Friday, May 6 Jacob Lawrence "The Migration Series"

Coming up: vocabulary quiz on Friday, May 13. (class handout on Thursday, May 5 / copy below)

In class: Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series
  
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/art-between-wars/american-art-wwII/v/lawrence-migration-long

Lawrence "Migration Series"

Broad in scope and dramatic in exposition, this depiction of 

African-Americans moving North to find jobs, better housing,

 and freedom from oppression was a subject he associated 

with his parents, who had themselves migrated from South 

Carolina to Virginia, and finally, to New York.

Lawrence began to research the subject at the 135th Street 

Library.

 After many months of reading and taking notes, he made 

sketches or the series. Gwendolyn Knight, a painter who was

 to become his wife, helped him identify memorable scenes 

and assisted in gessoing the panels and writing the 

inscriptions. Enthralled by fourteenth- and fifteenth-century

 Italian paintings he had seen at the Metropolitan Museum of 

Art, Lawrence used their medium—tempera—with a 

craftsman's mastery. To keep the colors consistent, he 

placed the panels side by side and painted each hue onto all 

the panels before going on to the next color. Perhaps it was 

this approach that resulted in a sense of collective unity,

even though each panel can stand on its own.

Searing in their immediacy, the works show only essential 

imagery. Flattened, angular forms, strong diagonals, and 

contrasts of light and shadow contribute to the dynamism of 

the images. Although Lawrence used a limited palette, he 

arranged the colors to form focal points to direct the viewer's

attention. Some pictures are self-contained; others are more 

expansive. As the narrative unfolds, from image to image, the

 vantage point, compositions, and details change—in a 

manner reminiscent of a film. In some panels, figures 

dominate; in others, the setting propels the story. The people 

are not individualized; rather, they represent collective 

characteristics. However, Lawrence never lost sight of the 

human drama. In all of his work, the human content is 

paramount.


Assignment: quickwrite; class handout/ copy below

  Respond to the following in a well-written paragraph.

How are the narrative images of Lawrence's "The Migration 

Series" reflective of the African American experience the early 

20th century? 

Name___________________________

If you are absent Friday, May 6, you will need to go to the class blog for background information and the video link: www.sotaenglish3-15-16.blogspot.com     Or you may access the link directly at: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-1010/art-between-wars/american-art-wwII/v/lawrence-migration-long

Respond to the following in a well-written paragraph.
How are the narrative images of Lawrence's "The Migration Series" reflective of the African American experience the early 20th century? Make sure to reference specific images.

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Vocabulary for the week of May 9……quiz is on Friday, May 13

1..  vigilant-adjective- keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties; watchful, observant, attentive, alert, eagle-eyed, hawk-eyed

2.  adroit-adjective- clever or skillful in using the hands or mind; adept, dexterous, deft, nimble, able, capable

3.  to fabricate-verb- to invent or concoct (something), typically with deceitful intent;  to falsify, to fake, to counterfeit

4.  pretext-noun- a reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason.

5.  to gesticulate-verb- use gestures, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one's words.

6. to  badger- verb- to bother persistently

7. to  implore-verb- beg someone earnestly or desperately to do something.

8.  drudgery-noun- hard, menial, or dull work.

9.  interminable-adjective-endless (often used hyperbolically); never-ending, unending, nonstop, everlasting, ceaseless,

10.  to perceive-verb- to become aware or conscious of (something); come to realize or understand.

Idioms

11. a wet blanket-a person who spoils other people's fun by failing to join in with or by disapproving of their activities.

12.  to pour oil on troubled waters- try to settle a disagreement or dispute with words intended to placate or pacify those involved.