SYMMETRY
SYmbolism
A Student Activity Guide based on the exhibition
Abdias Nascimento: Artist, Activist, Author April 28 - June 21, 2014
Fig. 1 Abdias Nascimento Peace and Power Acrylic on canvas Middletown, USA, 1970 IPEAFRO Collection
Godwin-Ternbach Museum Queens College, CUNY
Fig. 2 Abdias Nascimento The Arrow of Guerreiro Ramos - Oxossi Acrylic on canvas Buffalo, NY, USA, 1971 IPEAFRO Collection
405 Klapper Hall 65-30 Kissena Boulevard Flushing, NY 11367 718 997 4747 www.qc.cuny.edu/godwin_ternbach
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PRE-MUSEUM ACTIVITY
Heritage, Symbols, and Global Connections
Fig. 3 Franca
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Abdias Nascimento (1914-2011)
Abdias Nascimento was born in Franca, a large city in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, in 1914. Look at Fig. 3. What continent is Brazil on? Find the city of Franca. Abdias Nascimento was not only an artist, but also a senator, author, and playwright. A person of African descent, Nascimento was an activist and founder of Brazil's black movement. What country or countries is your family from? Have you ever created art about your heritage? Why do artists make artwork about their heritage?
Abdias Nascimento's artwork uses symbols, or images that represent ideas and have meaning. Have you ever used symbols in your art? What symbols did you use and what did they mean? Why do you think artists use symbols in their artwork?
PEACE
LOOK & DISCOVER: Symbols & Meaning
Fig. 1 is called Peace and Power. Why do you think the artist chose this title? What do you see in the painting that symbolizes peace? power? What other ways might an artist show these ideas? In the spaces to the right, draw images that you think of when you hear the words "peace" and "power." There is no right or wrong answer!
POWER
Look at Fig. 1. What colors are in the background? These three colors are the stripes on the Pan African flag, used in countries across Africa and the Americas to symbolize unity of people of African descent.
MAKING CONNECTIONS: Religion across continents Abdias Nascimento created artwork of orixás (also spelled orishas or orisas) which are deities, or gods, in the African-Brazilian religion of Candomblé. Candomblé traces its roots back to enslaved Africans who brought their beliefs with them to Brazil. It is practiced in Brazil, as well as in countries including Uruguay, Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain, with as many as two million followers. Fig. 2 represents the Candomblé orixá named Ososi, or Oxossi. What shapes, lines, and colors do you see? What do they remind you of? Ososi is the deity of the forest and the hunt. What symbols do you think symbolize the forest and hunting in this painting? What do you see that makes you say that? DID YOU KNOW? Many religions around the world are similar. They are called "sister" religions. Candomblé is a “sister” religion to Santería as practiced in the Hispanophone Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic, et al.) and to Haitian Vodún. Many people in New York City practice Santería and Vodún, connecting the diverse communities of Brazil and New York. Do you or someone you know practice one of these religions? Have you ever made art inspired by these or other religions?
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IN-MUSEUM ACTIVITY
Facing Abstract Art: Shapes & Symmetry Fig. 4
LOOK & DISCOVER: Geometric & Concentric Shapes Find Fig. 4. What geometric shapes do you see? _____________________________________________________ How many circles do you see? _________ There are many triangles. How many can you find? ____________ Concentric shapes are "inside" one another, sharing the same center point. Find an example of concentric shapes in Fig. 4. Draw* them in box 1. Find another painting with concentric shapes. Write the title of the painting below and draw* the shapes in box 2. Title: _________________________________________________________ *Use the dots as the center points. If you like, add color to the shapes.
