1

YOU, ME, HE, SHE PORTRAITS IN ART

Ateneum Art Museum, school resource package

Text: Satu Itkonen and Erica OthmanLayout: Suvi Wirman

Translations: Barbara Cederqvist and Tomi SnellmanProduced by Ateneum Art Museum 2016

Améli

e Lun

dahl

: The

Gar

den

Girl

, 188

5. A

tene

um. P

hoto

: Fin

nish

Nat

iona

l Gall

ery /

Ain

ur N

asre

tdin

2

EXHIBITIONS: Stories of Finnish Art (collection exhibition)Amedeo Modigliani (28.10.–5.2.2017)

TO THE TEACHER/GROUP LEADERThis school resource package focuses on portraits and self-portraits in the Stories of Finnish Art collection display in the Ateneum Art Museum. It also includes a section on our changing exhibitions (28 October 2016 – 5 February 2017 Amedeo Modigliani). At the end of the package we have provided some key information about the Ateneum Art Museum itself.

The package contains questions, suggestions for discussion, and assignments that can be completed either before or after a visit to the museum. We recommend that groups should book a guided tour for the visit. Of our thematic tours, Pictures of People (Portrait, Self-Portrait) is particularly suited for school groups. More information on guided thematic tours for schools is available online here.The resource package is suitable for all age groups.

GENERAL GOALS OF THE RESOURCE PACKAGE:

• To introduce students to portraiture and self-portraiture and lead them to discover connections between museum exhibits and their own life and contemporary culture.• To give tools for the examination of art images and their use, and to strengthen visual literacy and critical thinking skills.• To strengthen the students’ social interaction skills. • To reinforce the idea that there are many questions in art as well as open answers: art is a platform for questioning, play, new insights and alternative ways of seeing.See the thematic school tour page for the learning goals of guided tours in Ateneum and the connection of the tours to the basic education curriculum.

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PORTRAITS AND SELF-PORTRAITSThe individual is a perennial subject in art, and portraits have a history that goes back thousands of years. The roots are firmly also in ancient Greece and Rome, where people were immortalised in statues and on coins. A self-portrait is a portrait made by the artist of him/herself. In the days before photography, the outward appearance of a person was captured manually, illustrating also for future generations his/her personality, qualities and role. Portraits used to be passed on like messages in the form of small lockets or other types of miniature images. There is a fascinating arc of development that passes from early portraiture and self-portraits to contemporary culture of selfies and our otherwise image-filled lives. Portraits inspire us to consider why these particular people were depicted and what their likenesses tell us.

The Stories of Finnish Art collection exhibition includes nearly a hundred portraits and self-portraits. The first of them were acquired for the collection of the Finnish Art Society back in the 19th century. Pictures in Gallery 6 are hung on a wall that stretches from one end of the gallery to the other. When artists gained recognition and esteem as creators of national culture, they also began to get commissions for portraits and self-portraits for public art collections.

All the works owned by Ateneum that are presented in this package are included in the exhibition. You can also browse them online at the website of the Finnish National Gallery at art collections online. Many portraits and self-portraits in the Ateneum collection are also covered in the online audio guide.

CAN IMAGES BE TRUSTED?

All pictures, whether paintings or photographs, show us a glimpse of real life, but they can also lie. Portraits used to be commissioned especially of rulers, celebrities and other important people, and artists tried to create pictures that pleased the client. That is one reason why the truthfulness of old portraits from centuries ago cannot be trusted implicitly.

WARM AND FAMILIAR

Sometimes artists can examine themselves mercilessly in self-portraits and also reveal their own vulnerability. They can also depict themselves deliberately in some particular role. Often the sitter is someone close to the artist or even a family member, in which case the portrait can convey a powerful sense of affection and warmth. However, the artist can also view the sitter critically and with disdain. Cartoons in particular are a genre in which the artist can shamelessly exaggerate the sitter’s qualities.

