Art Around the World World Art    

Lesson 36: Yellow Houses: District Six

by Gerard Sekoto

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

Gerard Sekoto's 'Yellow Houses: District Six' shows people in Cape Town, South Africa, relaxing on semiprivate patios. They lounge outside their bright yellow homes to escape the heat. To the far left, a young girl reaches up, perhaps stretching or trying to peek over the wall. A woman in white holds an infant while another person sits on the curb. A man leans against a wall, relaxing with his hat pulled down over his face. To the far right, two women stroll down the street. District Six became notorious in the late 1960s, when government officials declared it a whites-only area. Over 60,000 of its non-white residents were forcibly removed from their homes to enforce a policy of apartheid.

Vocabulary

Semiprivate: Combining public and private elements.
Patio: A paved outdoor area adjoining a house.
Apartheid: (In South Africa) a policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race.
Race: A group or set of people or things with a common feature or features.

Concepts

1. Gerard Sekoto, South African artist and musician, was born in 1913 in Botshabelo, South Africa. See his self-portrait below.

2. Zoom in and find South Africa, Sekoto's country of birth, on the map of Africa below.

3. Sekoto was a teacher before he moved to Sophiatown to live with relatives and pursue art.
4. Sekoto was the first black artist to sell a painting to the Johannesburg Art Gallery. The gallery awarded him with an honorary doctorate decades later for his artwork.
5. Sekoto left South Africa and moved to Paris, where he worked as a musician and continued painting.
6. Sekoto died in Paris, France in 1993 at the age of 79.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

Find the following in the artwork:

• Woman and Baby
• Small Child
• Seated Person
• Man with Hat Pulled Down
• Walking Women
• Patios
• Patio Walls
• Yellow Housing
• Red Roofs
• Light and Shadow

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 55 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 inhabitants of District Six in Cape Town. Characters include a small child, a seated person, a woman and an infant, a relaxing man, and two walking women.

1 / 4

Question 2

What is the setting of the artwork?

2 / 4

Answer 2

The setting is District Six in Cape Town.

2 / 4

Question 3

What country is Cape Town in?

3 / 4

Answer 3

Cape Town is in the country of South Africa.

3 / 4

Question 4

What continent is Cape Town on?

4 / 4

Answer 4

Cape Town is on the continent of Africa.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the artwork? The characters are inhabitants of District Six in Cape Town. Characters include a small child, a seated person, a woman and an infant, a relaxing man, and two walking women.
2. What is the setting of the artwork? The setting is District Six in Cape Town.
3. What country is Cape Town in? Cape Town is in the country of South Africa.
4. What continent is Cape Town on? Cape Town is on the continent of Africa.

References

'Gerard Sekoto.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'District Six.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.