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About the Artist: Severin Rosen
Introduction: Art, Writing & Science
When students are given the opportunity to observe details and make personal connections, they begin to think like scientists and write like poets. This series
of lessons invites your
students to appreciate, note,
interpret, and render the
beauty they discover in the
natural world.
In this teacher packet, you
will be introduced to the
works of two artists. One
is Severin Roesen who
painted still lifes during the
nineteenth century. The other is the modern
artist George Rickey, who creates kinetic
sculpture.
Whether they are stilling life or engineering the spin of the seasons, artists and writers seek to interpret nature’s cycles. The shapes
of particular leaves and the patterns of their
veins (see the grape leaves in Roesen’s Still Life) may suit a composition perfectly, but they
also reveal the plant’s functional, botanical
structure. Similarly, when writing about plants
and/or leaves, a writer might use both the
lexicon of a scientist and the imagery of
a poet to describe botanical features. The
spiraling stem tendrils of Roesen’s grape vines
do in fact, look like calligraphic squiggles or
flourishes. The drop of moisture on the ripe
apple actually resembles a perfect teardrop.
Cyclical changes in the colors and patterns
of leaves can be abstracted into a sculpture
(Rickey’s The Seasons I) that
reveals a universal
and personal
artistic response or
interpretation to the
concept of “season.”
Known for sumptuous, highly realistic still life paintings with a brilliant palette, Severin
Roesen was born in Germany and likely trained
as a porcelain and enamel painter. In 1848, he
emigrated with his family to New York where
he exhibited his work. In 1857, he moved to
Williamsport, Pennsylvania and continued to
paint detailed floral still lifes in the tradition of
the 17th-century Dutch and German painters.
His paintings suited American taste in that they
reflected mid-19th century optimism in the
richness and abundance of the nation. When
Roesen arrived in New York, he brought (in his
art) the influence of lush 17th century Dutch
floral painting, which featured a meticulous
attention to detail interpreted in the clear,
sharp light and intense colors of the Dusseldorf
school.
Roesen’s work contrasted markedly with that of earlier American still life painters. The
early 19th century American style appeared
spare and austere when compared with
Roesen’s strikingly colored, elaborate floral
Severin Roesen, Still Life, not dated, Oil on canvas, SBMA, Gift of Mrs. Sterling Morton for the Preston Morton Collection.
PAGE 2 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
About the Artist: George Rickey
compositions and luscious fruit displays. His
work also contrasted in subject matter. Earlier
American still-life artists had mainly concerned
themselves with fruit compositions. Flowers,
when painted, were generally shown from
a botanical point of view, or as adjuncts to
portraiture.
Roesen’s art made the 17th century Dutch
tradition and the clear intense color of the
Dusseldorf school available in this country at a
time when American flowers and fruit paintings
were quite small, and still life was considered
a lesser art when compared to portraiture,
landscape, and historical painting. His style, as
well as his large paintings, gave considerable
impetus to the popularity of the still-life genre
in this country.
Roesen’s work was brought to the attention
of the larger public when First Lady Jackie
Kennedy hung several of his paintings in the
White House.
George Rickey was born in South Bend, Indiana
on June 6, 1907. His father was a mechanical
engineer employed by the Singer Company as
manager of their sewing machine factory, and
his mother was the daughter of a New York
Supreme Court judge and a drawing teacher.
In 1913,
George’s
father
was
transferred
to the company’s
Scotland branch. During
school holidays, George sailed his family’s
38-foot yacht through Scotland’s coastal
waterways, mastering the mechanics of sailing
as he gained an understanding of wind currents
and the laws of motion (central concepts of
Rickey’s sculptures).
After attending boarding school Rickey
studied history at Oxford, drawing at the
Ruskin School, and painting in Paris. His life was
comprised of painting, teaching, studying, and
writing, until the advent of World War II.
Once the Army Air Corps discovered his
mechanical abilities, they assigned Rickey
to projects involving the effects of wind and
gravity on ballistics. During this
time, he
produced
mobiles
of plastic,
brass,
copper, and/or
painted steel elements, using a mechanical
system called a catenary which had been used
on and off since 1932 by Alexander Calder.