CONTEMPORARY PORTRAITS

Today we are surrounded by images, and many people have a camera with them at all times on their mobile phone. Ads, the Internet, the press and television abound with images of people that are used to communicate, sell, challenge and influence. People in ads are often made to look younger and more beautiful than they really are, and images can today be manipulated easily even at home.

4

LOOKING AT PORTRAITS – QUESTIONS AND IDEAS:

What thing in the picture catches your eye first?

What can you tell about the person just by looking at his/her costume, pose and setting in the picture?

Does the picture make you want to ask something?

What do you think the person wanted the picture to tell about him/her?

What is the mood in the picture?

Would you like to meet the person? Why yes, or why not?

If the person in the picture would talk to you, what do you think he/she might say?

What do you think the person might do next? Where would he/she go?

What things does the picture leave unsaid? Is there perhaps a riddle in the picture?

Can you see signs of power in the picture (economic, legal, state power: portraits commissioned of rulers and the rich and the powerful)?

What is the relationship between the artist and the sitter (portraits of family, spouse, children and colleagues; does the picture convey

some particular emotion between the artist and the sitter)?

Self-portraits: how does the artist look at him/herself (psychological appraisal, observing the process of ageing, putting on an artist’s role)?

What does the picture tell about fashion and other cultural history (interior decoration and furnishing, costumes, gestures, poses)?

What is the role of the sitter’s hands and arms? What do sitters’ other gestures tell you?

Does the picture look at you or do you look at the picture? (When you walk past the picture, do you feel that the person in the picture is following you with his/her eyes?)

After examining the pictures in this resource package and visiting the museum, discuss the differences or similarities between portraits and self-portraits.

5

HINTS FOR TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDING THE MUSEUM VISIT.

You are free to take photographs and video in the exhibition for private use. Use of a tripod, flash, or selfie stick is prohibited. Take photographs of the museum building and paintings that seem important to you, and discuss them back at school. Explore their motifs, subject matter and any thoughts that they gave rise to. Use the works as a springboard to create pictures of your own. However, we advise you to restrain yourself in the museum and take out cameras only towards the end of the visit.

TEHTÄVÄ: ASSIGNMENT: SNEAKING A LOOK.

Next time you are in a café, bus or train, observe someone for a few moments (without staring at them). What can you tell about the person just by looking at them, their clothes, posture or appearance? If you had to tell a story about them, what would it be like? Without letting the person see you, assume the same posture. Does that help you to imagine the person better?

PICTURE WRITES A LETTER.

Observing a picture and writing about it. Alone, in pairs, or in a group. Select one picture from the resource package. Or: if you visit the museum, you can also take a photo of a portrait or self-portrait that interests you. Imagine that the person in the picture sends you a message: ideas, words, a poem, a letter. What does the person write? Think about it for a moment and then write the message in the first person. When you are finished, you can swap your picture and text with your pair. Conclude with a discussion.

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ASSIGNMENT: THE DIMENSIONS OF A FACE. Observing a picture and making one of your own. Working in a group, examine a self-portrait in the resource package that shows the person’s face from the front. Observe the relative proportions of the face. What do you think about the following statements: • The eyes are halfway between the top of the head and the chin.• The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and the chin.• The mouth is halfway between the nose and the chin.• The ends of the lips are along the same vertical line as the centre of the eyes.• The upper edge of the ears are on level with the eyebrows.• The lower edge of the ears is on level with the lower part of the nose.How does the picture correspond to the statements above? Next, locate a mirror (in the school foyer, toilet, pocket mirror), take some paper and a pencil, and draw your own face with the help of the mirror. Remember that all people are unique and different.

ASSIGNMENT: OBSERVE A PICTURE. MYSELF AS PICTURE.

ELIN DANIELSON-GAMBOGI (1861–1919) has painted herself in half profile, turned slightly towards the viewer or the mirror. She holds an oil palette in one hand and a thin brush in the other. It looks like she is painting her self-portrait with her right hand, but things change in a mirror: a left hand looks like it were the right hand. Which is true? The thin curtain in the background softens the

light. The painter’s head is surrounded by a halo of light. Are there other sources of light apart from the window? How does the artist seem to be looking at herself? HELENE SCHJERFBECK (1862–1946) made altogether about 40 self-portraits, some of them when she was over 80. In this picture she is 50 years of age.

