The Big Idea:

What can a portrait tell you about a person?

Activity overview

In this activity you will select a favorite portrait by Imogen Cunningham or Robert Arneson and write questions that you would like to ask the person in the portrait. Imagine the responses he or she might give, and role-play your interviews in pairs.

Look closely

Click on each artist button at right to view detailed screens about the artist and his or her works. Be sure to click on all images, view all videos, read all documents, and use the zoom tool to look closely at the works of art.

In this activity you will:

1. look at the art of Imogen Cunningham and Robert Arneson in their respective "Gallery" sections in Voices and Images of California Art
2. brainstorm questions to ask the subject of a selected portrait
3. create an interview and share it with the class

You will be graded on:

1. research notes
2. style and content of interview
3. participation in class discussions

New term

portrait