FIND & DRAW: Putting a Face on Symmetry
box 1
box 2
Fig. 5
Abdias Nascimento created symmetry in many of his paintings. There are several types of symmetry, including rotation and reflection. Line of reflection
Find Fig. 5. What type of symmetry does it have? Find a painting with rotation. Write the title. Title: _____________________________________
rotation
reflection
__________________________________________ Where is the line of reflection in Fig. 5? Many paintings in the exhibit have faces with a vertical line of reflection. How many can you find? Do the features (eyes, nose, mouth) look realistic? What do you see that makes you say that? The artist used simple geometric shapes and lines because he was inspired by the abstract faces of African masks. DRAW YOUR OWN On the left, start by drawing a large oval. (Line of reflection should divide it in half.) Next, draw the features: Eyes: Find a painting with eyes that you admire. Look carefully and draw your eyes like the artist did. (Notice that eyes are have concentric shapes.) Nose: Use your imagination and create your own nose. What shape(s) and lines might you use? Mouth: Find a different painting with a mouth that you like. Look and draw the mouth like Abdias do Nascimento did. More details: What other details might you add? Add color: Use imaginary colors to bring your face to life.
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POST-MUSEUM ACTIVITY
Candomblé Orixá Abstract Symbol Painting
CONNECT & CREATE: Symmetry & Symbolism
Fig. 6
Olokun - deep ocean Aganju - volcanoes, mountains Shango - thunder, fire, sky Oya - wind, hurricanes Oshun - rivers, love Erinle - medicine, healing Oko - agriculture and harvest Ososi - hunting and the forest Mawu - the moon Lisa - the sun
Fig. 6 lists ten Candomblé orixás.* Each is a divinity of a different aspect of the world/life. Choose one as inspiration for an abstract symmetrical painting in the style of Abdias Nascimento. Look at sample Fig. 7. Can you tell what orixá it was inspired by? What do you see that makes you say that? GET STARTED Fold a 18" x 18" sheet of drawing paper in half, creating a vertical line of symmetry. Unfold.
MAKE A FACE Use a pencil to draw an abstract face based on the chosen orixá
using simple shapes and lines. Begin with the outside shape. Use your imagination and think about the theme of the orixá. What type of shape or line relates to the theme? (Fig. 7 was inspired by Oshun. Why do you think it has curving lines?)
DRAW THE FEATURES Draw eyes, nose, and mouth. Use shapes and lines inspired by the orixá.
Fig. 7
(What shapes and lines were used to make features in Fig. 7? Why do you think this is?)
ADD DETAILS Draw more simple shapes, lines, and patterns that relate to the theme to fill the paper.
Create at least one set of concentric shapes and remember to create symmetry using the line of reflection.
PAINT Paint with acrylic or tempera paints, using colors associated with the theme.** Limit the number of colors, repeating the same color in different areas to create unity.
WORDS TO KNOW
*For additional information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orisha. **Meanings of colors vary in different cultures. If desired, research color symbolism in African-Brazilian culture and/or Candomblé religion. Or, as in Fig. 7, use American color symbolism.
Brazil's black movement: The diverse African-Brazilian social movements that occurred in 20th-century Brazil, particularly those movements that appeared in post-World War II Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
Candomblé: An African-originated religion that is a mixture of traditional Yoruba, Fon, Ewe and Bantu beliefs. It
was officially originated in Salvador, Bahia at the beginning of the 19th century when the first Candomblé temple was founded, but traces back to the earliest days of the slave trade.
symmetry: The presence of balance. Types of symmetry include: reflection, rotation, translation, and more. line of reflection: The line over which a mirror image is produced, or "reflected," in reflection. geometric shape: A shape with a rule by which it is defined (Ex: square = four equal sides at right angles). concentric shape: A shape that is inside or outside another shape and shares a center point with that shape. abstract: Art that does not show a person, place or thing as it exists in the real world. unity: When artwork has the feeling of being whole or unified. Often achieved through repetition of color/shape/line.
The exhibition, programs and education guide were made possible by funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Cultural Development Fund, the New York Council for the Humanities, a state agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, Transart, the Queens College program in Latin American and Latino Studies, the Queens College “Year of Brazil,” and the Friends of the Godwin-Ternbach Museum. This guide was made possible by generous contributions from the Godwin-Ternbach Museum and the Secondary Education and Youth Services Department, Queens College. Kristina Schaaf, Writer & Designer, M.S. in Art Education, 2008.
GODWIN-TERNBACH MUSEUM, QUEENS COLLEGE, CUNY 65-30 Kissena Blvd., 405 Klapper Hall, Flushing, New York 11367 www.qc.cuny.edu/godwin_ternbach