Art Study Jack London Artists of the Bohemian Club Tips for leading an art study with your group: Make sure everyone has a good view of the art, either print individual copies of the art or have it displayed on a screen or tablet. Introduce the art, artist, title and date it was painted. Take time to quietly look at the art, let the art speak. Use questions to stimulate discussion. Use open ended questions that will solicit opinion. Here are some questions that will help get the discussion going: What caption would you give this painting? Can you tell the time of day or the season in this painting, what clues do you have? What is the mood of the painting? Do the colors and lighting help to define the mood? How? Pretend you are inside this painting, describe how you feel. If money were no object, would you buy this painting? Does this painting make you think of any place you have visited. What would you ask the artist about this painting if they were here? 1 ThePurplePrimer.com
Muir Glacier Alaska by Thomas Hill 1881 2 ThePurplePrimer.com
The Bohemian Club The Bohemian club is a members only club that first met in 1872. Originally a gathering of artists, poets and writers the clubs membership has included Presidents, business leaders and celebrities. In 1904, Jack London accompanied his close friend, the poet George Sterling, to a play at the Bohemian Grove. London was elected to honorary membership in the Bohemian Club and took part in many activities. The following artists were membes of the Bohemian Club. Muir Glacier Alaska by Thomas Hill 1881 Thomas Hill was born in Birmingham England but moved to San Francisco with his family. Hill ran an art gallery and art supply store and was the director of the San Fransico School of Art and Design. In 1881 he was hired by naturalist John Muir to join an expidition to Alaska to paint landscapes. Discussion: Why might an artist be interested in such a journey? Picture the artist with his easel and supplies arranged on this shoreline. Describe his experience. Thomas Hill 3 ThePurplePrimer.com
Top of the Ridge, by Maynard Dixon 1933 4 ThePurplePrimer.com
Top of the Ridge, by Maynard Dixon 1933 Maynard Dixon was born in Fresno, California. His parents were wealthy landowners in Virginia who fled to California after the Civil War. Dixon studied at the California School of design and worked for many years as an illustrator for the Overland Monthly and several San Francisco newspapers. He moved to New York to work as an artist for a publishing company but soon returned to California where he could create honest art of the west instead of the romanticized versions he was being paid to create. Discussion: What, if anything, makes this piece of art an honest depiction of the West? Put yourself in the cowboy s saddle, share his thoughts. Maynard Dixon 5 ThePurplePrimer.com
Flowers Under the Oaks by Granville Redmond 1904 6 ThePurplePrimer.com
Flowers Under the Oaks by Granville Redmond 1904 Granville Redmond lost his hearing at the age of 3 after contracting Scarlet Fever. Shortly after, his family moved to San Jose California so that he could attend the Berkely School for the Deaf. While living in Los Angeles, the artist became friends with Charlie Chaplin, who was fascinated by the the natural expressiveness of a person who is deaf. Chaplin asked Redmond to help him develop the techniques Chaplin later used in his silent films. Chaplin, impressed with Redmond s skill, gave Redmond a studio on the movie lot, collected his paintings, and even included him in several of his movies. Discussion: How might Granville s art have been an escape from the hearing world? Granville Redmond with Charlie Chapman 7 ThePurplePrimer.com