The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Pre- and Post-Visit Educator Resources

Genius and Grace: François Boucher and the Generation of 1700 23 January 2015 – 5 April 2015

The following resources are designed to prepare for and extend a classroom visit to the Genius and Grace: François Boucher and the Generation of 1700 exhibition at the Ackland Art Museum. The experiences are intended to support classroom curriculum and learning standards while allowing for students to express their ideas through a variety of formats – writing, discussion, research, and art making. Activities and conversation starters can be modified for each grade level and discipline.

Exhibition Overview Genius and Grace will present more than 75 drawings from the Horvitz Collection, Boston—widely considered the preeminent private collection of French art in the United States. The exhibition will feature works by a group of artists born around 1700, notably François Boucher, represented by almost 20 drawings from all stages of his brilliant career. Grouped around this core will be a selection of drawings by Boucher’s contemporaries. The exhibition will begin with a small group of drawings by influential immediate predecessors of “The Generation of 1700,” such as Jean-Antoine Watteau, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, and others. Genius and Grace will offer an unprecedented opportunity to engage with major drawings by some of the most significant and accomplished French artists.

Pre-Visit ideas

As a class, look closely at Charles-Antoine Coypel’s Self Portrait and Jacques-André Portail’s Musical Interlude (see attached digital images and artwork information). Encourage the students to look closely at the figures and describe what they see. What information do these works of art tell you about men’s and women’s clothing in eighteenth century France?

Have students look at Jacques-André Portail’s Musical Interlude or François Boucher’s Young Travelers and write a paragraph from the perspective of a person or object in the drawing. Consider the following: What are you thinking? What do you see and hear around you? What relationship do you have with the other things or people near you? What does a normal day look like for you?

Exploring Eighteenth Century French Life and Culture

Have students research life and culture in eighteenth century France. Information could include the power and influence of royalty and their court, socio-economic systems and structures, scientific discoveries and exploration, ideas and writing surrounding the Age of Enlightenment, and culture (food, music, literature, furniture, and art). Encourage students to share their findings through a variety of formats – research papers, travel posters, display boards, image and word collages, etc.

Charles-Antoine Coypel (French, 1694-1772) Seated Young Lady Holding a Fan: Presumed Portrait of Madame Begon de Montfermeil Pastel on paper adhered to canvas, The Horvitz Collection

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Post-Visit ideas

After your Museum visit, have students share one thing they remembered from the Museum. (Note: This activity can be done on the bus ride back to school and allows for students to be accountable for their learning and arts experience.)

Create a self-portrait! As a class, look at Charles-Antoine Coypel’s Self Portrait. Ask each student to name one thing that they see in the work of art. How can different clues, like the setting, clothing, and posture, help us to figure out information about a person? What kinds of visual codes do we use today to let people know who we are? What would you have in your portrait? Have students create a modern self-portrait that includes at least four symbols that tell the viewer something important about them. Encourage the students to think carefully about the story that they are telling about themselves.

Encourage students to research French art, music, and architecture related to the Baroque and rococo periods. Have students share their findings through a variety of formats.

North Carolina Essential Standards: Visual Art 3.V.1 – 8.V.1 Use the language of visual arts to communicate effectively. 3.V.2 – 8.V.1 Apply creative and critical thinking skills to artistic expression. 3.CX.1 – 8.V.1 Understand the global, historical, societal, and cultural contexts of the visual arts. 3.CX.2 – 8.CX.2 Understand the interdisciplinary connections and life applications of the visual arts. 3.CR.1 – 8.CR.1 Use critical analysis to generate responses to a variety of prompts. North Carolina Essential Standards: Social Studies

6.C.1.1 Analyze how cultural expressions reflected the values of civilizations, societies, and regions.

WH.H.6.1 Explain how new ideas and theories of the universe altered political thought and affected economic and social conditions.

Common Core Curriculum: English Language Arts 3.W.1 – 8.W.1 Text Types and Purpose (Opinion) 3.W.2 – 8.W.2 Text Types and Purpose (Explanatory) 3.W.7 – 8.W.7 Research to Build and Present Knowledge (Shared research and writing) 4.W.8 – 8.W.8 Research to Build and Present Knowledge (Gather or recall information) 9-10.R.7 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (Analyzing Written and Visual Information)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Exhibition Resources

Genius and Grace: François Boucher and the Generation of 1700, Ackland Art Museum, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill www.ackland.org/exhibition/genius-and-grace-francois-boucher-and-the-generation-of-1700

General Resource Websites

France, 1600-1800 A.D., Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=09&region=euwf#

Rococo in Eighteenth-Century European Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/hi_1718rococo.htm

The French Academy in Rome, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/frac/hd_frac.htm

French and Italian Paintings of the Eighteenth- Century, National Gallery of Art, Washington DC www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/french18.htm

Smarthistory: Rococo http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/rococo.html

Style Guide: Rococo, Victoria & Albert Museum, London www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/s/style-guide-rococo/

François Boucher (1703–1770), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bouc/hd_bouc.htm

Thematic Online Resources, Louvre Museum, Paris www.louvre.fr/en/minisite

Chateau de Versailles http://en.chateauversailles.fr/homepage

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

François Boucher (French, 1703 – 1770); Young Travelers; black chalk on cream antique laid paper, framing line in black ink; The Horvitz Collection

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Charles-Antoine Coypel (French, 1694 – 1752); Self-Portrait, c. 1746; black chalk with touches of red chalk on tan antique laid paper; The Horvitz Collection

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jacques-André Portail (French, 1695 – 1759); Musical Interlude, 1745; black and red chalk, graphite, brush with brown wash, and watercolor heightened with white gouache, on off-white antique laid paper, The Horvitz Collection

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

François Boucher (French, 1703 – 1770) Young Travelers, n.d. black chalk on cream antique laid paper, framing line in black ink The Horvitz Collection This charming pastoral genre scene, featuring a young girl traveling through the countryside with her two cherubic companions, was made in preparation for a print. While François Boucher himself etched almost three dozen plates, many other printmakers reproduced his paintings and drawings too—for them it was a financially rewarding enterprise. About 1,500 prints after Boucher are known today. A print, as compared to a painting or a drawing, was relatively inexpensive and could be collected not just by the wealthy elite but by any middle-class Parisian looking to adorn his or her home with a work by the most famous living artist. Source: Genius and Grace Exhibition Label Charles-Antoine Coypel (French, 1694 – 1752) Self-Portrait, c. 1746 black chalk with touches of red chalk on tan antique laid paper The Horvitz Collection Charles-Antoine Coypel made this mature self-portrait, with dimpled chin and piercing, dark eyes, in preparation for a painting that he exhibited in the Salon of 1746. He emphatically articulates his porte-crayon (an implement used to hold chalk) and drawing board. In the only self-portrait he left to the Academy—the institution to which he had devoted his entire life—Coypel depicted himself as a draftsman. Source: Genius and Grace Exhibition Label Coypel’s Self Portrait painting, Chateau de Versailles collection Jacques-André Portail (French, 1695 – 1759) Musical Interlude, 1745 black and red chalk, graphite, brush with brown wash, and watercolor heightened with white gouache, on off-white antique laid paper The Horvitz Collection Jacques-André Portail established a reputation for depicting enchanting domestic scenes, often filled with musicians or musical merriment. These scenes, inspired by the work of Jean-Antoine Watteau, are notable for their delicacy and subtle mix of chalks and wash. Source: Genius and Grace Exhibition Label