Fifth Graders Visit The Frick Collection

 

They learned about Mr. Henry Clay Frick, an American industrialist who found pleasure in collecting European art.  St. B’s boys marveled at the beauty of Mr. Frick’s mansion, which was constructed by Thomas Hastings of Carrère and Hastings, one of the outstanding Beaux-Arts architecture firms of the time.  The boys learned that Mr. Frick lived there with his family before it became a museum.  Some boys were disappointed that they couldn’t explore the second floor of the building, but all were pleased to find out that there are over 4,400 organ pipes installed throughout the home.

 

The tour guide encouraged the boys to spend time and look carefully at each artwork before discussing their observations as a group.  The first stop on the tour was to look at two paintings by Johannes Vermeer, Officer and Laughing Girl (ca. 1657) and Girl Interrupted at Her Music (ca. 1658-59).  The boys noticed gestures, colors, and visual clues in each painting.  They compared the details of each painting and noticed that there was a window in the same place in both paintings, but the light coming through felt different.  In one painting the light was golden, and it traveled through an open window to the woman’s head and grazed over her shoulder before touching the rivets on the chair where a reflection of the window appeared.  In the other painting the window was closed, and the light was more diffused.  The tour guide explained that Vermeer had eleven children, and he painted at home.  His studio was in the top floor of his house where there was a window.  The boys wondered if the window in the paintings was based on his studio window.

 

After viewing the paintings by Vermeer, the boys were transported back in time as they looked at The Temptation of Christ on the Mountain, by Duccio di Buoninsegna, 1308-11.  Again, through thorough observation, the boys noticed details, such as light and dark areas of the painting, and realized that the scale relationship between the architecture and figures made the figures seem huge.  They learned that this painting depicted a New Testament story when Christ was approached by the devil but did not succumb to the temptations.  The boys admired the gold leaf used in the painting and were amazed to see the size of the altar this painting was a part of in a church in Sienna.  The tour guide reminded them that originally this painting was viewed by candles, so the gold leaf would make the paintings flicker and come alive.

 

The boys completed their tour with a sculpture made by Pietro Tacca in late 16th to early 17th century called Nessus and Deianira.  This sculpture focuses on a particularly dramatic moment from an Ovid poem about Hercules and Deianira, the mortal woman with whom Hercules fell in love.  The boys were familiar with the story of Hercules and were eager to share details they remembered.  They were impressed by how the sculpture looked as though the horse and figures were in motion.  One boy said it felt as though the artist had paused a video.  They also noticed how light reflected off of the sculpture.  The polished bronze made it possible for the artist to sculpt with light.

 

Many thanks to Mr. Brady, Mr. Demeny, and Ms. Meigs for arranging this special trip, and to the parent chaperones, Charles D. and Roger K.  Special thanks to The Frick Collection for so graciously hosting us and teaching us about their impressive collection.