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Introduction:
William Harnett excelled at trompe l'oeil (tromp' low-ee),
or "tricking the eye" in his many still-life
paintings. In For Sunday's Dinner (top right), a freshly
killed rooster appears to hang on a door from a string. Its feathers
have been plucked, showing its yellow, pimpled skin. A metal fixture
on the door seems to have slipped from its place over a keyhole,
revealing the bare, scarred wood beneath.
The unknown artist who made Rack Picture for Dr. Nones
(below For Sunday's Dinner) portrays an old-fashioned bulletin
board that held important documents under strips of ribbon. "Rack-picture"
still lifes like this one functioned as biographical portraits.
The artist has included objects related to the Dr. Nones's life
and career as a dentist.
By creating such highly detailed and realistic images, Harnett
and other American painters from the 19th century sought recognition
for their skills at illusion.
Discussion Questions:
- What other details did Harnett include in his painting?
- Where is the light coming from? How can you tell?
- Can you find the artist's signature in For Sunday's Dinner,
painted to look as if it has been scratched into the door?
- What kind of documents appear in Rack Picture for Dr. Nones?
What do they tell you about his life?
Make a trompe l'oeil painting.
Steps:
- Use tacks or ribbons to place on your board things that reflect
your likes, experiences, or personality, such as a favorite
cartoon, a ticket to a theme park, stamps you collect, a ribbon
from an award, or a picture of your favorite animal.
- Make a light pencil sketch of what you see. Remember to include
shadows and to show the different textures of the objects. Don't
forget to include the flaws you see, including chips, tears,
and dents. To make your drawing believable, be sure to make
it life size.
- Study the colors. Are they dark or light? Bright or pale?
Choose colors that are nearest to what you see and add them
to your image in watercolor.
- When finished, post your drawing like a bulletin board on
your wall and see how many people you can fool!
Next Family Activity >>
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Materials
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Bulletin board or other soft surface, such as cardboard
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| Tacks and/or ribbon |
| Flat objects collected from home to place
on the board |
| Paper |
| Pencil |
| Markers or Crayons |
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