SYLLABUS
DESCRIPTION
The study of the life and works of Stephen Pace introduces students to a life-long commitment to painting and the celebration of the artist’s personal world. Themes in Pace’s work include landscape, the figure, and symbolic imagery. Genres to be studied include regional and personal environment and lifestyles of the people he paints. Stephen Pace’s work evolved from realism through pure abstraction to his personal style that involves figurative abstraction and a deliberate use of brushwork that has become his signature. Through the study of Pace’s work and inspirations, and an exploration of the student’s local environment, students will discuss related concepts and produce original, creative solutions to specific criteria.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Students will:
• View the DVD, “Stephen Pace: Indiana Painter/Stephen Pace: Maine Master” and complete
Viewing and Post-Viewing Questions
• Discuss the concepts included in the DVD as well as related research and activities
• Understand the historical perspective of Pace’s life
• Make connections between Pace’s life and work with other artists and movements
• Gain an appreciation for an artist’s life-long commitment to making art
• Research and value the students’ local/regional environment
• Create original, creative work based on an understanding of Pace’s influences, themes and
process
NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION 9-12
The lesson plans included in this syllabus address all six National Content Standards:
1. Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes
2. Using knowledge of structures and functions
3. Choosing and evaluating a range of subject matter, symbols, and ideas
4. Understanding the visual arts in relation to history and cultures
5. Reflecting upon and assessing the characteristics and merits of their work and the work of others
6. Making connections between visual arts and other disciplines
The National Content and Achievement Standards can be found on the National Art Education Association web site: http://www.arteducators.org/olc/pub/NAEA/store/store_page_9.html
ACTIVITIES
• View DVD: “Stephen Pace: Indiana Painter/Stephen Pace: Maine Master”:
• Complete
• Viewing Questions
• Post-viewing Questions
•Lesson Plans for Paintings:
1. Abstracting The Regional Landscape: Articulating a Sense of Place
2. Abstracting The World of Work: Creating a Relationship With the Subject
3. The Family: Seeing the Extraordinary
Activity Themes: Personal Environment & Experiences, Local Industry, Figurative Abstraction, Composition, Use of Color, Personal Style, Symbolic Imagery, Social Impact on Art
Additional Themes: Zen Philosophy/Painting, WPA, GI Bill, Abstract Expressionism, Post-Impressionism, Chinese Calligraphy, Japanese Brushwork
Supplemental Research - Influences on Stephen Pace’s Artistic Development: Gertrude Stein, Milton Avery, Franz Kline, Willem DeKooning, Hans Hoffman, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso.