Examine the Clues to See the Whole Picture Novella, from the series Great Ideas, 1967 R. B. Kitaj R. B. Kitaj oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum

What objects do you see? What colors do you see? What are the characteristics of the lines used in this image? What season does this image represent?

Now what do you see? What mood do the colors communicate? What is he thinking? Where is he looking?

Where are these people? Are they in an urban or rural area? What do their faces express?

What has happened to these people? What mood is the artist conveying? How is he conveying this mood? Are these people rich, middle class or poor?

What seems unusual in this image? Where does your eye go first in this image? Why?

What questions remain unanswered? The Whole Picture

Picture Summary The Fifth Year 1934 John R. Grabach John R. Grabach oil on wood 42 1/4 x 48 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum “John R. Grabach painted this image five years after the stock market crash of It shows an endless stream of people rising up out of New York and trudging across the sky. The man in front gazes out at the viewer from under his hat, while his partner weeps on his shoulder. Paintings such as this [emphasize] the desolate conditions experienced by many Americans...during the 1930s. These figures represent the working masses, their gray faces and threadbare clothes highlighting the hardships of the Depression. Their journey through the sky symbolizes their long trek toward a better future.”