Rickey wanted to create works where the mechanics of movement were hidden. In
the early 1950’s, he developed his first
universal joint that allowed his works, by
then being made of stainless steel, to
respond to the slightest movement of air, and
to move in unpredictable ways. His biographer,
Nan Rosenthal, wrote that his sculptures moved
with “a smooth randomness” and operated
with an “overriding order.” She continued:
“Such movement seems suitable for articulating
both the vast cycle and indifference to man
we associate with the mineral and vegetable
aspects of nature: seasons, constellations, the
rustling leaves…”
The bright colors painted on its planar forms suggest times of the year. Each rectangle
pairs contrasting shapes, curves vs. rectangles,
and contrasting colors, cool vs. warm. Rickey
carefully adjusted the weights and bearings so
that the pieces are never definitively at rest.
George Rickey, Diptych: The Seasons I, 1956, Oil on metal, SBMA, Gift of Mr. and
Mrs. Warren D. Tremaine
Although Rickey was clearly influenced by Alexander Calder, he did not use the organic shapes preferred by Calder, leaning toward more geometric and abstract imagery.
PAGE 3 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
Some Background: Botanical Illustration
Lesson Plan 1: Begin with Observation
Botanical illustration is a marriage of art and science, and
is characterized
by accurate
observation
and highly
realistic forms.
With roots in
the botanical
drawings of
early Greek
botanists such
as Pedanius
Dioscorides,
contemporary
botanical art
has remained
faithful to many
centuries-old
traditions.
The focus
of botanical
illustration continues to be on accuracy
and documentation, but contemporary
botanical artists have forged new avenues of
representation. Communicating the physical attributes of a plant or flower remains central to any botanical illustration, but the modes of
communication have evolved in order to cater to aesthetic ideals as well.
In this vein, botanical illustration can be
understood as a variant of still life that is
defined by its artificial emphasis on and
isolation of specific elements. Though the
two styles are similar, botanical illustrations
rely heavily on objectivity and directness,
avoiding the atmospheric compositions and
lighting that typify most still lifes. Floral still
lifes, for example, are rarely considered to be
botanical flower illustrations even though their
subjects are the same. Botanical illustration
distinguishes itself as a unique discipline
through its accurate rendering and focused
celebration of the exquisite forms found
in nature. In still-life painting, there exists
an emotional component that reveals the
subjectivity of an artist who is free to arrange
objects to satisfy his personal aesthetic sense.
The best botanical illustrations add symbolism
to the image: implying taste through dew
drops, touch through textural details such
as thorns or bark, smell through vivid and
succulent color. Birds and insects (whose lives
are as brief as the flowers and trees they live in)
often stray into the composition, reminders of
ecology, climate and season. (Artspan)
When children are invited to look closely at
particular sections of a painting, they look more
carefully and discover details they
might not have noticed when looking
at the entire piece. Roesen’s Still Life
is filled with interesting and important
details that are easy to miss.
Begin with the far left side of the painting (the goblet of flowers and
the fruit). Ask students to find ten
details they can point out to a partner.
(Responses can be written or oral.)
Use the Think, Pair, Share routine and
invite students to compare their observations
with one of their peers, or have students share
one detail each with the whole group.
Repeat this sequence by looking
carefully at the remaining section of
the painting. What other details stand
out? What do the students notice
about the leaves? Consider the shape
of the leaves, and the prominent veins
(see charts of leaf shapes, edges, and
patterns). What do they notice about
the coloration of the leaves? The
twining, spiraling stem tendrils?
by Elizabeth Blackwell from her Curious Herbal published in London in 1737.
PAGE 4 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
Lesson Plan 2: Observe Like a Scientist/Respond Like a Poet.
Begin by introducing students to the leaf terms description sheet (included in this
packet). Discuss the various terms, and allow
time for students to make quick sketches of a
variety of the leaf shapes, etc.
Direct students to choose one prominent leaf in the painting, and
write down, dictate, or verbally share
the particular details and features
(including shape, venation pattern,
leaf margin or edge, coloration,
etc.). Additionally, students should
estimate leaf size in inches or
centimeters.
Next, ask students to compose at least one simile that describes the
leaf, and/or an example of personification.
Additionally, they can creatively describe the
coloration; students can even make up color
names (i.e. “barely ripe green” or “rosy-cheeked
red”).
