Heroes

Introduction: 

A hero can mean different things to different people. Heroes in mythology and fiction are those with incredible strength, courage, and fight in honor of someone or something.

Then there are everyday heroes, people we each have in our lives; parents, friends, doctors, firefighters, and even teachers! These people show courage, personal strength, and inspire us to be our best. Artists often make artwork about their heroes to celebrate them, remember them, and honor the positive impression they have had on your life.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

• Who is your hero?

• What characteristics make someone a hero?

• Heroes can be familiar people like teachers, family members, or friends.  Do admire anyone?  What qualities do you admire about them?  Why?

• How do different cultures celebrate heroes?

Project Idea Starters:

• Create a comic page about a heroic act where the hero saves the day. 

• Think of a person in your life who has “saved” you or has inspired you to be a good person. Make an artwork about the impression that person has had on your life. Or create a portrait or sculpture of that person.

• Make artwork that inspires others to be a hero to someone in need. 

Artists Who Work With This Theme & "Heroes" in Art History: (good artists to research)

1. Mark Newport

• He knits suits based on heroic characters from his childhood.  They are memories of the "ultimate man" – the Dad every boy wants, the man every boy wants to grow up to be.  

• The costumes combine a heroic, protective, and masculine feel with the safety and warmth of a hand knit sweater, like a protective mother.  

• The costumes are life-size, wearable objects that hang on hangers - which challenges the standard muscular form of the hero.  By hanging the costumes on hangers, it invites viewers to imagine themselves wearing the costume, becoming the hero. 
  

2. There are many artists across time who have created art about religious heroes (these are just 2 examples, you could also research Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, or others) 

The Daibutsu Buddha - Kamakura, Japapn

• Buddha- Buddah ("enlightened one" or "the awakened" was a spiritual leader & teacher whose life serves as the foundation of the Buddhist religion. 

 

"The Yellow Christ" by Paul Gaugin

• Christianity- based on the life and oral teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, has a long-standing place in art history. 

3. Many traditional and contemporary artworks depict heroes

George Washington Crossing the Delaware

• "George Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze, 1851 - about a surprise attach organized by George Washington during the American Revolution. 

Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps, 2005 

• Kahinde Wiley is known for his paintings of people with black and brown skin in heroic poses, often imitating old art masterpieces for the pose of the figure. 

4. Here is a video that talks about a lot of different artwork about heros!  

Sources: Handheld Art, www.Marknewportart.com, Tourtopia , Wikipedia, www.KahindeWiley.com, MET Museum.