Translated Portrait Lesson Plan

Level: Grades 9-12

Central Focus: Throughout history, artists of color have been severely under-represented in the
arts. Artists often depict significant people in their lives through portraiture, drawing inspiration
from the masters. After examining the work of Kehinde Wiley, Tom Jones, Mickalene Thomas,
and Renee Cox, students will create portraits of their own. They will photograph an under-
appreciated person of significance in their lives and translate these photos into paintings while
thinking about symbolism and composition.

National Core Arts Standards:

VA:Cr1.2.IIIa Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and
contemporary artistic practices, following or breaking established conventions, to plan
the making of multiple works of art and design based on a theme, idea, or concept.
VA:Cr2.3.IIIa Demonstrate in works of art or design how visual and material culture
defines, shapes, enhances, inhibits, and/or empowers peoples lives.
VA:Pr6.1.IIa Make, explain, and justify connections between artists or artwork and
social, cultural, and political history.
VA:Cn10.1.IIa Synthesize knowledge of social, cultural, historical, and personal life
with art-making approaches to create meaningful works of art or design.
VA:Pr4.1.IIIa Critique, justify, and present choices in the process of analyzing,
selecting, curating, and presenting artwork for a specific exhibit or event.

Learning Objectives: Students will

Examine the work of culturally relevant artists (Kehinde Wiley, Tom Jones, Mickalene
Thomas, and Renee Cox).
Consider the previously examined works of Kehinde Wiley, Tom Jones, Mickalene
Thomas, Renee Cox, and traditional works from the Renaissance when choosing a
composition for their piece.
Choose an under-appreciated person in their lives to photograph.
Translate their photographs into fully rendered paintings.
Consider the significance and symbolism of selected patterning to apply to the
background.
Explain how their piece meets all of the requirements through a thoughtfully articulated
artist statement.
Plan an exhibit for their artwork.

Featured Vocabulary: symbolism, composition, portraiture, exhibition, Renaissance,

contemporary art

Materials: camera or cell phone, photo prints, acrylic paint, pencil, 18 x 24 canvas board

Lesson Sequence:
1. Introduction: PowerPoint
 a. Discuss artist work- Kehinde Wiley, Renee Cox, Tom Jones, Mickalene Thomas
b. Compare with traditional portrait painting of the Renaissance
c. Talk about the power of posing and considering composition to create desired
mood. What does this pose convey to the audience? Think about facial
expression as well.
d. Discuss patterning and symbolism.
e. Think about who you might use as the subject of your piece- someone who is
under-appreciated in your life. Could be at home, at school, at work, etc. Be
creative and be able to back up your choice. Consider clothing choices.
2. Demonstration:
a. Have students volunteer to model/pose positions of power for the rest of the
class; have the class think of ideas for model to try. Does this pose work? How is
this pose more powerful than this one?
b. Gauge how students are doing with painting maybe some confusion on
highlight and shadow, do a demo on painting techniques as needed:
i. Painting skin tones and difficult areas like faces and hands or folds in
fabric
ii. Color matching
iii. Proportion
iv. Grid translations
v. Shadows: using blues and violets instead of black
3. Work Time:
a. Survey the room for students who need help coming up with an idea/struggling
with painting techniques.
b. Ask students questions- Who did you choose and why? When thinking about
your composition, how will you relate to the work of the artists we discussed?
Have you considered what patterning you might incorporate into the
background?
4. Artist Statement: students write statement according to handout:
a. Who is the subject of your piece and why did you choose them?
b. Explain how you addressed their pose and the composition of your piece back
this up with evidence from the selected artists and examples presented in the
PowerPoint.
c. What symbolism did you use in your choice of pattern for the background?
5. Assessment:
a. Rubric- Students considered the material presented in the PowerPoint (artist
examples) when making decisions for their own composition. Students took a
photograph of a significant person; students translated this photo into a painting
with a thought-out background design. Decisions are backed up/explained in
carefully articulated artist statement.
6. Exhibit:
a. Students will plan an exhibit that coincides with a larger school event (open
house, parent teacher conference, etc.) and invite the person they chose as their
subject.
 Name:_______________________________ Date:________
3 2 1 STUDENT TEACHER
SCORE SCORE
Subject of photo Subject of photo Minimum effort
is thoughtfully is a person of evident lack of
selected and significance; thought put into
PHOTO positioned. however, position photo.
lacks impact.

Painting is Finished painting Minimum effort

complete and with room for evident didnt
reflects careful improvement; use class work
PAINTING study of photo. lack of detail or time, painting is
Highlights and incomplete or
contrast (range
shadows are does not
of value).
fully rendered; represent photo.
attention to
detail.

Carefully Some Minimum effort

considered composition evident lack of
composition in questions left thought put into
COMPOSITION relation to unanswered or composition
featured artists. considerations.
vague.
Background is Didnt reference
rendered in artists.
appropriate
patterning.

Included all Answered most Minimum effort

required of the questions, evident didnt
aspects of revisions put thought into
ARTIST artist needed; missing statement/doesnt
correlate with
STATEMENT statement. some required
final piece/
Thorough, parts.
doesnt answer
thoughtful presented
answers. questions.

Total: Total:
 Name:_______________________________ Date:________

Translated Portrait Artist Statement

Who is the subject of your piece and why did you choose them? Explain how you
addressed their pose and the composition of your piece back this up with evidence from the
selected artists and examples presented in the PowerPoint. What is the significance in your
choice of pattern for the background? Type your answers in a paragraph or two. Dont forget to
include your name and description of your piece; this is an artist statement!