Lewis & Clark Site Map

DOES IT HAVE A PLACE IN HISTORIC ART?

CONNECTION TO LEWIS AND CLARK
Over the years, artists have created hundreds of drawings, paintings, and sculptures about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This has not been an easy task because few likenesses of Corps of Discovery members exist. In addition, the expedition journals contain only scattered references to Corps members appearances. Consequently, artists have portrayed the expedition and its members in many different ways.

OVERVIEW OF THIS ACTIVITY
The meaning of artistic license is examined and contrasted with historical mistakes in art. Students argue the pros and cons of artistic license in a formal debate.

ADVANCE PREPARATION

1. Click on and read the following Internet sources about the life of Sacagawea according to documented sources.
   http://www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/CorpsOfDiscovery/TheOthers/Civilians/Sacagawea.htm
   http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/idx_corp.html
2. Download SACAGAWEA IN ART: SCORE SHEET. Make a copy for each student.

IMPLEMENTATION
Introduction
It comes as no surprise that not all artistic representations of historic events are historically correct. Mistakes may occur simply because the necessary information was not available to the artist, or because the artist did not dig deeply enough into the subject matter. For example, a famous western artist, Frederick Remington, painted a picture of the Corps of Discovery on the Pacific coast. In the painting, several birch bark canoes are pulled up on the shore. Lewis and Clark are sitting on some baggage in the foreground. Both are wearing colonial-style army jackets and hats.

Although Remington was an accomplished painter, he obviously was not familiar with the fine points of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The only canoes described in the journals were vessels made by hollowing out large tree trunks. On the matter of clothing, Lewis and Clark started out wearing dress uniforms, but by the time they reached the Pacific coast, it is much more likely that both men were clothed head-to-foot in "home made" buckskins.

Use of Artistic License in Historic Art
Mistaken ideas such as these should not be confused with artistic license. Mistakes arise from lack of knowledge while artistic license is a conscious choice to alter or ignore historic evidence. The use of artistic license in historic art is not an "either/or" concept, but a matter of degree from one extreme to another. (See diagram below.) "Truth" lies somewhere in between and the same artist may move on the scale from time to time or for different subjects. For instance, Frederic Remington was meticulous about historical detail when he painted frontier soldiers and cowboys, but not in his interpretation of Lewis and Clark.

ARTISTIC LICENSE IN HISTORIC ART

Think of artistic license as a tool that is neither good nor bad. For instance, an artwork that is correct in every detail is not necessarily a good work of art. Conversely, an artwork that overflows with artistic license may be a magnificent piece of art. Ultimately, viewers must decide for themselves where the line is drawn.

The rationale for using artistic license in historic art falls into at least two major categories--to evoke a particular emotion in the viewer, and to fill in gaps when reliable information about the subject is scarce.

1. To evoke a particular emotion in the viewer:
   A good example of artistic license appears in a famous painting, George Washington Crossing the Delaware. This was the moment chosen by the artist, Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, to memorialize General Washington's surprise raid on the English and Hessian troops the day after Christmas, 1776. (Click on the following websites for pictures and discussion of this painting: http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/gw/el_gw.htm http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/youasked/012.htm )
   
   In the painting, General Washington is standing in a shallow boat while being rowed across the ice-choked Delaware River. The man behind Washington is James Monroe who later helped negotiate the Lousiana Purchase, and still later became fifth president of the United States. Ten soldiers are rowing the boat. The boats actually used by Washington and his troops were much larger. Undoubtedly, Leutze realized that the small boat he painted would have sunk quickly with twelve men in it. He also must have known that Washington and Monroe could not stand up in a small boat in the middle of an icy river. Probably they would have been seated with their cloaks wrapped around their shoulders and their hats pulled down over their ears. But what kind of a heroic painting would that have been?
   
   To heighten feelings of patriotism and national pride in his viewers, Leutze used artistic license. He immortalized a historic moment in American history by painting Washington and Monroe on their feet with their faces resolutely turned toward the wind. The image of Monroe clutching the flag further heightens the drama.
   
   
2. To fill in the gaps when reliable information about the subject is scarce.
   A certain amount of artistic license is inevitable when information about the subject is sparse. A case in point is art that depicts Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who accompanied the expedition. No original likeness of her at the time of the expedition exists and no complete description of her is given in the expedition journals. However, hints about her appearance and character are scattered throughout the journals. Taken as a whole, these passages provide a framework for artists to go by. (Share the documented information about Sacagawea's life with the class. Caution students that a great deal of mythology has grown up around Sacagawea for which there is no documented evidence. Ask students to suggest other sources of reliable information an artist might use, such as anthropological studies of Shoshone life and customs.)
   
   Many artists have used documented sources as a basis for their images of Sacagawea. Others have leaned more heavily upon artistic license which, of course, is their privilege. However, those who view art have privileges, too - the freedom to make judgments about an artist's work. Today you are going to do just that. (Hand out copies of SACAGAWEA IN ART: SCORE SHEET and go over the directions with the class. Allow students to work in pairs or small groups, but emphasize that each student must make up his or her own mind when filling out the score sheet. Students may access this page on the Internet at ______________. Pulling up this page will provide direct access to the various websites simply by clicking on them.)

CONCLUSION
After students have completed their worksheets:

• Engage them in a discussion about their choices. Have students defend their choices. Keep a tally on the chalkboard to emphasize areas of agreement and disagreement.
• Ask students to ponder the following questions: (1) Suppose you have admired a historic painting for a long time. Much later you learn that it contains deliberate inaccuracies for the sake of dramatic effect. Would that knowledge change your appreciation of the work? Why or why not? (2) If the general public neither knows now cares about historic inaccuracies in art, why should an artist bother to do all that research? (3) Films for the general public based on historic figures or events often take great liberties with the facts. Does this really matter or is it "just entertainment"? Does it make a difference if the films are made expressly for children?
• Conclude by stressing that art is personal for both the artist and the viewer. However, there are certain artistic limits, while viewers must take into consideration the limitations placed upon artists in transferring historic subjects to canvas or bronze.

Alternative Suggestion
The same things that were said about Sacagawea may also be said about York, Clark's slave who accompanied Clark on the expedition. Like Sacagawea, York is an interesting but obscure figure. There are a few hints in the journals about his appearance and quite a bit more about his character and the roles he played on the expedition. His life is summed up on the following websites:

http://www.nps.gov/jeff/LewisClark2/CorpsOfDiscovery/TheOthers/Civilians/York.htm
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/idx_corp.html

Have students read the descriptions of York and ask how they would paint or sculpt him based on those references. Then click on the following websites to show how artists and sculptors actually have depicted him:

• Eugene Daub sculptor:
  http://www.commercebank.com/info/newsreleases/B00/nr04262000monument.html
  http://lewisandclarktrail.com/section1/mosities/kansascity/kcasepkyork.jpg
  In the first website, York is on the right with Seaman, the dog. The gentleman standing in front of the statue is a York Impersonator. To read more about the statue and its creator, its location, etc., click on the second website.
• Charles Russell, painter: http://moneymaker.com/gallery/russellc/Yorks.gif
  This is probably the most famous painting of York. Russell painted York in a Mandan Indian earth lodge where he was the object of fascination for Indians who had never seen a black man.
• Michael Haynes, painter:
  A contemporary painting of York appears at the top of the page on this website:
  http://www.nps.gov/Jeff/LewisClark2/CorpsOfDiscovery/TheOthers/Civilians/York.htm

Conclude by discussing how closely students' impressions of York from the journals match up with artists' conceptions of him.