If you live in Boston and are immersed in the art scene, you certainly have heard of Allan Rohan Crite. Crite was a local African-American artist who depicted the life of African- American residents of Boston Roxbury and the South End neighborhoods.
A 5 or 9 years old kid may haven’t heard of this artist yet although he spends a lot of time drawing kids playing in the streets of Boston. Crite arpented the streets of Roxbury and the South End and drew everyday people doing everyday things. On Sundays, he was known to sit on the stairs of his house at 410 Columbus Ave and simply draw the faces of people he would meet.
One of his most famous drawings, Jumping Rope, pictures kids playing in the street while adults dressed on the T come and go. This painting is on view at the MFA, Boston and is part of the neighborhood painting Crite did in the 1930’s and 40’s.
For Kids.Think. Art’s program “ I.Wonder.”, I selected a less famous drawing of Crite but as significant of his artistry in drawing street scenes and . I guided the art thinkers through a critical thinking exercise with the piece Sunlight and Shadows.
What immediately got the art thinkers’ attention was the stroller and the tricycle on the forefront of the drawing. First, the art thinkers thought that the boy needed help to get out of the stroller. With further interrogation, they realized that he needed assistance to bike and that two girls were helping me to maneuver the tricycle.
Despite the vibrant colors of the clothes of the characters, the art thinkers picked on the sad mood of the scene. The woman wearing a white dress on the left of the painting put her hand on her hips in what could be a sign of exasperation. “ She is upset that the kids are not listening,” said one art thinker. On the far right side of the painting, the woman sitting on the bench seems very tired. “Her legs are crossed and her shoulders are down,” observed another art thinker. “ The other women around her are talking to her,” added another art thinker.
It is only toward the end of the session that a couple of art thinkers pay attention to the older woman in the center of the artwork although she was there all along. “ She doesn’t look like she is going anywhere, ” ended one of art thinker.
Kids.Think.Art 