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History and Memory Lesson 5: The Artist Interprets Sources

Andy Warhol's Jackie and Flash Series

Andy Warhol, Flash-November 22, 1963, 1968, ©AWF

Students learn how artists interpret and use source material to communicate about current events and politics, like historians, but with different results. Andy Warhol’s Jackie and Flash Series are used as examples for class discussion. Students observe and discuss the selection of images, editing, scale, printing and presentation in order to understand intentions behind the artwork.

Suggested Time Frame:

Introduction: 5 minutes
View and Discuss Jackie: 20 minutes
Independent Writing: 20 minutes
View and Discuss Flash: 20 minutes
Independent Writing: 20 minutes
Review of Work and Final Analysis: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2-3 class periods

Objectives:

Students will identify subject matter, source material and the method and techniques employed by Warhol in two artworks
Students will interpret meanings of artworks based upon visual clues
Students will analyze Warhol’s use of source materials in the creation of artworks based upon formal criteria: color, scale, repetition
Students will compare and contrast interpretations of artworks
Students will assess the impact of source materials on the interpreted meaning of artworks

Procedure

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964 ©AWF

Handouts and Materials:

The following handouts are
included in the Lesson PDF:

Sources and Warhol’s Jackie Series	Sources and Warhol’s Flash Series
Projector	Writing materials

Source material from which Warhol cropped Jackie’s face for his portrait series

Introduction

Introduce and discuss the role of the artist as an interpreter of source material.

The Artist:

Interprets data, makes choices, organizes and creates something unique.

Represents the world or something imagined or ideas, including both real and imagined qualities.

Filters history, current events and cultural and political occurrences for ideas.

Answers questions s/he is interested in and creates something new.

Conveys something that s/he wants to be valued and remembered.

Reflects, critiques and/or entertains society.

Compare and contrast artist with historian in Lesson 4.
Print out color copies of Andy Warhol’s Jackie and Flash series, or project these digital files for students to view during class discussion. Use the questions about each artwork on the handouts to guide class discussion.

Andy Warhol, Jackie, 1964 ©AWF

Section I. View and discuss the Jackie Series

Use visual clues in the images to inform your answers to questions on the handout.
Identify the artist’s source materials and determine whether they are primary or secondary sources.
While looking at the sources and the artwork continue to analyze the artist’s:

- Selection of images

- Editing

- Use of scale

- Use of printing

- Final presentation

Write your own interpretation of the artwork. It should include what you think the artwork means and an explanation of how the artist achieved this communication.
Read the interpretation of Patricia Pugh Mitchell, Director, Kuumba Trust:

I am immediately transported back to that dreadful day in Dallas when it all fell apart, and the curtains closed on the final act of Camelot. I was 10 years old when Jack Kennedy was assassinated. Those from my era may recollect the set of 77 collectible photo cards of the JFK family. My mother had meticulously saved anything and everything about Jack and Jackie, so I asked her to pull out the cards. She knew exactly where to go—the next day she placed the cards in my hand. My mom wore hats and cute suits just like Jackie—although she would never admit it. When I looked at my mother dressed for church—she was a mirror image of Jackie with a tan.

Compare and contrast your interpretations with that of Ms. Pugh Mitchell.

Andy Warhol, Flash-November 22, 1963, 1968, four of eleven screenprints in portfolio, ©AWF

Section II. View and discuss the Flash Series.

Answer the questions on the Flash handout based upon visual clues in the images.
Identify Warhol’s sources for Flash, basing answers on what is visible in the artwork.
Evaluate the accuracy of your answers. Warhol’s sources include:

Pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald, an advertisement for the Mannlicher-Carcano rifle, a photograph of the Book Depository’s sixth floor window, the presidential seal, press clippings of Jackie during the motorcade, photographs of John F. Kennedy taken from the television screen, news wire bulletins fabricated by the poet Phillip Greer to reconstruct the AP wire bulletins of that day and a picture of a movie clapboard.

Identify whether these sources are primary or secondary.
While looking at the artwork, analyze the artist’s:

- Selection of images

- Editing

- Use of scale

- Use of printing

- Final presentation

Compare and contrast the answers for the Flash series with answers for the Jackie series. Discuss whether having the source material along with the artwork aids in understanding—explain why or why not.
Write your interpretation of the Flash series.
Review the interpretations of Flash and Jackie in class.

Assessment

Warhol Education Rubrics

Click the Warhol Rubric headers below to reveal associated rubrics to which this lesson applies.