Demonstrate how students can meld together the two descriptions that they wrote — the
scientifically detailed and the creatively poetic
— into one descriptive paragraph. Encourage
the use of prepositions and prepositional
phrases that show direction (next to, on
top of, in front of, underneath, above,
etc.).
Organization matters! Sequence
the description so it reads like a
“tour” of the leaf. Where should
the reader begin? What follows
logically?
Sentence variety makes a significant difference. Ask students
to jot down the first two words of
each sentence in the paragraph. Are
words repeated too often? Do all the sentences
follow a subject-verb repetitious construction?
Mix them up! Add a question, make some
sentences long, and others short. Consider the
rhythm of the sentences. Suggest that students
read the paragraph aloud.
Next, consider the painting as a whole. What
fine details add realism? What do the students
notice about the coloration of the fruit, flowers,
and leaves? What particular colors do students
notice? (Encourage students to include very
specific colors, beyond primary and secondary
colors if possible.) Where are particular colors
repeated throughout the painting? Where
are the darkest and lightest sections of the
painting?
Where are the strongest lines in the painting?
Identify the lines as horizontal, vertical,
diagonal, intersecting, etc. Which intersecting
lines create angles? How are sections of the still
life connected visually? Look at the curves in
this painting: which curves bring the viewer’s
eye back into the composition?
Ask students to consider other compositional decisions the artist made: the directions that
the various pieces of fruit are facing, and the
particular placement of each object. Note the
foreground and background. What objects are
positioned partially or completely off the table?
Why did the artist make these choices?
Ask students to identify which detail (personal opinion) is the most important in the painting (where does the eye go first or
which is most significant). Which detail is their
favorite element of the composition or the
painting? Or, which object would the student
want to reach in and take? Why?
What questions do students have about this painting? Invite speculation from the group.
Make comparisons by going on a scavenger hunt for similes in this painting. Remind
students that a simile is a figure of speech in
which two unlike things are compared, and that
a simile is often introduced by “like” or “as.”
PAGE 5 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
Examples of similies:
The grapes look like bright gold
coins.
The edge of the leaf is curled like
a baby’s hand.
The blue flowers look like fairy
caps.
Highlight the “golden words” or examples
of strong word choice. Which part of the
description stands out? Which verbs are
strong and precise? Are sensory descriptions
included?
Pair students together and have them read the descriptive paragraphs to each other without
pointing out the leaf from the painting that was
chosen for this exercise. Can the partners guess
the correct leaves? If not, what does the writer
need to add to the description?
Follow the same general sequence as described above, but this time, have students select real leaves to describe. Randomly place
a pile of leaves on a table, and invite students
to select the leaf of their choice.
Students begin by recording detailed, scientific observations. (Option: use the
Leaf Detail Chart included in this packet as a
prewriting exercise).
Next, add figurative language. The students
should create similes, metaphors, and/or
examples of personification to describe the
leaf.
Students compose a descriptive paragraph (or
paragraphs) by combining the scientific details
with the examples of figurative language, as
they did before.
Direct students to scan the paragraph(s) for sentence variety and fluency, and check for effective word choice (strong verbs, sensory
description, etc.). Students should also
consider the organization
of the paragraph, and the
order of the sentences.
Someone else will be reading the description. Scan the paragraph(s) for
spelling and editing, and
correct all errors. Is it easy
to follow the description?
Did the student include
enough specific details?
TIME TO PLAY THE GAME
Return the leaves to a table, and spread them out. Each leaf should be
clearly visible.
Collect the descriptions and pass them out to random students. Each
student should receive some else’s description
to read.
Students match the description they received with a leaf on the table. Occasionally, two
or three students will “claim” a match with a
leaf. In this case, read each description very
carefully and decide on the best match. The
others will need to search again. There is often
some switching involved until every leaf has a
match.
After all the matches have been made, the original authors confirm that the matches are correct. If time allows, each student can read
his/her description to the whole class.
Variation: Direct students to look for a leaf outside of school and write the description for homework. Bring the leaf and the description
to class the next day in a paper bag or small
box so others do not see the leaf. Repeat the
sequence described above.
Extensions: Photograph each leaf, and have
students enter (type) the descriptions into
a computer document. Create a Leaf Game
bulletin board that invites viewers to match
the descriptions with the photos, or create a
class book featuring the descriptions and the
images of the leaves. Or, create a bulletin board
or class book featuring the similes and the
photographs.
