Masterpiece: Saguaro National Park, 1941 by Ansel Adams

Keywords: color value, symmetry, balance, landscape, photography

Grade: 4th Grade

Month: Feb

Activity: Complete the Other Half of Image

Meet the Artist:

• Ansel Adams was born in 1902 in San Francisco, California.

• He was a gifted piano planer and as a young boy his father groomed him for a

profession as a concert pianist.

• In 1916 his family vacationed in Yosemite, California and Ansel was immediately

taken by the beautiful natural landscape.

• In 1927, he began taking photographs with his new camera and in that same

year, he gained notoriety in the field of photography.

• He realized through photography he could capture the emotion, spirituality and

wonder of nature.

• By the 1940’s his landscape photograph work was well know and he set up a

workshop in Yosemite known as the U.S. Camera Photographic Forum.

• In the 1970’s, he traveled through Arizona and found he loved the Arizona

landscape nearly as much as Yosemite and began to photography many areas

across the state.

• Many of his Arizona photographs have been and continue to be featured in

Arizona Highways magazine.

• Ansel Adams died in 1984 but left behind a vast amount of beautiful

photographs and books about photography that continue to be used in

Photography courses around the country.

KEY WORDS

Color value: lightness or darkness of any color

Possible Questions:

o How is this image balanced? If so, it is symmetrical or asymmetrical?

o What are the differences from one side to the other?

o Does this photography look realistic? Had it been altered? How do

we know?

o Would this photograph have the same feeling if it were in color?

o What do you like about this photograph?

o Can anyone be a photographer?

Activity: Complete the Other Half of Image

Note to Grade Coordinator or Art Guide: You will need to make B/W copies of the

Adams photograph (see below) and cut it in half. Each student will receive either half.

Materials Needed: 9”x12” sketch paper, copies of the ½ landscape image by Ansel

Adams (1 per student), glue stick, student’s own pencils.

Process:

1. Distribute the ½ landscape copy, sketch paper and glue stick to each

student. Label back of sketch paper with name/teacher tag provided.

2. Have students glue the ½ landscape image on the appropriate side of the

sketch paper (depending on which side they have).

3. Explain that they will be completing the missing half of Ansel Adams

photograph using their pencil.

4. The goal is to work on creating the symmetry and/or asymmetry of the

overall image and to focus on areas of detail.

5. Explain this lesson is about exploring value and gradation of color.

Photograph of Ansel Adams and Other Works

Art Masterpiece - 4th

grade - Saguaro National Park - February

Today in art masterpiece your 4th

grader continued their Arizona history lessons and

studied Ansel Adams and the print Saguaro National Park. Students discussed the terms

color value, symmetry, balance, landscape and photography. In the 1970’s, he traveled

through Arizona and found he loved the Arizona landscape nearly as much as Yosemite and

began to photography many areas across the state. Many of his Arizona photographs have

been and continue to be featured in Arizona Highways magazine. Students were given a ½

drawing of the Saguaro cactus and asked to complete the other side promoting both

balance and symmetry. What do you think of your child’s rendition of one of our states

most well known cacti? They did a great job today!

Art Masterpiece - 4th

grade - Saguaro National Park - February

Today in art masterpiece your 4th

grader continued their Arizona history lessons and

studied Ansel Adams and the print Saguaro National Park. Students discussed the terms

color value, symmetry, balance, landscape and photography. In the 1970’s, he traveled

through Arizona and found he loved the Arizona landscape nearly as much as Yosemite and

began to photography many areas across the state. Many of his Arizona photographs have

been and continue to be featured in Arizona Highways magazine. Students were given a ½

drawing of the Saguaro cactus and asked to complete the other side promoting both

balance and symmetry. What do you think of your child’s rendition of one of our states

most well known cacti? They did a great job today!