Critical Thinking

	Developing	Emerging	Proficient	Advanced	Exemplary
CT.4	Investigative: Able to conduct research and ask questions, know forms of arguments, inferences and fallacies.	Solicits information that may be superflous and draws inappropriate conclusions.	Highlights some relevant and useful details thorough research that support interpretation and analysis.	Acquires reliable and persuasive information from a variety of sources to support their interpretations.	Ranks the quality of information researched and develops nuanced interpretations.	Acquires new information that supports highly sophisticated analysis or revision of previous ideas.

Aesthetics

	Developing	Emerging	Proficient	Advanced	Exemplary
AE.2	Historical Aesthetics: understanding of aesthetic qualities of works of art as they relate to a historic period and the impact of technological advances on various artforms	Sees little or no influence that culture has on the forms and techniques of artmaking from a specific time period.	Recognizes how some works of art are visually and stylistically related to genres and periods in which they were created.	Identifies aesthetic qualities as they relate to works of art in specific time periods.	Makes comparisons between the historic styles of artwork from different time periods.	Applies knowledge of historical genres and aesthetics to their own artmarking or critique of an artwork.

Communication

	Developing	Emerging	Proficient	Advanced	Exemplary
CO.2	Writing: Mechanics, Organization, Vocabulary.	Vocabulary is limited, mechanics are poor and organization is weak.	Some coherence, organization, and use of new vocabulary but ideas are ill-supported and/or grammar is still poor.	Adequate mastery of mechanics, vocabulary and grammar to convey a clear point of view.	Demonstrates a strong command of structure and purpose; as well as an appropriate understanding of style and mechanics.	Presents and interprets complex material with sophisticated attention to mechanics, accuracy and context.
CO.3	Listening and Speaking: Ability to express ideas and listen to others.	Somewhat organized, but off topic. Unable to respond adequately to questions from others or summarize others' conclusions or viewpoints.	Answers reveal a partial understanding of material. Misses some aspects of the topic and inconsistently comments on others statements.	Expresses ideas well. Listens and responds to peers thoughtfully and respectfully. Grasps concepts well enough to ask questions about what is still not understood.	Responds to questions accurately and with supporting facts that are engaging. Established eye contact and demonstrated an awareness of audiences’ needs. Demonstrates additional curiosity in subject.	Explores topic thoroughly providing multiple details, examples and supporting facts. Answers convey a deep understanding of topic. Highly responsive to audience. Active participation in discussion brings group learning to a higher level.

Creative Process

	Developing	Emerging	Proficient	Advanced	Exemplary
CP.6	Observation: Experiencing works of art.	Description of visual data is inaccurate and is unaware of an artist's methods and creative intent.	Recognizes an increasing number of formal elements in works of art and attempts to interpret them using a wider range of perceptual methods.	Identifies significant qualities of an artwork and employs a wide range of sensorial and aesthetic methods to explore their own intuitive and aesthetic responses.	Compares and contrasts the aesthetic qualities of an artwork or visual data to infer meaning in a sophisticated manner. Is able to express own experience of visual data or a work of art creatively.	Conveys a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of an artwork. Able to hypothesize about the artist’s intent and to ask relevant questions for further research or inquiry.

Historical Context

	Developing	Emerging	Proficient	Advanced	Exemplary
HC.1	SocioCultural and Political: Understands how art relates to social movements, political events, or historical figures.	Interprets works of art as having limited influence or relationships to social movements, political events, or historical figures.	Increasingly recognizes that artworks can be shaped by or can express social movements, political events, or historical figures.	Explains how culture impacts artists and/or art through political events, historical figures and cultural contexts of an artwork.	Interprets, constructs opinions, and draws conclusions about an artwork based upon analysis of historical, political and cultural contexts.	Combines all previous knowledge about socio-political contexts to create new predictions, questions or insights about the relationship between art and history.
HC.4	Interpretative: Able to synthesize facts and opinions in own interpretation of historical/cultural significance.	Possesses a limited ability to develop an opinion about how an artwork relates to historical events and/or current events.	Recognizes multiple points of view about a historical event.	Forms opinions on the importance of events in history in relation to a work of art or to an artist’s process.	Synthesizes facts and opinions in own interpretation of the historical/cultural significance of a work of art.	Integrates historical/cultural evidence in unique interpretation of artwork and future implications (impact, effect, role) in society.

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Warhol sent this mock up of source materials to the production house to have the screens made

Click the image above to view a slideshow of images for this lesson.