classroom use of the art print.

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• Maurice Prendergast was influenced by many different kinds of art and yet he developed his own unique style of painting. To help understand these influences, students should look at the work of the most advanced French artists between about 1880 and 1910. Some of the names used by these artists were: Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Fauves.

• Some art critics have described this artist's work as "childlike" and "simple." Other critics have described it as "inventive" and "pure decoration." Have students look at this reproduction and have them describe what they think about it.

• Some artists isolate themselves from other people, while others become friends with artists who think like they do. Maurice Prendergast is one of those who mixed with other forward-looking artists of the time.

Some of the artists with whom he was most friendly were Robert Henri, William Glackens, George Luks, John Sloan and Arthur B. Davies. If students look at the work of these artists, it may help them understand the kind of art that was thought to be most progressive 100 years ago in New York.

• From looking at this reproduction--and hopefully other paintings by Prendergast--students will see that he didn't make a pencil drawing first and then paint it. He used his brush very freely; and if he wanted to include lines he painted them with a brush.

Students should be encouraged to try painting in this way themselves. There is nothing wrong in painting carefully, but they should also try other ways of working. To try painting freely will also help develop a better understanding of this artist's style of painting.

• Students may be asked to look at a photograph that shows different kinds of objects, such as people, buildings, trees and hills. Using the photograph as a guide, ask them to draw their own picture just using outlines.

Encourage them to paint the picture with colors they find interesting that make an attractive pattern when the picture is finished rather than being a copy of the shading or colors in the photograph.

The photographs and original paintings can be displayed on the wall and students can be asked to make their own comments about the results.

• If students have never used paint thickly, then this painting makes a good model for a beginning. The best kind of school paint to use for this is tempera mixed to the thickness of heavy cream.

Students may paint a copy of the whole of this reproduction or just paint a part of it using the thick color and the same dabbing method used by Prendergast. If they are successful, they may be encouraged later to paint some of their own work in this same style.

• Maurice Prendergast delighted in painting pictures of people enjoying their leisure time in city parks, and their vacations in the country and by the sea. As a result, teachers may use his work to motivate students to remember pleasant experiences they have had and to create their own paintings that bring back happy memories.

While it is unlikely that students will have sketched their vacation experiences, they can be asked to describe all the things they did and as much as possible about the places where they happened. Holiday snapshots may also be useful but may also lead to copying from the photographs rather than relying on their memory and imagination.

• While there is much useful information that students can read about art in books, it is just as important that they build a good visual knowledge of all kinds of art. In order to do this, teachers can help by displaying ever-changing images on their classroom walls. Because we live at a time when visual information has never been more plentiful, students can also search and collect images for themselves.

The richest possible source for artistic images is from pictorial databases on computers. All that students need is help in knowing how to search for images and firm direction about what they are looking for. Without motivation they will simply waste their time.

In searching for images of artworks by Maurice Prendergast, one way is to go to a Web search engine (Google, Netscape, Yahoo, etc.) and enter the artist's name. An even better way is to go through the search engine directly to one of the major collections of artworks that are available and then enter the artist's name. The following are the names of the bigger collections: Corbis; Bridgeman Art Library; and Art Resource. Many art museums also have their own Web sites.

Once students have found the artworks by Maurice Prendergast, they can study them. While it is easy to print copies (black and white or color) from the screen, teachers should first of all check whether they need permission to do so for classroom use.

This painting may be used to illustrate various art-teaching needs. Potentially useful picture-file categories include: "Modern Painters: Maurice Prendergast"; "Holiday/Vacation Pictures: By the Sea"; "Colorful Paintings"; and "Flat Pattern."

For ideas about collecting and retrieving pictures to help in teaching art and other subjects, readers are invited to write to: Guy Hubbard c/o Arts & Activities, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128. E-mail: hubbard@indiana.edu.