Compare the self-portraits of these two early and talented Finnish female artists, Elin Danielson-Gambogi and Helene Schjerfbeck. What similarities can you find, what differences?

Next, try to sit in front of a mirror in the same posture, with straight back and looking a little sideways. How does it feel? Write a short message to an imaginary artist friend. Write it in the first person: "I would like to..." You can also take turns reading aloud each others’ texts.

Elin

Dan

ielso

n-G

ambo

gi (18

61–1

919)

: Self

-Por

trait,

1900

, oil o

n ca

nvas

, 96

cm x

65.5

cm, A

ntell

Col

lectio

ns, A

tene

um A

rt M

useu

m. P

hoto

: Fin

nish

Nat

iona

l G

aller

y / K

ari S

oini

o.

Hele

ne S

chjer

fbec

k (18

62–1

946)

: Self

-Por

trait,

1912

, oil o

n ca

nvas

, 43.

5 cm

x 42

cm, A

tene

um A

rt M

useu

m. P

hoto

: Fin

nish

Nat

iona

l Gall

ery /

Han

nu A

alton

en.

SELF-PORTRAITS FROM THE ATENEUM COLLECTION

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ASSIGNMENT: ARTISTIC SELFIE.

Image making. You will need cameras and picture-making materials. Assignment: Examine the self-portrait of artist Yrjö Saarinen. What kind of an image of himself does he want to show? What does the picture tell you? Next, take a selfie, or draw or paint a picture of your face on paper using a mirror. If you took a selfie, print it on a sheet of paper in A4 size. When you are finished, hang all the self-portraits on a wall and discuss them.

ASSIGNMENT: ALL BY YOURSELF.

Artist Alpo Jaakola was 28 years old when he painted this mysterious self-portrait. What do you think is happening in the picture?

Where do you feel most at home? If you could go there now, what would you take with you – people, objects, pets? Make a picture about it. Use any medium you want. Make sure that the self-portrait shows something important about you, not just your face. Let the objects in the picture tell something about you, like what you really like to do.

Yrjö

Saa

rinen

(189

9–19

58):

Self-

Portr

ait, 1

940,

oil o

n ca

nvas

, 81 c

m x

65 cm

, Ate

neum

Art

Mus

eum

. Pho

to: F

inni

sh N

atio

nal G

aller

y / Ja

nne M

äkin

en.

Alpo

Jaak

ola (

1929

–199

7): S

elf-P

ortra

it in

a Te

nt, 1

957,

oil o

n ca

nvas

, 76.

5 cm

x 13

5 cm

, Ate

neum

Art

Mus

eum

. Pho

to: F

inni

sh N

atio

nal G

aller

y / H

annu

Aalt

onen

.

8

OBSERVATION ASSIGNMENT: BEAUTY LIES IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.

One of these two paintings looks very realistic and commonplace, the person in the other one is clearly posing in a role and a costume. One picture is a portrait of the artist’s aunt, the other is a commissioned portrait. When an artist stands in front of a sitter, he/she paints not only the sitter, but also his/her own relationship to the sitter. Sometimes the title of the painting also reveals something about the artist’s attitude towards the person in the portrait. Look at these two pictures: is the artist’s feelings towards the sitter distant and reserved, or direct and warm? How can an artist portray a sitter's personality, a person's inner being? Dreams, fears or dignity? How much does an artist put his/her own feelings into the picture?

EHTÄVÄ: LUONTEVA KUVA.ASSIGNMENT: YOUR NATURAL SELF.

