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Texas and the arts

Guide to Reading

Main Idea

The diversity of Texas provides a rich  and artistic heritage.   

Reading Strategy

Classifying Information

As you read this section, complete a  chart like the one shown below, filling in names of artists for each form.

(down below)

Key Terms                                            

Mosaic

Plein Air

Literature      

Folklore

Read to Learn

-about different types art

-about influential Texas figures

-how artists reflected their heritage

and  what they experienced while

making their creations

A Texas Story

Ray Price born in January 12,1926 was an american country singer, songwriter and guitarist. He has been praised since he has the best male voice.Some of his well-known recordings are “Release Me” and “ Crazy Arms”.He was elected into the hall of fame of country music in 1996. He continued on his tour until his mid 80s until his death on December 16,2013.

Folklore                              

Folklore stories are stories that are told orally, and are passed generation to generation. Some of these stories can be real or fiction, and usually teach a moral or life lesson. They can be told in any type of form or way. These stories are quite important to preserving culture and the history of it since the stories are all about the culture’s past and its morals. It can be looked back on in today or the future to remember the culture itself and its history.

Many of these stories have been collected over time. One of the most notable Texan folklorists is James Frank Dobie. He published stories such as Wild and Wily Range Animals in 1980 and The Voice of Coyote in 1949. His folklores were mainly about ranches and cowboys, the general old west that most people in the world know of. Another Texan folklorist is Ben King Green, who published stories in the late 1900’s, such as The Village Horse Doctor in 1971, and his most famous folklore story, Horse Tradin’ in 1967. He then made a sequel to the story 5 years later called, Some More Horse Tradin’. An example of a Mexican-American folklorist from Texas is Américo Paredes.His most notable folklore story is Los Corridos, or a series of Mexican-American folklore stories.  

 

Historical Literature 

Literature is a piece of writing that can be read. Most literature was meant to be read to the public. All forms of literature have writers. One of the earliest writers was Cabeza de Vaca. This explorer had a shipwreck and wrote in his journal about his journey across Texas to survive. Other explorers wrote about their adventures following Cabeza’s document. Mary Austin Holley, a cousin of Stephen F. Austin, wrote the first book about Texas that was written in English. George W. Kendall wrote colorful descriptions of Texas during the republic.

    There are and have been many different variations of Texas history. Henderson Yoakum was one of the most knowledgeable writers and historian. Another Texas historian was Anna Pennybacker. Many students learned from these two author’s books.

The adventure of the west side of Texas have fascinated historians and writers alike. Two examples of the west classics today are The Texas Rangers, and The Great Plains. One of the most popular novels in 2008 was Appaloosa. This book was written by Robert B.Parker. It’s about men who tried to bring fugitives to justice. This shows the classical action of life of western Texas.

 

Reading Check:  Why is it important to know our Historical Literature?

This is a picture of the book Appaloosa. It was very popular when it was first released and is still fairly popular today. The book is about two people Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch who try to stop a group of bandits in a  nearby town.

Artists of Texas

         Artists in the 2010 Census used many painting techniques. Some of these techniques include plein air, and mosaics. Some of these paintings hang at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, and Living Mosaic Montrose Church. Paintings like these express the landscape, as well as the simple aspects and nature of Texas

            Today, Texas artists that contributed their arts come from all over America, especially places in San Francisco, and had a major of art. Today’s artists have created not only paintings, but images made of painted rocks, called mosaics. There are a variety of mosaics, made especially to depict Texas. For example, there are mosaics of Texas flags, longhorns, and the wild west. Mosaic artists like Sonia King, and Kathleen Dalrymple have created works such as “Meltdown,” “Riverscape,” “Chapel in the Vineyard,” and “Texas Traditions.”

           Another technique used commonly by Texas artists was called plein air (or en plein air). Plein air, is the practice of painting in open air. The origins come from French, which the equivalent means open air. Texas artists like Laurel Daniel, and Jill Carver had a fancy for them. Laurel Daniel painted several, some including “Serenity,” “Ranch Path,” and “Broken Barns.” Jill Carver, another Texas plein air painter, painted arts like “Spring Waters,” “Winter Reflection” “Autumn Celebration,” and “Sunrise Papermill Pond.”

 

“Chapel in the Vineyard,” by Kathleen Dalrymple

 

 

Fiction

    There are some authors who write great books that the state of Texas recommends for middle school students. They aren’t all made by Texan born authors, and the books don’t all have a Texan theme. Even so, they’re on the Texan Lone Star list. This list is made up of books for kids in 6th - 8th grade. They’re chosen because of their relevance and substantial quality. Some well-known books on the 2013 list included Planet Tad by Tim Carvell, Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer, and Almost Home by Joan Bauer.

 

 

Joan Bauer’s Almost Home is a novel published in 2012. In 2013, a decision was made to put the book on the Lone Star book list.

