Junior Docent School Program - Milwaukee Art Museum

Set Up
Do you think the subject posed for this portrait?
Is the subject pointing or looking in any specific direction?
If there is more than one subject in the portrait, are they touching? What could this
mean?
What does the background of the portrait tell us?
How much space has the artist left around the subject and how is it used?
What view of the subject is depicted? (3/4 view, full frontal, profile, full body, etc.)
What size is the portrait: life-size, bigger, or smaller? How does this affect your
impression of the subject?
Style
Is the portrait realistic (looks absolutely real) or is it abstract (the artist was looking at or
thinking about something real, but altered the visual reality of the subject in some way)?
How does the style of the artwork affect how the viewer perceives the subject‟s identity?
Sample Tour Introduction
When you were just a baby, your picture was taken in the hospital before you went home. This
was your first picture-portrait. When was the last time your picture was taken? What were you
doing? Why was it taken?
A photograph is a type of portrait. A portrait is a work of art (painting, sculpture, print, etc.) that
shows what a specific person, a group of people, or an animal (a subject) looks like as well as
revealing something about the subject‟s personality and what was important to society at the
time it was made.
Today, we are going on a hunt in the galleries to see portraits and to look for clues to find out
something about the person, animal, or group of people in the portraits.
Anguissola, Sofonisba, Portrait of Artist’s Sister Minerva
This is a portrait of the artist‟s sister. What can you tell me about this person? Let‟s look–
o Jewelry – coral from the sea [lived by water]; necklace on dress – [this is the
symbol of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom] What does that mean?
o Enhancer on necklace – full of potpourri [covered odors because they did not
bathe often during the time this portrait was made]
o Lace on clothing – the more lace used, the wealthier the person
o Fasteners on sleeve – removable [could put another one on for a new outfit]
o Muff – fur to signify wealth
o No background. How did the artist carry our eye from one spot to another in this
work of art? [The red jewelry and the red in the hair piece]
o What is the first thing you notice when you look at this portrait? Why? How does
the artist use repetition in this portrait?
Italian, Bust of a Nobleman
This is a sculpture. How is sculpture different from a painting? What can you tell me
about this person? Let‟s look –
o Head – the cropped beard and hair show us a thinking man - one of power,
intelligence, and honor
o His eyes tell us he is very confident
o Clothing - What clues do we have? Fur – warmth, wealth; metal – important
o Large man – What elements were used? Line, curved – movement, gentleness.
o What elements of art did the artists use to portray the subject?
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JDSP – Docent Packet