Adventures in Art History Art Adventures    

Lesson 29: The Arch

by Henry Ossawa Tanner

Directions

Study the painting for one week.

Over the week:

• Look at the painting.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the artist.
• Practice reciting the names of the artist and the painting.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (Triumphal Arch of the Star) is a famous Parisian monument that honors soldiers that died in French wars. The names of the soldiers and their battles are inscribed on the monument surfaces. The 'star' is formed by the 12 roads that radiate out from the central monument. In 'The Arch,' Henry Ossawa Tanner shows the monument glowing out of the night and illuminating the crowd milling below.

Vocabulary

Arch: A curved structure.
Triumph: A great victory or achievement.
Monument: A statue, building, or other structure erected to commemorate a famous or notable person or event.
Honor: Regard with great respect.

Concepts

Henry Ossawa Tanner painted 'The Arch.'

1. Henry Ossawa Tanner was born in 1859 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. See his picture below.

2. Find Tanner's state of birth (PA) on the map of the continental United States below.

3. His father was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. His mother was born a slave, but escaped through the Underground Railroad to the North.
4. He studied art at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he was the only black student. As a painter, Tanner was considered a realist, painting things as they are collectively perceived.
5. Tanner suffered mental anguish from the racism he experienced in America, which he described in his autobiography. Consequently, he left America for Paris, France, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Find France on the map of Europe below.

6. He died in 1937 in Paris, France at the age of 77.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

During the week, study the painting and find the following:

• Triumphal Arch of the Star
• The Crowd of People

Activity 2: Narrate the Painting

• After studying the painting, narrate the scene shown in the painting aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the vocabulary words, point them out in the painting.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Painting   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 37 of 'Kindergarten Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the painting?

1 / 3

Answer 1

People walking near the arch.

1 / 3

Question 2

What is the setting of the painting?

2 / 3

Answer 2

Outdoors in front of the arch.

2 / 3

Question 3

What time of day is featured in the painting?

3 / 3

Answer 3

Night.

3 / 3

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the painting? People walking near the arch.
2. What is the setting of the painting? Outdoors in front of the arch.
3. What time of day is featured in the painting? Night.

References

'Henry Ossawa Tanner.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.