Setting the Scene
In art, the background is the area of an artwork that appears farthest away from the viewer and is the area against which a figure or scene is placed.
Backgrounds can be a solid color, a beautiful mountain landscape, a vast beach, or even a room inside of a house. Picking out a background sets the scene by helping the viewer get a sense of where and when the story in the painting takes place.
For this coloring activity, we removed the original background of the painting so that you can add your own. You can do this by drawing and coloring in a background OR you can cut out the figure and glue it onto a photo or copy of a landscape or even another work of art that you like!
Portrait of Lady Helen Vincent, Viscountess D’Abernon
This is a painting of Lady Helen Vincent, Viscountess D’Abernonn. Lady Helen is often described as a beautiful British noblewoman and socialite, but she was so much more than that! During World War I, instead of retreating to the safety of her country estate, Lady Helen instead took an unusual step and actually trained as a nurse anesthetist. She served with the Red Cross in Europe and treated thousands of patients in often dangerous conditions.
Lady Helen’s portrait was painted by the artist John Singer Sargent while in Venice, Italy, in 1904.
Questions for Engagement:
Where is your favorite place in the world?
How does it make you feel?
Do you want to place Lady Helen in your favorite place?
What would be the craziest place to set Lady Helen in?