One of these two paintings looks very realistic and commonplace, the person in the other one is clearly posing in a role and a costume. One picture is a portrait of the artist’s aunt, the other is a commissioned portrait. When an artist stands in front of a sitter, he/she paints not only the sitter, but also his/her own relationship to the sitter. Sometimes the title of the painting also reveals something about the artist’s attitude towards the person in the portrait. Look at these two pictures: is the artist’s feelings towards the sitter distant and reserved, or direct and warm? How can an artist portray a sitter's personality, a person's inner being? Dreams, fears or dignity? How much does an artist put his/her own feelings into the picture?

Mar

ia W

iik (1

853–

1928

): Po

rtrait

of O

pera

Sin

ger I

da B

asilie

r-M

agels

en in

the R

ole o

f Phi

line i

n M

ignon

, 188

7,

oil o

n ca

nvas

, 129

cm x

84 cm

, Ant

ell C

ollec

tions

, Ate

neum

Art

Mus

eum

. Pho

to: F

inni

sh N

atio

nal G

aller

y / A

ntti

Kuiva

laine

n.

Hug

o Si

mbe

rg (1

853–

1928

): Au

ntie,

1898

, oil o

n ca

nvas

, 57

cm x

38.5

cm, A

ntell

Col

lectio

ns, A

tene

um A

rt M

useu

m.

Phot

o: F

inni

sh N

atio

nal G

aller

y / K

ari S

oini

o.

PORTRAITS FROM THE ATENEUM COLLECTION

9

ASSIGNMENT: ATTITUDE AND POSING.

Antti Favén was a skilful and popular portrait painter. The sitter in this picture is in a very striking posture.

Group assignment, 3–4 students. Each student writes three very different adjectives on slips of paper, one word on each slip. The slips are then gathered together. (Alternatively, the teacher can provide the adjectives for the students.) A volunteer takes a slip and strikes a pose that corresponds as well as possible to the adjective. The others try to guess: What adjective? What attitude? Take photographs of each other. Consider the angle, how to frame the picture, how close or how far the camera should be. Would this pose be suitable for a black-and-white picture? Can you seen something familiar in the pose?

Tyko

Sall

inen

, Mirr

i in B

lack,

1911,

oil o

n ca

nvas

, 53

cm x

46 cm

, Ate

neum

Ar

t Mus

eum

. Pho

to: F

inni

sh N

atio

nal G

aller

y / Ju

kka R

omu.

Antti

Fav

én (1

882–

1948

) Arti

st F

ahle

Basil

ier, 1

922,

oil o

n ca

nvas

, 160

.5 cm

x 113

.5 cm

, Ahl

strö

m

Col

lectio

n, A

tene

um A

rt M

useu

m. P

hoto

: Fin

nish

Nat

iona

l Gall

ery /

Kar

i Soi

nio.

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ASSIGNMENT: MYSELF IN A PORTRAIT.

A discussion and picture-making assignment. This painting is a so-called milieu portrait. It means that the person is shown in a setting that is important for him/her, either professionally or at home. It can also show the person doing something that is typical of his/her life. The first professor of art history in Finland, J. J. Tikkanen (1857–1930), was an important figure in the history of the Ateneum Art Museum. He taught future art historians, but he also served for over 30 years as the secretary and board chairman of the Finnish Art Society.

Start by discussing in pairs: If you were to sit for a painting or a drawing, how would you dress? What objects or things would you like to have with you in the picture? Where would you like the picture to show you? Would you be sitting or standing – what kind of a pose would you like to be in? Would you be alone, or would you like to have someone else with you in the picture? After finishing the discussion, create portraits of each other, after the sitter's wishes. Choose any medium you like. W

ilho

Sjös

tröm

(187

3–19

44):

Portr

ait o

f Pro

fess

or J.

J. Ti

kkan

en, 1

913,

oil o

n ca

nvas

, 94

cm x

70 cm

, Her

man

and

Elisa

beth

H

allon

blad

Col

lectio

n, A

tene

um A

rt M

useu

m. P

hoto

: Fin

nish

Nat

iona

l Gall

ery /

Ant

ti Ku

ivalai

nen.

