Art theme: identity

Artists think carefully about how to express identity when constructing an image of a person, whether creating images of themselves or someone else. It's important to consider how to convey someone's personality and qualities, interests and beliefs in an artwork. How can an artist show the things that are important to that person? How can they help viewers gain a sense of their experiences, culture and background? 

Artists give viewers an insight into a person's unique identity in all manner of ways. For instance, in figurative art, artists may make use of features such as clothing, hairstyle and accessories, as well as facial expressions, gestures and pose. The objects and background they portray their subject with can also help to cast light on a person's identity.

Look, describe and discuss

Open a full-screen version of the zoomable image in a new window.

Ask your students to describe the artwork, encouraging them to simply say what they can see.

You can start by showing the whole image, and then use the zoom feature to explore details of the painting. Or you might like to start by using the zoom feature to show a detail from the image, and then zoom out to see more.

Encourage your students to look carefully – this is their superpower! It's best to not give too much background information about the artwork at this stage, so students can develop their own ideas and opinions.

An audio description of the painting is available. It is accompanied by a full written transcript which can also be used to describe the painting.

Nudge questions

Now when looking at the painting, ask more specific ('nudge') questions:

• How has the artist expressed the character of the figures in the painting?
• Do you spot any similarities or differences? Are they friends? 
• Do their clothes tell us anything about their character or how they are feeling?
• What objects can you find in the painting? Are any hidden?

Questions from The Superpower of Looking Kit

Now we can start to explore the 'elements' of the painting.

For this artwork, you will focus on:

• Composition
• Space
• Figures

Ask your students to evidence their points:

• where exactly are they looking when they make a statement?
• can everybody see what they see?
• slow down, take time to really look closely

You can introduce knowledge from the contextual background for teachers while asking these bespoke questions with helpful responses which can be found in the teachers' notes.

Everyone learning

You can find out more about The Superpower of Looking^® SEND/ASD/ALN/ASN approach on the Superpower homepage.

Now it's time to explore the artwork in different ways. This list of sensory activities encourages students to apply their learning and can suit a variety of learning needs.

Make
We suggest creative activities for all learners, including a tactile option to support students with vision impairment: these activities explore the tactile qualities of materials or involve gestural mark-making to further explore the artwork.

• Draw a picture in distorted perspective, just like the skull in the painting. Copy the grids below. The left-hand side of both grids should be the same height. First, draw your object in the 6 x 6 square grid. Next, copy each section of the grid into the corresponding sections of the tapered grid. Ask a classmate to hold up your picture. Where do you need to stand so that your drawing appears as the original image?

• Tactile option: this painting features three faces: the two ambassadors and the skull. Invite students to make a three-dimensional model of their face out of modelling clay, gently feeling the shape of the bones in their faces with their fingertips to help them.

Experience

• This painting features a beautiful patterned rug, a heavy green curtain, soft furs, velvets and shiny silks. Assemble fabric scraps to explore the textures found in the painting. You might like to make a collage using these different materials.
• Greensleeves is a folk song from the sixteenth century. Legend has it that Henry VIII wrote this song for his second wife, Anne Boleyn, although it is now thought to have been written after the king's death. Listen to this version of the song, played on a lute, one of the instruments found in the painting.

• Listen to the audio description of the painting.

Communicate

• Which objects would students choose to represent their interests in the present day? Invite students to put together a three-dimensional composition of objects, inspired by the collection of objects in the painting which suggest the intellectual and cultural pursuits of the ambassadors. You could photograph students posing with their choice of objects in a tableau image.
• Role-play as the two figures in the painting, Jean de Dinteville and Georges de Selve. What do you imagine these two figures might be discussing? Take inspiration from the features you have noticed in the painting to imagine the conversations these men might have.

Final stage: review

Ask your students to:

• share their sketchbooks in groups and discuss the 'elements' they have identified
• choose an element/aspect they find most interesting about the artwork and record it in their sketchbooks
• choose their own name/s for the title of the artwork
• think of a question they would like to ask the artist

Congratulations!

You have now completed this lesson resource on The Superpower of Looking.

There are more resources in this theme to try – have a look at the 'next lessons' section below.