Families in Art

LEARNING INTENTIONS

To use a artwork as stimulus for a piece of imaginative writing

The Pioneer

Learning Portfolio: TASK 3

The Pioneer is a 1904 painting by Australian artist Frederick McCubbin. The painting is a triptych; the three panels tell a story of a free selector and his family making a life in the Australian bush. It is widely considered one of the masterpieces of Australian art.

Write a short narrative response that tells a story about this family.

I asked this of ChatGPT.

Write a story about a married couple who pioneer a life in the Australian bush in 1904. They build a house and have a baby but the woman dies in childbirth.

This is what I got.

In the year 1904, John and Elizabeth left their comfortable life in the city and set out to pioneer a new life in the rugged Australian bush. They were newly married and filled with excitement about the adventure that lay ahead of them.

John had inherited a small parcel of land from his grandfather, which he planned to build a home on and farm. Together, they built a small house out of wood and corrugated iron, using only the tools they brought with them. It was hard work, but they were both young and strong, and they enjoyed working together to make a home for themselves.

As the days passed, Elizabeth became pregnant. The couple was overjoyed and looked forward to starting a family in their new home. John worked hard to provide for Elizabeth and prepare for the arrival of their baby.

But tragedy struck when Elizabeth went into labor. Despite John's desperate efforts to save her, she died during childbirth, leaving behind a grieving husband and a newborn baby girl.

John was heartbroken and struggled to cope with the loss of his beloved wife. He found solace in caring for their daughter, who he named Grace. She was a reminder of Elizabeth's love and the life they had dreamed of building together.

Despite the hardships, John refused to give up on their dream. He continued to work the land and raise his daughter, teaching her everything he knew about survival in the bush. Grace grew up to be a strong, independent woman, who shared her father's love for the land.

Years passed, and John grew old. He knew that his time was running out and that he would soon join Elizabeth in the afterlife. But he was content, knowing that he had lived a good life and raised a daughter who would carry on his legacy.

As John lay dying, he took one last look at the house he had built with Elizabeth and the land they had worked so hard to tame. He knew that his time had come, but he was at peace, knowing that he had made a life for himself in the wilds of the Australian bush.

I think you all can do better!!!

The Goodbye

This is a portrait of a fisherman saying goodbye to his wife and child on the beach. He might be leaving for the day or going away for a long time. The stormy skies make the sea look chilly.

This painting dates from the autumn of 1928, which Christopher Wood spent in Cornwall. In the extreme foreground, set against a backdrop of St Ives harbour, a fisherman bids farewell to a woman and a child, his sun-tanned face partially obscured as he leans to kiss the child’s head. Their head-and-shoulder portraits seem superimposed on the detailed view of cottages, harbour, beach and pier. As the rectangular support is oriented horizontally, the background, alive with activity as the fishermen prepare to leave, suggests a tableau. While one group of men hauls a boat towards the sea, others are already crowded into a tiny vessel and heading towards the cluster of larger boats that await their crews on the far right of the composition. These preparations add to the poignancy of this scene of departure and deepen its atmosphere of impending loss.

TASK

Compose a description of this scene. Try to use sensory imagery to evoke mood and atmosphere.

The Potato Eaters

Van Gogh deliberately chose a composition which would challenge his growing prowess as a painter. Like the French master Jean-François Millet, Van Gogh wanted to be a true “peasant painter.” This meant Van Gogh tried to paint his subjects with deep feeling, but without sentimentality. He spoke of them leading 'a way of life completely different from ours, from that of civilized people.' He strove to paint the faces, 'the color of a good, dusty potato, unpeeled naturally,' and to convey the idea that these people had 'used the same hands with which they now take food from the plate to dig the earth […] and had thus earned their meal honestly.'

TASK

Compose a description of this scene. Try to use sensory imagery to evoke mood and atmosphere.

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