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AMEDEO MODIGLIANI EXHIBITION AT THE ATENEUM 28.10.2016-5.2.2017

The Italian Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) is one of world’s best-known artists. His fame is closely connected to a romanticisation of the bohemian artistic lifestyle. Even during his lifetime, this charming figure was part of the myth: a handsome man who stood out in artistic circles with his red silk scarf and black brimmed hat. Modigliani’s passionate, tragic life has often overshadowed his fascinating, prolific artistic output. His fascinating portrayals of people, mystical sculptures and nude paintings reveal him as an ambitious, cultivated international artist.

Modigliani lived and worked amid the tumultuous artistic scene of early twentieth century Paris. His circles included painters, sculptors, authors, composers, poets and other writers. Modigliani was deeply interested in literature and is said to have always carried a book in his pocket. His life was overshadowed by continual illness and heavy alcohol and drug use. When he died at age 35, on the brink of success, he was nearly penniless. However the uniqueness of Modigliani’s art was soon recognised and his fame grew posthumously. Now Modigliani’s works fetch record prices at international auctions.

This Ateneum exhibition presents 83 works by Modigliani, including paintings, drawings and sculptures. We recommend ordering an introduction for a class visit to the exhibition. The introduction can also be ordered to take place at schools.

During the exhibition, visitors can use the EIFFEL activity space. There they can assemble puzzles, touch sculptures that inspired Modigliani’s art or draw a self-portrait or portrait in Modigliani’s style. Please keep in mind that this space may be occupied, though. It fits about 15 people at a time.

Amed

eo M

odigl

iani, p

hoto

by M

arc V

aux i

n wo

rksh

op o

f the

pain

ter a

nd gi

ven

by h

im to

Th

ora K

linck

owst

rom

. © P

VDE

/ Brid

gem

an Im

ages

.

12

SOURCES OF NEW ART

The solemn figures and long face shapes of Modigliani’s sculptures were inspired by exotic cultures and prehistoric art, from African masks to Angkor temple dancers from Cambodia. Long, elegant faces, almond-shaped eyes and exaggeratedly long necks reoccur in Modigliani’s sculptures, and later in his paintings as well.

Modigliani was interested in caryatids, and depicted these architectonic sculptures in many of his drawings, paintings and sculptures. Caryatids are figures that support parts of buildings and various kinds of structures, sometimes replacing pillars for instance. Caryatids were used in ancient Greek architecture, but were also popular in nineteenth and twentieth century buildings. The Ateneum has its own caryatids, which adorn the museum’s façade.

Aten

eum

in ju

lkisiv

un ka

ryat

ifit.

Kuva

: Mat

ti Ru

otsa

laine

nAm

edeo

Mod

iglian

i: Kar

yatid

i, ajo

ittam

aton

. NM

WA

EXERCISE 1: CARYATID, SUPPORTIVE FIGURE

What could your caryatid carry or support – something very heavy or light? What kind of pose does your caryatid have?

Supplies: drawing and painting supplies, paper

Exercise: Design and make a caryatid that can hold up part of a building or something else. Think about how it is to carry objects in your arms or on your head, and how this affects your whole body. Draw and paint your caryatid figure.

EXERCISE 2: MASK

Why and when are masks used? A mask may cover a face partly or fully and turn the person wearing it into a completely new character. Masks have been made in various cultures throughout human history, and they continue to play an important role today, for instance in theatre or festivities.

Supplies: various types of cardboard or paper, scissors

Exercise: Think about what kind of character’s face you’d like to create. The starting point could be, for instance, a mood or situation where masks are used. Cut a mask out of paper or cardboard. You can also cut holes in the mask, fold it, decorate it and/or paint it.

13

SELF-PORTRAIT FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Photographs of Modigliani have been preserved, but they look quite different from his own self-portraits. Modigliani’s self-portraits port-ray something else; moods or atmospheres. A self-portrait may also be an internal portrait, a mental landscape.Think about why Modigliani looks so self-confident in photographs but portrayed himself as the well-known figure of Pierrot, a sad clown.

