Fifth Graders Visit the Frick Collection

Fifth graders in Mr. Brady’s class visited the Frick Collection at the Henry Clay Frick House last Tuesday.  The tour started in the courtyard, where boys learned that the museum was previously the home of Mr. Frick and his family.  They appreciated the architecture, designed by Thomas Hastings, and then ventured into the exhibition spaces.

The first painting the boys admired was Johannes Vermeer’s Officer and Laughing Girl.  The boys quickly identified the countries in the map that was replicated in the painting.  They went on to discuss the strong quality of light depicted in the scene and the effects the light had on the subjects in the painting and on them as viewers.

 

The boys then moved into the drawing room to view Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s The Progress of Love, which consists of four separate paintings.  The boys described the love story that unfolded in the paintings.  They noticed that the lovers changed over time and seemed to get older.  They also thought that the characters seemed to enjoy the arts:  reading, playing music, and painting together.  Two boys pointed out how the trees depicted in the scenes revealed seasons and again showed the passage of time.

In the library, the boys were enamored by the many books, ceramics, and painted portraits elegantly installed throughout the room.  After discussing John C. Johansen’s portrait of Mr. Frick, they moved into the west gallery to look at a bronze sculpture, Nessus and Deianira, attributed to Pietro Tacca.  The boys walked around the entire sculpture and were instructed to select the place where they thought the sculpture looked the best.  Each boy explained why he chose to stand where he did, and the boys quickly realized that there were many different ways to see the same sculpture.

 

At the end of the tour the boys expressed how much they enjoyed looking at the art.  Many were eager to come back to see the many things they walked by but didn’t have time to see.  We extend our thanks to the Frick Collection, Mr. Brady, Ms. Meigs, Mr. Demeny, and the parent chaperones.