Another option is to have each student
sketch or paint his/her leaf using pencils,
colored pencils, pen and ink, pen and ink and
watercolor, oil pastels, etc.
Lesson Plan 3: The Leaf Game
STUDENT SAMPLE OF LEAF DESCRIPTIONS (4th GRADE) Can you find me? My length is six inches and my width is five. My back is fuzzy, but my front is not. Please don’t step on me, for I am as brittle as a Frito Lay chip. If you pick me up, I’ll be dirty brown with curly tips, and you’ll see that I look like a shriveled up, clawed hand. I have decomposed windows like old screen doors in my top left section. There is burnt orange running through my veins. I look like a hungry person munched on me like an old piece of chocolate. My edges are serrated and look like the blade of a bread knife. - A. S.
PAGE 6 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
Lesson Plan 4: A Balance of Opposites
Lesson Plan 5: More Work with Poems
George Rickey’s bright and bold geometric shapes lightly move in a balance of opposites: cool and warm colors, angles and curves. As
they sail in small movements of air, his forms
suggest the changing seasons: summer to
winter, spring to fall.
What Rickey did with shape and color, we can do with words. Make a list of words
that are opposites. These can
include tangible things like hot
and cold, or intangibles like
fear and longing, jealousy and
indifference, etc. Now rearrange
the pairs,
making unusual
combinations
or changing
the word form
(adjective to
noun or adverb,
present tense
to past tense,
etc.) and
adding other
words to create
a poem.
Have students write an acrostic poem.
Mark the cycle of seasons by writing a poem of welcome or farewell.
L ovely leaves,
E ach one has
A special detail
F or us!
A ll the things
T hat are illuminated, like the
U mber leaves of
M y oak tree,
N ever the same, always changing
Examples of Opposites
Light Dark
Pain Numbness
Waking Sleeping
Jealousy Indifference
Early Late
Dawn Dusk
Comfort Annoy
Smooth Rough
Randomness Order
Loose Tight
Stillness Motion
Sample Poem
Indifferent to pain
I wake in jealous light
Darkly
My sleep has turned to numbness.
Hello, Autumn
Hello, autumn!Hello russet sunsets on the horizon,Thanksgiving, and visiting with aunts and uncles,and big and little cousins.Hello Halloween, trick-or-treating, glowing-eyed jack-o-lanterns,and eating candy all day long!Hello fall leaves, tumbling to the ground,making a colorful carpet underneath the trees.Hello new pencils,gliding across my paper,and new teachers, welcomg us back to school.Hello big waves,perfect for surfing.Hello night walks in the moonlightunder the golden Harvest Moon.Hello, Autumn!Hello! - J.B. (4th grade)
Goodbye, Summer
Goodbye sleeping in until lunch.Goodbye blowing bubbles and watching them pop on the bright green grass.
Goodbye slipping and sliding with my cousins,and good-bye staying up until the clock strikes midnight.
Goodbye swimming in my bright blue pool,goodbye sand, stuck between my toes,and shifting around in my sheets.And goodbye to giggling with my friends for hours, all during the night.
Goodbye watermelon, dripping down my smile,and goodbye lemonade stands on a hot summer day.
Goodbye, summer, goodbye! - K.S. (4th Grade)
PAGE 7 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
Art Activity 1: K – 2nd
Art Activity 2: 3rd – 6th
Make a Multi-Media Realism to Abstraction Leaf Collage.
Materials: Large white or black drawing
paper or copy paper; white or black oil
pastels, chalk pastels in a selection of colors
or markers and crayons; small squares of
colored paper in warm and cool colors,
black stamp pads, scissors, glue sticks, and a
selection of leaves.
1. Have students compare Severin Roesen’s
Still Life and George Rickey’s Seasons I. In
what ways are these artworks similar? They
both have straight lines and curvy lines,
warm and cool colors, and were inspired by
nature. How are they different? Roesen’s
work is a painting done in a realistic style.
Rickey’s is a sculpture and is abstract.
2. Ask students to study a selection
of leaves, paying careful attention to
their outlines, the venation patterns and
coloration.
