Art Around the World World Art    

Lesson 28: Coming South

by Tom Roberts

Directions

Study the artwork for one week.

Over the week:

• Examine the artwork.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Recite the artist and artwork names.
• Read about the art region or artist.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

Tom Roberts' 'Coming South' shows migrants traveling south by steamship from Europe to Australia. Like the migrants in the painting, Roberts himself migrated from England to Australia as a boy. As a man, Roberts made the trip south again after studying art in Europe. Roberts painted 'Coming South' based on sketches he made during that voyage. In the painting, women and men sit on deck, enjoying the daylight, as they make the long journey. A smokestack puffs black smoke in the background. A variety of rigging, such as ropes and cables, stretch here and there.

Vocabulary

Migrant: A person who moves from one place to another.
Steamship: A ship that is propelled by a steam engine.
Deck: A structure of planks or plates, approximately horizontal, extending across a ship or boat at any of various levels.
Smokestack: A chimney or funnel for discharging smoke from a locomotive, ship, factory, etc. and helping to induce a draft.
Rigging: The system of ropes, cables, or chains employed to support a ship's masts and to control or set the yards and sails.
Cable: A thick rope of wire or nonmetallic fiber, typically used for construction, mooring ships, and towing vehicles.

Concepts

1. Australian artist Tom Roberts was born in 1856 in Dorchester, Dorset, England. See his picture below.

2. Zoom in and find Roberts' country of birth (UK) on the map below.

3. Roberts migrated to from England to Australia with his family when he was a boy. Find Australia on the map below.

4. As an adult, Roberts worked as a photographer's assistant while perfecting his art at night. He moved back to England to study art for three years and visited Spain and France.
5. Roberts returned to Australia, married, and had a son. He both painted and made picture frames to earn a living.
6. Roberts died in Australia in 1931 at the age of 64.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

Find the following in the artwork:

• Little Girl
• Old Woman in Black
• Boy Playing with a Toy
• Woman Sewing
• Rigging
• Smokestack
• Steamship
• Deck
• Sails
• Masts
• Three Sailors Up Above the Main Deck

Activity 2: Narrate the Artwork

• After studying the artwork, narrate the scene shown aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the new words, point out any you see in the painting.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Artwork   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 43 of 'Art History Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the artwork?

1 / 4

Answer 1

The characters are men, women, and children riding on a boat.

1 / 4

Question 2

What is the setting of the artwork?

2 / 4

Answer 2

The setting is a boat on the ocean.

2 / 4

Question 3

Where are the characters traveling?

3 / 4

Answer 3

The characters are traveling from Europe to Australia.

3 / 4

Question 4

What does Tom Roberts have in common with the characters in the painting?

4 / 4

Answer 4

Most of the characters are migrating from Europe to Australia. Roberts himself migrated from England to Australia as a boy.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the artwork? The characters are men, women, and children riding on a boat.
2. What is the setting of the artwork? The setting is a boat on the ocean.
3. Where are the characters traveling? The characters are traveling from Europe to Australia.
4. What does Tom Roberts have in common with the characters in the painting? Most of the characters are migrating from Europe to Australia. Roberts himself migrated from England to Australia as a boy.

References

'Tom Roberts.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Coming South.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.