ART MASTERPIECE –“Navajo Mother” Ted DeGrazia 1969
Grade: 2nd Grade
Month: February
Keywords: Shape
Objectives: Recognizing shapes in art and putting them together to form different objects
Activity: Students will draw various shapes and different ways of associating shapes with everyday items.
About the Artist:
Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia was born in 1909 in the small mining town of Morenci, AZ. He spent his early years playing in and roaming about the barren hills surrounding his home. His interest in art began to develop. His earliest works were simple carvings from clay that were hardened in his mother’s kitchen stove. He moved on to Tucson, where, in 1932 he enrolled in the music program at the University of Arizona. He explored Art in Music and often combined his two passions. Most of his work became a reflection of what he saw and experienced in his Southwestern travels. In 1943 he finished his education, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Bachelor of Art in Art, and a Masters of Art degree. During this time, he had trouble getting his paintings shown. No gallery was interested in displaying his work. So, he decided to build his own. With a little borrowed money and some friends, together they built an adobe building with enough bare walls inside to fill with his own paintings; this is now known as his Gallery in the Sun. It still stands today as a testament to the man and his work and is visited by many tourists throughout the year.
It was in 1950, where his career took off. A gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona arranged to set up a one-man show. It was a rousing success and the world started to take notice. In the years past, DeGrazia busied himself with painting and filling the walls of his Gallery. For a break, he would travel to his favorite place of all, the Superstition Mountains, where he would sketch, prospect for gold, and camp out under the stars.
“The minute I had a chance to get out I’d go to the mountains. I like to dream, look and think…the pretty colors fascinated me.” -DeGrazia
DeGrazia did not draw features on adult faces unless they were religious figures. He did draw very simple features on the faces of children. (2 black dots for eyes etc…) with simple or no expressions. He used bold and vibrant colors, ones that you would expect to find in the art of Mexico. Also, when you observe his work, you can see that many of the people were drawn out of geometric shapes (ie: oval, circle, triangle, etc…)
Discussion: (10 min)
Do you see any shapes in the print?
What else do you notice in the print? ( limited details and/or facial expressions )
Who do you think they are?
What do you think they are doing?
How do you think they feel?
Materials: 8x10 assorted colors of construction paper, pastels, black, gold & silver sharpies
Activity: Tell the students that they will be drawing 2 figures using shapes to represent body parts, then adding color with the pastels & complete by outlining the shapes with the gold or silver sharpies.
Process:
1. Students may choose their color paper & have them put their names on the back.
2. Demonstrate on whiteboard how they can use shapes to create the 2 figures ~ drawing a circle as a head, below that a triangle as a body (shirt or dress), maybe smaller rectangles below that for pants, etc. Display samples for view.
3. Have students begin using their pencils creating these 2 figures with shapes. They can be any combination they choose, (man & boy, woman & girl, etc…)
Have students add other shapes as objects in their picture such as: an oval for a sombrero, maybe figures are holding a balloon or kite.
4. Have students color and fill in these shapes & then outline with a sharpie. They can add several black lines for hair & keeping the face simple, just add 2 dots for eyes & 1 dot for a nose if they like…
Add’l Info on Artist:
In 1960, UNICEF chose this painting, Los Niños (the children), for their Christmas Card. They sold over five million boxes of this card throughout the world, bringing worldwide attention to the artist. This painting continues to this day to be his most famous work of art. While Ted painted scenery and cultural and religious events, he will always be noted for his paintings of children.
In 1976 DeGrazia made national if not worldwide news when he packed up over 100 of his paintings on a packhorse and hauled them up to the Superstition Mountains. There with ten friends and witnesses, he piled them up and with tears streaming down his face, he lit them ablaze. This was in protest to the unfair inheritance tax policies of the time. He vowed to never paint again, but an artist can only be true to himself. After three years, he once again began painting his oils. Ted DeGrazia died in the year 1982.