James McNeill Whistler. Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Portrait of the Artist's Mother), 1871. Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Click image to learn more.
Don't have to go to Paris to see it!
I just learned by watching a news story on our local PBS station that Whistler's Mother will be on display at the Art Institute of Chicago at the same time that I will be taking my 4th graders there for a field trip. This painting is iconic. I have put this in the category of "famous and important" ever since I was introduced to it as an art student in school. Since I've never been to Paris I had never had the opportunity to view it in person until now. I'm so excited about having the chance to see this piece in person finally! The only draw back is that the Art Institute loaned out the American Gothic in its place. Luckily, it will return by the start of summer but that is when Whistler's Mother will head back to France.
Fun fact: Buried beneath a layer of paint and behind our lego mural wall in Dryden's hallways is a very old replica of Whistler's Mother made by young artists long ago. Perhaps one day it will be uncovered.
Fun fact: Buried beneath a layer of paint and behind our lego mural wall in Dryden's hallways is a very old replica of Whistler's Mother made by young artists long ago. Perhaps one day it will be uncovered.
Parodies of Whistler's Mother
This artwork is so iconic that it has shown up in many pop culture parodies or spoofs:
Disney Version
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Lego Version
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Muppets Version
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Interacting with the painting
Click to enlarge then save to camera roll
As a fun way to introduce and familiarize my 4th grade students with the painting, I thought I would mask out the mother and allow them to become the primary subject. I used the Procreate App on the iPad to paint over her while trying to match the colors and textures of the original painting. Using this masked image, students will be able to enter the artwork with the Green Screen App by Do Ink to make a still image or video. It would be interesting to reflect on how they change the mood and story as they compare it to the original.
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Sample ​Questions:
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Whistler's Grandson
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