How does an artist's choice of medium and materials impact an artwork?

Why might an artist choose to abstract a scene rather than to create a more representational, or realistic, depiction?

How has the role of women in the arts changed over time?

What do you see? Are there are any objects you recognize? The title is Four Boats; can you identify them? Can you spot the figure? Where is the figure located? What does it appear the figure is doing? How can you tell? Who might it represent?

What types of lines and shapes are creating the boats and the figure? What other types of lines and shapes do you see? What might they be representing?

In what kind of place do you think these boats and the figure are located? How can you tell?

What colors do you see? Which colors pop? Which colors recede? Which colors did the artist use the most?

What color line do you see around each shape? What impact do these white lines have on the artwork?

Why do you think the artist included the blue lines on the edges of the paper? How do these lines inform our viewing of the artwork?

This artwork is a print made from carving into a woodblock. Which parts of the image do you think were carved away? Which were left? What challenges might occur when creating a woodblock print? Have you ever made a print? If so, how was the process different from making a painting? What did you like about the process? What did you find challenging?

Grades Pre-K–3

Have students draw a large simple shape on a piece of paper. Then, using a marker, within the shape divide the space with a few simple lines. Then the students will color in each new section with a different color using crayons or colored pencils. After the new areas are colored in, the students will cut along the lines that they drew. They will then reassemble their overall shape onto a piece of white paper; however, when they reassemble it, they will make sure there is a little space between the shapes so the white paper shows through, mimicking the white lines in Lazzell’s Four Boats. Once they have assembled their shapes, students can glue them down to create their white-line artwork.

Grades 3–5

Students will engage in a simple printmaking process. On a thin piece of Styrofoam, have students use a marker to draw simple shapes. Then they will use a pencil to trace the marker lines, gently carving in their shapes. Next, place a small amount of tempera paint for each student on a tray or plate. The students will then coat a small roller with the paint and apply it to their Styrofoam piece. Once the paint is rolled onto the Styrofoam, the students will cover it with a piece of paper and use their hands to press the paper down firmly. Then they will lift the paper off the Styrofoam and reveal their print of simple shapes. Once the paint is washed off the Styrofoam, students may create more prints using different colors.

Grades 6–12

Activity 1
Students will research the Provincetown Printers. Students should determine who the members were, and what were their contributions to the modern art movement in the United States.

Activity 2
Students will research the white-line printing process used by Lazell and other Provincetown Printers. How does it compare to other printing techniques? Who developed the white-line printing technique? What influenced the creator of this process?