EXERCISE 1: MYSELF IN THE PICTURE

How would you like to depict yourself when doing a self-portrait: what kinds of colours will you use, what kind of outfit and background? Will the picture include something familiar about you or will you make it completely different?

Supplies: drawing and painting supplies, paper, mirrors

Exercise: Draw and paint picture of yourself using the mirror. Try different poses in front of the mirror – semi-profile, looking in different directions and with different shoulder lines. You can also change the proportions of your face: stretch your face and neck or change the size of your eyes, nose and mouth.

EXERCISE 2: MENTAL LANDSCAPES, PAIR EXERCISE

A self-portrait can also be a perspective, part of a landscape or a composition of colours that are important to you. In this exercise, paint or draw two landscapes, one of them internal and one external.

Supplies: Drawing and painting supplies, paper and light, for example an overhead projector or spotlight. The light may be projected onto a screen or working space on a wall where the paper is attached.

Exercise: In pairs or small groups, draw profiles of each other using the spotlight. Draw the outline of your pair’s profile as reflected in shadow on the paper. Each profile should be drawn on at least an A3-size piece of paper, so that there is space to draw or paint landscapes or areas of colour both inside and outside of the outline. You can also cut out the profile image and attach it to another piece of paper.

The participants can continue working in the profiles and backgrounds, with each person drawing or painting his or her own picture. The profile image and its background cam create two different landscapes: one a view of the profile’s interior and the other on the outside. The view may be figurative or abstract, for instance two different colour moods.Am

edeo

Mod

iglian

i n. 1

919.

Dav

id Pr

ice-H

ughe

s / B

ridge

man

Imag

es: d

avid.

price

-hug

hes@

bridg

eman

imag

es.co

m

Amed

eo M

odig

liani

: Om

akuv

a, Pi

erro

t, 19

14. S

tate

ns M

useu

m fo

r Kun

st.

14

AN ARTIST’S LIFE

Modigliani’s portraits offer a view into the Parisian artist community and its flourishing subcultures. He was fond of depicting bohemian and androgynous characters, seeing them as distinctive, fascinating individuals. According to Modigliani’s view of humanity – which many of his contemporaries shared – artists were exceptional individuals, unbound by middle-class societal norms.

Modigliani often painted portraits of his artist friends. He always had his own vision of each subject’s characteristics, which he emphasised and shaped. Thus the works turned into “Modiglianis”, as his friends recalled his working technique.

In his portraits, Modigliani was primarily interested in the model’s personality rather than his or her external features. When Survage asked Modigliani why he had only given him one eye, the artist is said to have replied: “because with one eye you look at the world, with the other you look into yourself.”

Amed

eo M

odigl

iani: R

enée

(191

7). P

ola M

useu

m o

f Art,

Kan

agaw

a, Ja

pan.

Pho

to: P

ola

Mus

eum

of A

rt, K

anag

awa,

Japa

n.

Elen

a Pov

oloz

ky, 1

917.

Pho

to: w

ww.b

ridge

man

imag

es.co

m

15

FOR DISCUSSION:

What does a portrait tell us? Often when looking at portraits, we first focus on the subject’s face and gaze. The artist has carefully thought out every detail of a portrait. It’s interesting to study how the person is posed and how the background has been done. What do the person’s clothes say about him or her, and what does the hairstyle represent?

Values behind the pictures? In the artistic circles of Paris’s Montparnasse neighbourhood, it was possible to experiment with various roles and to rebel against established lifestyles. In his portraits, Modigliani was interested in each subject’s core, the person’s essence, which does not necessarily include gender or other factors that define or limit human activity.

A title tells us something and creates mental images. Artists usually give names to portraits, like other works of art. With a portrait, this typically refers to the person portrayed. The title may sometimes seem to conflict with the content of the work, which brings an interesting addition to our examination of the work. If you try these portrait or self-portrait exercises, remember to give titles to your completed pictures!