    

     There are also books are on the Bluebonnet List made for students in grades 3-6. They’re similar to the Lone Star List, but the books are for lower grades. More specifically, for elementary school students. These books also relate to the Lone Star List because they don’t relate to Texan culture, but they were put on the list because of what Texan leaders thought belonged on the list. In 2013, the Bluebonnet list consisted of Giant’s Beware! By Jorge Aguirre, Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lutricia Clifton, and Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

 

 

Wonder is a novel by R.J. Palacio published in 2012. The book was both on the Bluebonnet List and Texas Lone Star Reading List in 2013.




 

 

Reading Check: What is the difference between the Lone Star List and the Bluebonnet List?


Theater, Film, and Television 

Movies that were made that had a significance to the history of Texas were movies like “Old Yeller”. This movie is iconic to Texas because it shows the Texan woodlands and talk about life from early settlers in Texas. The movie was made in 1957 by Walt Disney Studios and is still a commonly watched movie today.

TV shows were also made in Texas and were mostly based on the Texas culture. Football is very popular in Texas, so movies like “Friday Night Lights” were very popular, and made in Texas stadiums. This movie was made partly in the Astrodome.

There are places where actors reenact the struggles and triumphs of settling in the Texas Panhandle. Texas Outdoor Musical from the 1800’s is one example. It includes singing, dancing, and partly humorous acting. It was located in Canyon, Texas. The plays are set in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the second largest canyon in the USA.


 

 

 

 

This is the cover of Old Yeller. This movie took place in Texas near the woodlands and was about the struggles and triumphs of early settlers in Texas.

 



 

Landscape Painters

Eric Harrison was a landscape artist that was born in 1971 in San Antonio, Texas. The Harrison's now reside in the hill country west of Blanco, Texas. He used his paintings to express his thoughts and feelings. According to him, "My art is the result of my thoughts and feelings about the place where I live. Freedom, imagination, and encounters with nature are the source from which these visions are realized. Ultimately, these paintings stand as evidence of a living being, and above all are meant to be seen, so as you look at the paintings allow your eye to wander and your mind to wonder." One of his recent

paintings is “Redbud.”



 

 

 

 

 




 

“Redbud,” a landscape painting

made by Eric Harrison





 

Sculpture 

  Well-known sculptors such as Garland Weeks, and Michael Boyett are important people in the history of the Texas. Garland Weeks is mainly known because he is the director of the National Sculpture Society. He worked as a sculptor almost 40 years and was mainly famous for his diverse body work. One of his most famous sculpture is made from bronze and it is called “Sunshine Sliders.” Michael Boyett was also really famous for the clay image called “To Make Men Free,” which represents his service in the U.S army in the Vietnam War.

 

These are images of Michael Boyett the famous sculpture and Garland Weeks which is the Director of the National Sculpture Society.

 

Reading Check: What is the difference between Sunshine Sliders and To Make Men Free sculptures by Garland Weeks.

 

Music

The music and the musicians of Texas have been growing since 2000 till now. Many singers who were born in Texas have rose to the top of Hollywood and some have stayed here and made music that relates to Texas.Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter also known just as Beyoncé has had many hit songs in the past decade and is known worldwide. Beyoncé was raised in Houston, Texas and went to HSPVA (High School for the Performing and Visual Arts). In almost each of her songs she has mentioned Houston or Texas, the place where her heritage is. She has won 5 Grammy awards and her hit album, “Dangerously in Love,” has been sold in millions.Abbey Cone is a 16-year-old country singer who was born and raised in Dallas. She is currently rising to fame, and because she does country music, her music is some of the most inspirational to the Texans. Some of her famous songs are “Love Like Him Again” and “I’ll See You.” George Jones, born in 1931 and died in 2013, was one of the most inspirational country singers of Texas. He was born in Saratoga, Texas and started singing at a very young age. As his fame grew, he was being known not as George Jones, but as “The Possum,” and the greatest country singers alive. One of his most popular songs is “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” His music was an inspiration to many back then and today, and with his music, he symbolized his heritage and culture.Lemon Jefferson, born in 1893 and died in 1929, was a jazz musician. Though he died many years ago, his songs and their catchy tunes are still known to this day by jazz lovers. He died at a very young age, however his influence never died. He also later started writing the blues and in time he was known as the father of the blues.

The musicians of Texas always represent their heritage through songs such as country music, which is greatly important in Texas of mentioning their life of their city in

their songs, like Beyoncé. The music that is being made in Texas isn’t just famous here, but has been spread worldwide for the heritage it shows.


 

 

George Jones and his guitar                                             Lemon Jefferson




 

Section 2 Assessment

Checking for Understanding

  1. Using Key Terms Use the key term mosaic, plein air, literature, and folklore in sentences to demonstrate your understanding of the terms.

  2. Reviewing Facts What type of music did George Jones specialize  in? In what year did he die?

Reviewing Themes

3. Cultures and Traditions Artists of today have made very interesting paintings in many unique

  ways.What is the formal name of images made of painted rocks?

 Organizing to Learn

4. Charting Information The music of Texas reflects many cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Create a chart that relates a genre of music to a performer or location.

Critical Thinking

5.  Evaluating Choose  one artist, musician, actor, or author mention in this chapter and tell how he or she has influenced you.

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