Who Are You Supposed to Be?

Rabbit Hunt
E. Martin Hennings (American)
c. 1925

Students will observe and discuss Hennings’s painting Rabbit Hunt, choose a character from the piece, and write a narrative from that character’s perspective. They will then combine their narratives with those from other students to create a group story that incorporates perspectives from every character in the painting.

Intended Age Group
Secondary (grades 6-12)
Standards Area
Language Arts
Lesson Length
One 55 minute lesson
Objectives

Students will be able to:

  • identify characters and artistic elements in the Rabbit Hunt;
  • write an individual narrative from the perspective of one of the painting’s characters; and
  • combine their narratives with others to create a group story.

Lesson

  1. Show students E. Martin Hennings’s painting Rabbit Hunt. Share with them the following information from the About the Art section:
    • Hennings knew some of his American Indian subjects very well, and he was even known to change a painting in response to their concerns. He and his wife lived on a reservation for a while, and Hennings shows Indians as he knew them­­—as people living in the modern world, hunting with rifles and clothed in individual ways, including one fellow in a tennis sweater. “[I]n figure subjects I think I find my greatest inspiration—subjects which you have grown to know from experience and subjects which the imagination brings forth.”
  1. Have students point out Hennings’s subjects, the characters in his painting—people in the foreground, people in the background, and even the animals.
  2. Divide students into groups of five and have them each choose a character from the painting who they want to be for the activity. You could also have groups of six with one student being an animal.
  3. To begin, each group will have to look at the scene in the painting and come up with a storyline that could explain what’s happening. Have the students imagine how their character is a part of the story, how their character relates to others, etc.
  4. After the students have come up with a possible storyline and identified their character’s place in it, have them write individual narratives from their character’s point of view explaining what they are doing, how they are feeling, what they are thinking, what they are seeing and hearing, etc. Make sure they include details from the painting to explain their thoughts. (For example: A student whose character is one of the riders in the background might begin their story with, “Why is this taking so long? I’m hungry! What is my brother holding? I can’t tell from back here. Maybe they’re making a trade. We should hurry though; it looks like a storm is brewing.”)
  5. When each student has finished, have the group members share their narratives out loud with each other.
  6. Come together as a class to discuss how, even though the students agreed on a storyline together, each story and each character offered a unique viewpoint. Some of the stories overlapped and some were different, but each author added his or her own feelings, thoughts, and ideas.

Materials

  • Pencils/pens and paper
  • About the Art section on Rabbit Hunt
  • One color copy of the painting for every four children, or the ability to project the image onto a wall or screen

Standards

CO Standards
  • Visual Arts
    • Observe and Learn to Comprehend
    • Relate and Connect to Transfer
  • Language Arts
    • Oral Expression and Listening
    • Research and Reasoning
    • Writing and Composition
    • Reading for All Purposes
21st Century Skills
  • Collaboration
  • Critical Thinking & Reasoning
  • Information Literacy
  • Invention
  • Self-Direction

Rabbit Hunt

c. 1925
Artist
E. Martin Hennings, American, 1886-1956
Born: New Jersey
Work Locations: Taos, NM
About the Artist

E. Martin Hennings was born in New Jersey and spent his childhood in Chicago. Inspired by a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago, he decided to become an artist at the young age of thirteen. He enrolled in classes at the Art Institute and eventually graduated with honors. He also studied painting at the Royal Academy in Munich. In 1917, Hennings visited Taos, New Mexico, on a summer trip sponsored by Chicago Mayor Carter H. Harrison, Jr. While there, Hennings found inspiration in the subject matter of the American West. He made Taos his home in 1921, joined the Taos Society of Artists in 1924, and remained there until his death in 1956.

Hennings did most of his paintings outdoors but would often add finishing touches in his studio. He used many thin layers of paint, which required lengthy drying periods, so he would work on several paintings at a time. Hennings would never sign his name until he was completely satisfied with his work.

What Inspired It

Hennings was drawn to both the landscape and the people of the Taos area. The bright sunlight of New Mexico inspired his colorful palette. He commented in his later years, “I have been working in Taos many years and I think that should prove that I like it here; the country, the mountains with their canyons and streams, the sage beneath the clouded skies, the adobe village with its Spanish people and of course the Taos Pueblo with its Indians. Their life—domestic and agricultural—with all the color and romance of their dress and history.”

Hennings knew some of his American Indian subjects very well, and he was even known to change a painting in response to their concerns. He and his wife lived on a reservation for a while, and Hennings shows Indians as he knew them—as people living in the modern world, hunting with rifles and clothed in individual ways, including one fellow in a tennis sweater. “[I]n figure subjects I think I find my greatest inspiration—subjects which you have grown to know from experience and subjects which the imagination brings forth.”

Details

Vertical Patterns

The vertical patterns are most noticeable in the blanket and the braids worn by the men, but Hennings also used the patterns in nature: in the sky, the horse’s tail, and in the sagebrush.

Light

Dramatic light, bright color, and pattern activate this rather static scene. In spite of the dark, stormy sky, the sun throws hard shadows in the foreground. Bright light falls on the three men and the horse in the foreground of the painting, but the title subject, the dead rabbit, is obscured in dark shadows.

The Rabbit

Though the rabbit is hidden in the shadows, Hennings uses several techniques to signal its presence. All the men seem to have their attention focused on the rabbit and their rifles point to their recent kill. The vertical lines play another role here; if you follow the rider’s braids to the horse’s reigns to the other set of braids, your eye is led directly to the rabbit.

The People

Three men have a bold presence in Rabbit Hunt. Though they have quite individualized faces, we don’t know exactly who they are. Notice how each man is clothed in an individual way. The rider, for example is wearing a cross-cultural combination of trousers, a cuffed shirt, a tennis sweater, and moccasins.

The In-between Spaces

The diamond shape under the horse’s neck creates a frame for another horse and rider. At first glance there is only one horse present, but look a little closer and you’ll see there are three in this painting.

The Striped Blanket

Striped blankets were used all the time, but Hennings would have selected the colors, pattern, and position of the blanket to suit his vision for the scene.

Colors in Unexpected Places

Bright colors are found throughout this painting in the highlights and shadows. Notice the bright red-orange near the horse’s hind leg, the yellow contours on the shadowed white clothing, and the light blue edges of the sagebrush in the center.

Funding for object education resources provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.

The images on this page are intended for classroom use only and may not be reproduced for other reasons without the permission of the Denver Art Museum. This object may not currently be on display at the museum.