DRAWING EXERCISES, MANY KINDS OF PORTRAITS

Supplies: pencils, paper, mirrors, transparencies and markers

Exercise 1. Drawing without looking at the paperLook at yourself in the mirror. Do a drawing without looking at the paper. When you’ve drawn everything essential, look at your picture. Which parts worked well?

Exercise 2. A portrait of someone else without looking at the paperUse a partner as a model for your drawing.Look carefully at the other person. How are his or her features shaped? Draw a portrait of him or her without looking at the paper.When you’ve drawn everything essential, look at your picture.

Exercise 3. Symmetry mirrorStand the mirror up in the middle of a piece of paper. Use its stand or a pile of books to support it. Touch your pen or pencil to the mirror and draw half of a face on the paper next to the mirror. When this is done, move the mirror and play around with it. How does the face narrow and widen? Remove the mirror and try to complete the face. Is it symmetrical?

Exercise 4. Draw a Modigliani-style self-portraitPlace a transparency on the mirror. Close one of your eyes and draw a picture on the transparency. You can also do this exercise without lifting your pen, which results in a lively, wiry kind of drawing.

Exercise 5. Simplify the featuresFacial features can be simplified into geometric shapes: a nose into a triangle, cheeks into circles and so on. Or how would a face look if you use just one geometric shape in different sizes? You can also put together a face by cutting and gluing pieces of coloured paper.

Amed

eo M

odigl

iani: P

ortra

it of

the A

rtist

Léo

pold

Surv

age (

1918

). Fi

nnish

Nat

iona

l Gall

ery/

Aten

eum

Art

Mus

eum

. Pho

to: F

inni

sh N

atio

nal G

aller

y / H

annu

Aalt

onen

.

Amed

eo M

odigl

iani: G

erm

aine S

urva

ge w

ith E

arrin

gs (1

918)

. Mus

ée d

es B

eaux

-Arts

, Nan

cy.

Phot

o: M

usée

des

Bea

ux-A

rts, N

ancy

/ C

liché

C. P

hilip

pot.

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MUSEUM VISITTalk about the museum visit beforehand with your students. Remind them of proper behaviour: why running (safety of the artworks), loud talking (good manners, showing consideration for other visitors) or touching the works (valuable, unique old art) is forbidden. A good rule of thumb is to keep at arm’s length from all walls and artworks. If you have booked a tour, you can limit it to just three or four works. When you take your time to discuss just a few works, they stay better in mind. When the entire group gathers in front of a work (sitting on the floor, for example), please make sure that other visitors have room enough to pass. Talk with the guide before the tour to decide the focal points of the tour.The cloakroom has clipboards that you can borrow, but remember to bring your own pencils and papers.

AFTER THE VISIT:

Is there something particular that stayed in your mind? Some particular work? The building? Something that happened during the visit? Create a collective text/story about the visit. Use the photos you took (or that the teacher took). If you like, you can send feedback to the museum’s Public Programmes team at ainfo@ateneum.fi.

ATENEUM IN A NUTSHELL:

• Ateneum is part of the Finnish National Gallery. The two others are the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma and the Sinebrychoff Art Museum. • Ateneum Art Museum has thousands of artworks in its collection (paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints). The collection display only covers a tiny part of the entire collection. Most of the works are in storage, some are on loan in museum exhibitions in Finland or abroad, and some are on deposit in Finnish embassies around the world and in other places. The collection can also be accessed online at kokoelmat.fng.fi • Since the collections are owned by the State, we can say they are owned collectively by all Finns. • The museum has the resources to purchase a few new artworks every year. • Ateneum Art Museum has about 300,000–400,000 visitors every year.• The museum organises many workshops, guided tours and other events. • Guided tours: Only guides from the Ateneum and teachers visiting the museum with their group are allowed to give guided tours. • Photography: You are free to take photographs in the collection exhibition and the Alice Neel exhibition for private use, but only without a tripod, a flash or a selfie stick.