Teacher Resource: 4th–5th Grades

Teacher Resource: 4th–5th Grades
Hiroshi Yoshida (Japanese, 1876–1950), Scooping Gold Fish, from “Twelve Subjects of Tokyo.”Color woodblock print, 1928. Gift of Hubert D.
Bennett, 1939.357
This resource will allow you to lead your students through close looking
exercises to enable them to describe, analyze, and interpret what they see
in the woodblock print Scooping Gold Fish (1928) by Hiroshi Yoshida
(1876–1950).
This approach to looking at art is based on the Art of Seeing Art method
created by the Toledo Museum of Art. It is discussion-based and will
help you and your students explore works of art in the Museum’s special
exhibition Fresh Impressions: Early Modern Japanese Prints, on view at the
Museum from October 4, 2013–January 1, 2014.
How to use this resource:
• Print out the document for yourself.
• Read through the document carefully as you look at the image of
the work of art.
• When you are ready to engage your class, project the image of the
work of art on a screen in your classroom using an LCD projector. Use
the questions provided below to lead the discussion.
This exercise is meant for use in the classroom. There is no substitute
for seeing the real work of art in the exhibition at the Toledo Museum of
Art. We are open Tuesday to Sunday and Docent-led tours are available
free of charge. Visit http://www.toledomuseum.org/learn/tours to
schedule.
Vocabulary:
Woodblock printing: Printmaking technique of carving an image
onto a block of wood, covering it with ink, and pressing it onto paper.
Kingyo Sukui (keen-yo soo-kooyee): Is a Japanese game in which
players use a paper net (called a poi) to try to scoop a goldfish into a cup.
The game ends when the net tears and can no longer be used.
Kimono (kee-moh-noh): A loose, wide-sleeved Japanese robe,
commonly worn by women and often elaborately decorated; held
together at the waist with a broad sash called an obi.
Close
Looking &
Describing
Questions
Before telling them any information such as the name of the artist or
title of the work of art, ask your students to look carefully. Have them
look closely for at least three minutes and then describe what they see.
Start the questioning with broad, open-ended questions with attention
paid to the Elements of Art.
Describe what you see in this print.
Describe the people in this print.
How old are they? What do you see that makes you say that?
Are they men or women? How do you know?
What are the people wearing?
What colors do you see?
Which colors stand out? Where are those colors?
Where do you see lines? Describe the lines that you see.
Where can you find curving lines? Vertical and horizontal lines?
Describe the space in this print; can you see far into the
distance or is the depth of view shallow?
Continue to guide your students’ eyes around the work of art with
more close looking and describing questions, such as:
Describe the background.
What information has the artist provided about where this
scene is taking place?
Analysis
Once the students have completed listing everything they observed
in the print by close looking, begin to ask simple analytical questions
that will help to deepen their understanding of the work of art.
How many different kinds of lines, colors, and patterns can
you see?
What colors and patterns do you see repeated?
What do you think these people are doing?
What do you see that makes you say that?
How do you know that these people are paying close attention
to something?
What do you think it is that everyone is so focused on?
What clues has the artist given us?
What time of year do you think it is?
What details do you see that tell you that?
Look closely at the hand of the boy in the white shirt in the
lower left corner. What do you think he might be holding?
Can you find this object anywhere else in the print?
Layering of
Information
(Background Information/Research)
Share the background information provided below regarding
the artist and the print. This is information that a viewer cannot
get simply by looking at the print. Once you have shared the
following information, your students will be ready for deeper
analysis and interpretation of the work of art.
This Japanese woodblock print by Hiroshi Yoshida titled Scooping
Gold Fish shows a group of Japanese men, women, and children
playing a popular game called Kingyo Sukui or “goldfish scooping.”
The players, who are gathered around a rectangular goldfish tank,
must use nets made of very thin paper to scoop goldfish into a bowl.
If you look closely, you may be able to spot a bowl filled with goldfish
that have been caught. Any fish a player catches may be kept as prizes.
The players are concentrating very hard because it is very difficult to
catch the fish without ripping the delicate paper nets.
Close looking reveals that the people in this print are wearing a
mixture of Western and traditional Japanese clothing. Many of the
women are wearing kimono, traditional Japanese robes. The bright
red color of the obi (or sashes) tied around the kimonos of some of
these women adds visual interest to the composition. But the hats
worn by many of the young men in this image are not traditional
Japanese-style hats. They reflect the increasing cultural exchange that
was occurring in the early twentieth century as Westerners visited
Japan, and Japanese people visited Europe and America.
From the short pants, short-sleeved shirts, and sandals we can tell that
this scene is set in the warmer months of summer or early fall. Kingyo
Sukui is often a popular attraction of summer festivals. The game,
which has been played in Japan for over two hundred years, is still a
popular feature of summer festivals today.
Interpretation
Interpretation brings the close looking and describing questions,
analysis, and background information together to aid in better
understanding the work of art.
This print shows the players in careful concentration. How
do you think the scene would change if it showed someone
catching a fish?
Using all of the evidence you have found, can you tell if this
game was popular in Japan?
In America, playing games at fairs and carnivals is also a
popular summertime activity. Describe a carnival game that
you have played. How would this print look different if you
could add a game of your choice?