Neil Armstrong, American, 1930–2012; Apollo 11 Moon Landing, 1969; chromogenic print; 8 x 8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Ronald and Mary Jo Anderson 132:2015.1
Observation is a skill that can be used in many areas of life. Historically, scientists have employed art skills such as drawing or photography to help research, record, and share aspects of the natural world. Many artists have also been interested in observing and studying scientific subjects through their art making. Some famous artists who studied life phenomena through visual art include Leonardo da Vinci, George Washington Carver, Anna Atkins, and Isabella Kirkland.
Let’s look at two examples of artworks from the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum that show how artists observe different subjects.
Look closely at this image
Artist Isabella Kirkland meticulously records animal and plant species that are extinct or in danger of becoming extinct. She categorizes species in a similar way to what scientists do when they are researching the natural world. Use the plus and minus symbols to zoom in and out. Using your imagination and observation skills, explore the image through the prompts below.
Isabella Kirkland, American, born 1954; published by Feature Inc., New York, New York; Back, from the portfolio Taxa, 2006; inkjet print; image: 34 1/16 x 25 1/2 inches, sheet: 35 x 26 1/2 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, The Sidney S. and Sadie Cohen Print Purchase Fund 158:2011.5; © Isabella Kirkland
Observational Drawing
Observation and drawing work closely together. Drawing helps us to look closely; see new details; and learn about animals, plants, people, or other objects that we see.
What do you discover by drawing this picture?
Practice drawing what you see in this artwork as a way to observe details and learn more about the artwork. Share your drawings and discoveries with friends, classmates, or family members.
What more can you find?
Using the zoom tools on the side of the image, zoom in to explore the artwork in more detail. How many different animals can you find? What types of plants do you see? Record your discoveries by drawing or writing descriptions of them on your page.
Imagine an Animal's Habitat
What is a habitat?
A habitat is a natural home or environment for a plant, animal, or organism. A habitat includes the plants and other environmental features that best help the plant, animal, or organism live in the world. (For example, whales are aquatic mammals that live in the ocean.)
In this picture, Isabella Kirkland combined images of animals that have been brought back from close to extinction through ongoing conservation efforts to restore their natural habitats.
Choose one of the animals in this picture—remember you can scroll up to zoom in on the image. Come up with a hypothesis about what type of environment this animal might live in.
Hypothesis A hypothesis is an idea about why something is the way it is or happens the way it does based on personal knowledge and experience as well as research and observation.
To help with your hypothesis think about the following questions:
- What do you see about the animal that gives you clues about the type of environment it might live in? For example, what physical features does the animal have?
- Does it live in the air, in the water, or on the ground? What do you notice about the colors of its skin, fur, or feathers?
- What other features does it have? Do you notice any special features, such as whiskers, claws, or a tail?
- What else do you know about animals or environments in the world that might help you hypothesize what this animal’s habitat might be?
Once you have a hypothesis about this animal’s habitat, draw a picture or write a detailed description to bring it to life.
Activity extension Spend some time researching similar types of animals online or at your school or public library. If you need help, ask a teacher or librarian if there are encyclopedias about animals. As you explore, can you find an animal that looks like one you chose in the artwork? What animal might this be? What can you learn about this animal and where it might live?
Now, let's look at a very different type of environment
Neil Armstrong, American, 1930–2012; Apollo 11 Moon Landing, 1969; chromogenic print; 8 x 8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Ronald and Mary Jo Anderson 132:2015.1
Neil Armstrong, American, 1930–2012; Apollo 11 Moon Landing, 1969; chromogenic print; 8 x 8 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Ronald and Mary Jo Anderson 132:2015.1
Visual imagery has been used by scientists to record and study things like animals, the human body, plants, and even the moon! In 1969, Neil Armstrong, a US astronaut, photographed fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin as he walked on the moon. These are two of the photos taken by Armstrong.
Let’s see what we can discover about these artworks through writing and drawing. Choose a part of one of these photographs that you are curious about. Zoom in on that part of the picture and observe the details. As you observe, sketch what you see. Add words or sentences to describe the elements that you observed. This practice is called visual/verbal journaling, and it is used in many disciplines, including visual arts and science. The visual and verbal can support one another and invite multiple ways of thinking, reflecting, and researching.
Write a field log
By exploring the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin navigated a terrain that was completely new to them. What is a place or landscape you would like to explore and learn more about?
Sometimes, when people want to learn about a new place, ecosystem, or natural phenomena, they write a field log to record their observations and ideas. A field log is a book or record of discovery, often used in scientific or anthropological studies. Field logs are tools to record and make observations. They often include the date and time of observations in a specific environment; the activities performed, like investigating plants, animals, or changes to the environment based on weather; and any materials collected in the environment. Early field guides were handwritten and included illustrations or observational drawings of natural phenomena, like leaves, mushrooms, insects, or animals.
Use these images of the moon as a starting point for an imaginary field log. Use your creativity to imagine what types of things you might discover. Your ideas can be based on your knowledge of different environments, or they can be a bit fantastical. Add a drawing or sketch. Have fun and be creative. See the attached field log worksheet for a sample field guide that you can use, or create your own design.
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Activity Extension
Explore a place that is familiar to you and see what new things you can discover. Choose somewhere that you visit frequently, such as a park, playground, backyard, or your own neighborhood. Create a field log for your explorations of the landscape you have chosen.