Neo-Rationalist Integration Adaptations

Here is some material that could be integrated into the neo-nrationalist art unit:

• Elisa Johnson

Applying it to a different subject:
You can apply the principle of neo-rationalism to poetry. Can we create poems that resemble those of great poets?  Is that all right?
Explain that the Imagist movement included some English and American poets in the earlier twentieth century who wrote free verse and were devoted to clarity of expression through the use of precise visual images.

Let’s look at some Imagist poets:
William Carlos Williams


Ezra Pound


Langston Hughes

 The City
In the morning the city
Spreads its wings
Making a song
In stone that sings.
In the evening the city
Goes to bed
Hanging lights
Above its head.
     Langston Hughes
Questions to ponder:
How do these poets use metaphor and images?
Did they use a lot of words to express their ideas?
How would you depict each one of these poems?
Have students choose one of the poems and draw a picture that depicts or represents that poem.
Then, show some examples of pictures/illustrations that would go with these poems.




POETRY ASSIGNMENT:
Materials needed:
Notebook
Pencils
Paper
Water colors, markers, or crayons.

In the spirit of neo-rationalist theory, now it’s your turn to create your own poem being inspired by the three poets we have discussed.
Explain that Ezra Pound himself defined the principles of Imagist poetry as the following:

I. Direct treatment of the "thing," whether subjective or objective. II. To use absolutely no word that does not contribute to the presentation. III. As regarding rhythm: to compose in sequence of the musical phrase, not in sequence of the metronome.

You are going to describe something metaphorically without naming the
object explicitly. (From lesson idea on http://home.cogeco.ca/~rayser3/image.txt)
Pick an everyday object from around the house, such as a
dryer or iron.
Now list some things that it reminds you of or that it could be like.
Now all you have to do is write four lines to describe your object.
Your lines could rhyme AA BB just the last two above or your poem
might rhyme only two lines or perhaps not rhyme at all.
Have in mind as you write how Williams, Pound, and Hughes conveyed their message using the minimum amount of words, as well as metaphors.

When  you have finished writing the poem, draw a picture of it.

ASSESSMENT:
Students will be assessed on  how well they created a poem following the Imagist poetry tenets.
Questions to consider when assessing:
How closely did you follow the method imagist poets use in their poetry?
Do you find similarities between your poem and those of Williams, Pound, and Hughes?
Was your vocabulary succinct and to the point? Did you use a lot of words, or could you make your poem smaller? Did you capture the essence of what you were trying to describe in few words?
Did you use any rhyming?
Explain what inspired you to depict your poem in the way you did.

• Cherilee Barrett

Plagiarism in Art:
Discuss the article found on Fox News about Shepard Fairey and the Obama “HOPE” Poster. Use this real life example to show the effects of plagiarism. Shepard Fairey and the Obama “HOPE” poster http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,568042,00.html


Talk about fair use laws as they are introduced in the article. This will help students understand even more of appropriate use of other’s work.

Have a discussion about Sherrie Levine and her artwork in which she takes pictures of past artists’ work and then displays it as her own. Is this plagiarism or appropriation? What is the difference?

  

• Melissa Hafen

What ideas do these following pictures give you?



 
How to incorporate an artist’s style in your own work:
As a class, discuss each of the photos shown above.  Making a list on a board, allow the class to share the ideas that come to them when they view each picture.

Point out to the students that the ideas that came to them are the ideas they can and should try to incorporate in their own work.

Help them identify all different aspects of the work.  This could include: where the photo was take, the colors in the photo, the different shapes and sizes and the time of year the photo depicts.

Encourage the students to use their imagination.