Junior Docent School Program - Milwaukee Art Museum

they thought abstraction was too cold and devoid of feeling. They used color,
movement, and action to achieve this result. The process of making the art was as
important, or even more important, that the end result.”
East is the Place, Resnick
o “What is the first thing you notice about this painting?” (color)
o “Is this a quiet, restful painting, or is another effect achieved? What?”
o “Would you say this is a static or a dynamic painting?” (Lots of movement, action)
o What about the way the paint is applied? Can you see the brush strokes? Do you
think the paint was applied slowly or quickly?”
Voyage to Crete, Nakian
o “Of what is this sculpture made? What else have we seen that was made of this
material?”
o “Can you see the result of the sculptor‟s hands?”
o “Is this a quiet piece, or would you use another word to describe it?”
o “With your finger, imagine drawing the lines that would make an outline of this
piece? Would you say that there is a lot of movement or very little?”
o “Walk all around this sculpture. What changes are there when you look at it from
different directions?”
Conclusion
If individual visuals of the various periods are available, give them to the students and
have them arrange themselves in chronological order so they can see the progression
from Antiquity to Abstract Expressionism.
If you have the fold-out visual, review it and summarize the high points of each.
Exploration
The objective in the extension of this tour is to help each student further finalize a
selected piece of art work for study.
As the docent liaison, ensure the docent tour guide understands this is an opportunity to
visit areas and galleries which are typically overlooked due to a lack of time.Use
chaperones to assist with monitoring this process.
56
© 2011 Milwaukee Art Museum 700 N. Art Museum Dr. Milwaukee, WI 53202
JDSP – Docent Packet