drawings and paintings of
Jack Yeats.
*(The above biographical material is drawn primarily from the text by T. J.
Rosenthal. The following lesson designs related to Jack Yeats also draw on
the background material provided in the Rosenthal source.)
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Read,
in a large group, John Masefield's poem, "Sea
Fever."
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Following
discussion of the poem, divide students into "search teams", giving
each team the mission to find poems related to the sea, but crafted in diverse
poetic patterns. For instance, one group would collect a few sample ballads
which had strong references to the sea; another group would collect sonnets,
etc.
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As
part of the above assignment, clarify that each member of the team will
have to assume one of the following defined responsibilities in reporting
back, making sure that all of the components are covered: clarifying the
poetic pattern (implication of stanza divisions, where applicable; scanning;
tone quality; thematic structure(s); type of images and other poetic devices
such as alliteration, etc.; nature of the persona (ae) of the poem(s) ,
where applicable.
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Have,
as a special project, a few students perform sea
shanties; also, students interested in dance might familiarize themselves
and perform steps of the traditional sailor's hornpipe. (Note that the personae
in Yeats' drawings suggest the shantey and hornpipe association.)
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Build
a teacher-led discussion of various genres of art expression, centered particularly
on the prevailing modes of Yeats ' work. If possible, have an art teacher
clarify some of the technical implications of the genres: line drawings;
caricatures; watercolors; oils.
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Encourage
students interested in art to make their own drawing, painting, (or sculpture)
of the sea and/or sea- related subjects.
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As
a class, decode elements of selected Yeats' prints, both early and later
works that have sea-related themes. Encourage them to act as "detectives",
assigning them, for instance, to construct hypothetical profiles of the
persona(ae) in the print, giving the figure(s) a name, conjecturing where
and the nature of the place they are presently inhabiting or where they
are headed.
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Consider
expanding on the above conjecturing about aspects of a Yeats print with
a collaborative assignment in which, within a small group, each member would
take on one of the following responsibilities: build an exposition for a
story based on clues in the print; develop a characterization (s) of the
figures displayed in the print; drawing from various "clues" and
the tone quality of the print create the outline of a narrative, defining
a conflict and a denouement that could be developed in story or drama form.
Have each group share its narrative design.
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Brainstorm,
in large group discussion, the implication of the term, "Wild West".
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Show
students a few clips from an old Western movie (Tom Mix, Gene Autrey, Roy
Rogers, etc.).
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As
an exercise in visual literacy and a readiness for further study of Yeats'
work, ask students to delineate aspects of the film clips: for instance,
the prevailing pattern of narrative; the portrayal of the protagonist (
in dress, gesture, goals, etc.), the repetitive patterns of exposition (setting),
such as the bar scene, cattle drive, lone trail across the desert, etc.);
also, thematic projections of the portrayal of violence, the "lone-ranger"
concept of the "heroic".
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Suggest
that students interested in the development of the cowboy and "Wild
West" idiom read one of Zane Grey's novels.
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Discuss
Frederick Jackson Turner's "Frontier Thesis".
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Play
or have a student(s) sing one or two cowboy songs (Home On the Range, for
instance); also, the Folkway Museum in Northern Ireland lists "Cowboy
Songs on Folkways" which could serve as a resource for this activity
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Read
and discuss e.e. cummings poem, Buffalo Bill's Defunct.
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Assign
students to research Web and print media for background on the development
of the Circus (particularly European and Irish connections with Barnum and
Bailey in the early stages of their circus development) and specifics on
the American Exhibition at Earl's Court.
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As an
individual assignment or as a collaborative project, have student(s) extract
a figure out of an Irish folktale or legend and build an illustrated booklet
in which the figure, setting , and storyline, are developed in patterns
of the "Wild West" or circus exposition.
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Conduct
a close study of selected Yeats' prints. Assign students "detective"
roles to search out qualities in Yeats' work that seem to reflect resonating
aspects of his exposure to the Buffalo Bill circus environment.
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As part
of the above examination, suggest that students compare JackYeats' drawings
and paintings of circus clowns and scenes with those of Picasso. (palette;
costumes; faces; focus of settings; any narrative patterns; general tone
quality).
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Consider
having students construct a video and/or a Web page, in which they present
their conclusions, giving specific evidence of what informed their conclusions.
Ideally, these constructions would be interdisciplinary in nature, incorporating
art prints, music, dance, and written and/or oral script.