3. Give each student four squares of colored
paper (two squares in warm colors and two
squares in cool colors). Using a black stamp
pad, have them create leaf prints on each
of the squares. If the leaf is bigger than the
square, print part of the leaf.
4. Using paper, white or black oil pastels,
crayons, or markers have students draw
outlines of a leaf and repeat these outlines
four to five times; starting small then
increasing in scale until they are larger then
the paper size.
5. Have students select three colors of
chalk pastels or other coloring materials
to fill in the shapes that the crossed lines
created. When they are satisfied with their
composition, have them glue the leaf prints
to their drawings, grouping the warm colored
squares separately from the cool colored
ones.
Make a Multi-Media Realism to Abstraction Leaf Collage.
Materials: Large white or black drawing
paper or copy paper; small squares of white
paper, pencils, white or black oil pastels,
chalk pastels in a selection of colors or
markers & crayons, scissors, glue sticks, and
a selection of leaves.
1. Have students compare Severin Roesen’s
Still Life and George Rickey’s Seasons I. In
what ways are these artworks similar? They
both have - straight lines & curvy lines, warm
and cool colors, and were inspired by nature.
How are they different? Roesen’s work is a
painting done in a realistic style. Rickey’s is a
sculpture and is abstract.
2. Ask students to study a selection of
leaves, paying careful attention to their
outlines, the venation pattern and coloration.
Have them select a leaf to create a botanical
illustration of.
3. Using white or black oil pastels, crayons
or markers and large drawing paper, have
students draw outlines of a leaf and repeat
PAGE 8 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
these outlines four to five times. They should
start small then increase the scale until it is
larger then the paper size.
4. Have students select three colors of
chalk pastels or other coloring materials
to fill in the shapes that the crossed lines
created. When they are satisfied with their
composition, have them glue the botanical
illustration to their drawings.
Art Activity 3: 7th – 12th
Make a Rhyme in Nature Realism to Abstraction Triptych.
Materials: Three sheets of drawing paper,
pencils, oil pastels, and a selection of
botanicals.
1. Have students compare Severin Roesen’s
Still Life and George Rickey’s Seasons I.
2. Ask students to select a plant and study
how the different elements of the plant
are connected, then create a botanical
illustration in pencil on paper.
3. Next, develop the sketch into an
abstracted drawing, focusing on the rhythms
of the different parts of the original subject.
4. Finally, have students create an oil-pastel
version of their second drawing, selecting
warm or cool colors for the object and the
opposite color group to fill in the negative
space completely. If desired, the negative
space can be covered with black oil pastel
and uncovered using scrafito technique.
PAGE 9 ART & NATURE TEACHER GUIDE SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF ART
LEAF ARRANGEMENTS ON A TWIG
Leaf Terms
circular
heart triangular lance
oval
elliptical egg diamond
COMMON LEAF SHAPES
alternate opposite whorled
COMMON TYPES OF LEAF MARGINS (OR
EDGES)
smooth wavy serrate doubly serrate lobed
Leaf Game:
Look for a few interesting leaves that will be good to describe. Choose one. Complete the chart with the perfect words to help you describe the leaf you chose.
Next, write a description of your leaf. It needs to be accurate and complete – someone will be reading it and using the description to try and pick out your leaf! However, don’t tell us the particular tree your leaf is from – that takes the fun out of trying to find it. Use the two reference sheets to help you describe the shape of your leaf, leaf margins, venation patterns, etc.
EDITING and SPELLING count – and include at least one simile and/or example of personification. Consider adding a question or exclamatory sentence. Make sure your sentences start in different ways, and that they are not short and choppy. Example:
My leaf is circular in shape, with a palmate venation pattern. If you measure it, you’ll discover that it is three inches wide by three inches high. I think it looks like a colorful star. The margins of the leaf are serrate, jagged and sharp, just like the blade of a dinner knife. A crimson and brown border surrounds the leaf, but the inside sections are still yellow-green. Even though my leaf is starting to dry out, it is still shiny and smooth. The veins of the leaf really stand out because they are yellow-gold. There is a vein that connects to the tip of each of the sections of the leaf. The main vein ends in the stem of the leaf, and it is hard and thick. Four small holes are scattered around the surface of the leaf, and they have very dark (almost black) edges surrounding them. Can you find my leaf?