Painters Born in the 1800s 1800s Painters    

Lesson 28: Pompeii

by Robert Scott Duncanson

Directions

Study the painting for one week.

Over the week:

• Look at the painting.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Read about the artist.
• Practice reciting the names of the artist and the painting.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Study the review questions.

Synopsis

In his world travels, Robert Scott Duncanson spent considerable time in Italy. In Duncanson's 'Pompeii' he paints from imagination the first excavation of the site, which occurred in 1747. Men wearing 1700s garb, gesture toward one of the treasures they have uncovered from the ancient Roman ruins of the city of Pompeii, an intact painting. In the background, sailboats sail the peaceful lake and the volcano, Mount Vesuvius, expels a cloud of smoke.

Vocabulary

Ancient: Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence.
Pompeii: An ancient Roman town in near present-day Naples, Italy.
Vesuvius: A volcano near Naples, Italy.
Ruins: The remains of a building, settlement, town, or city, typically an old one.
Volcano: A cone shaped mountain or hill with a crater or vent through which lava, rock, hot vapor, and gas periodically escape from under the earth.
Excavation: The process of removing earth carefully and systematically from (an area) in order to find buried remains.
Pillar: A tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal, used as a support for a building.

Concepts

1. American landscape painter Robert Scott Duncanson was born in 1821 in Fayette, New York.

2. Zoom in and find Duncanson's birth state on the map of the United States.

3. His father was an emancipated Virginia slave.
4. As a young man, he painted houses, but longed to become an artist.
5. At that time, there were few, if any, opportunities for black people in America to formally study art, so Duncanson taught himself to paint.
6. Through determination, he overcame many obstacles. Consequently, he became a successful artist and traveled the world, capturing some of his adventures in paint.
7. Duncanson died in 1872 at the age of 51 in Detroit, Michigan.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

During the week, study the painting and find the following:

• Excavators
• Painting
• Mount Vesuvius
• Ruins
• Sailboats
• Smoke
• Lake
• Old Pillars
• Mountains

Activity 2: Narrate the Painting

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

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the vocabulary words, point them out in the painting.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Painting   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 37 of 'First Grade Art History Coloring Book.'

Review

Question 1

Who are the characters in the painting?

1 / 4

Answer 1

The characters are the men who have excavated the ancient city of Pompeii.

1 / 4

Question 2

What are the characters doing?

2 / 4

Answer 2

The characters are looking at their excavated treasures.

2 / 4

Question 3

What is the setting of the painting?

3 / 4

Answer 3

The setting is the ancient Roman town of Pompeii.

3 / 4

Question 4

What expels smoke in the painting?

4 / 4

Answer 4

A volcano named Mount Vesuvius expels smoke.

4 / 4

❮ ❯

1. Who are the characters in the painting? The characters are the men who have excavated the ancient city of Pompeii.
2. What are the characters doing? The characters are looking at their excavated treasures.
3. What is the setting of the painting? The setting is the ancient Roman town of Pompeii.
4. What expels smoke in the painting? A volcano named Mount Vesuvius expels smoke.

References

'Robert Scott Duncanson.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.

'Robert Duncanson-Pompeii 1855.' Wikimedia Commons. Commons.wikimedia.org. n.p.