The+Indestructibles,+by+Philip+Evergood

Philip Evergood American, 1901-1973 The Indestructibles, 1946 Oil on canvas = = =Teachers' Responses= = =

Angela Hayes - visual art
I asked a few of my fellow High School teachers to do exactly what I do with each Mystery Object. "If you had to, how would you use this work of art in your classroom?" These are a few of their responses.

**Barbara – science**
It’s a lovely painting. The only concept that I can really think of tying it to, would be the movement through space and time. When objects orient themselves differently in both or either, the characteristics, pr operties, function and perhaps even purpose of the object change.

**Jerry – history**
This painting is pretty cool. Of course, coming from a historian point of view, I'd probably treat this as a primary source and have students learn more about the painting itself - do research online - and also about the painter and what would compel someone to paint this. What can we learn about the painter through this painting and maybe find other painting to do some sort of compare and contrast. What about the time period or where the painter was from influenced his work - stuff like that.

There could be more said about the painting too, the actual content and if its based off some sort of movement or event and have students look up some more information on that as well and maybe find other points of view. This is optional though as it would depend on what students find out. Or perhaps, they can apply the painting to something they already know about and how it could describe that movement or event.

**Marnie – science**
I'll give this a shot...

When I look at it trying to see a connection to biology, I am reminded of two things. Depending on how the image is interpreted.

The first concept has to do with seeing the men as //different, separate// people, imprisoned in the same small, horrific cell. From this perspective, I think of natural selection. The man standing and looking out the window still has hope. He looks to the outside as if he knows he will one day be there again; outside and free. He has resilience and this trait could be what makes him survive ultimately where the others, heads in hands, and/or sleeping, will most likely not make it, and therefore these men won't survive the selective pressure of being locked up.

The second concept this image makes me think of has to do with seeing the man as //the same person at different periods in time while he is imprisoned.// From this perspective, the image could be sort of a metaphor about biological aging. The younger self looks out the window and tries to engage with the world, even while in his own "prison". The middle aged version of the man starts to withdraw from the world; one man by immersing himself in the world of ideas (the one who is reading) and the other man tries to avoid the world by trying to keep all sounds from his ears. The oldest version of the man seems to be sleeping, or dying, and could be seen as either at peace and accepting of his fate, or simply completely withdrawn into himself after a life inside a literal or figurative prison.

That's all I got!

**Jena – music**
Have students find compositions made by inmates. Find music that was created during this time period, in the same style as the art. Find a piece of music that shows the emotion of this artwork.

**Erin – graphic design**
I would have students design a graphic image based on an emotion dealing with suffering, grief, imprisonment etc. or they could design an info graphic image on an issue that is hurting our society, over imprisonment, drugs, poverty etc that evokes emotion.

**Kelly - Modern World History Class**
We have been talking a lot about CCOT this school year and trying to make connections between the past and present, highlighting causation, cause-effect relationships, etc. Each student also selects one p-theme per quarter: power, progress, population, poverty. We began the MO lesson by discussing how one’s p-theme relates to events in the world today and how it relates to events in the past. We recently finished a unit on the study of China. I shared The Indestructibles on the front board first and asked students to make connections to their theme and present day events and then they wrote about past events. We did the same for Carillo and the responses are quite interesting. I will add responses to this post (yet I don’t have time to do so at the moment!)...The entire activity took about 5 - 7 minutes. Each writing segment was timed. Overall, provoked good thinking about CCOT and events students think of as instant outcome of using a visual prompt.

Adriana Villagomez
In response to the Philip Evergood Painting...

We’ve been in jail for 5years. We never leave our cell. The only light we get to see is from our window. The cell is so cold. We can barely feel the heat of the sun. Our food is the scraps of the commoners. We don’t get beds all we get is bricks. We don’t have any entertainment other than other than staring at the wall, talking, and staring out the window. One day when I was staring out the window, I saw a boy riding a bike that was too big for him. He came by our and said”why are you in jail?” I said,”I made so many mistakes and now I have to pay.” Watch what you do boy, or you’re gonna end up like me. Poem Life is too short! Don’t waste it all! Just stand so tall! Don’t fall down! We’ll pick you back up! Poem Here we are in the is jail That is so little we cannot fit! Each day passing by Here we are For us now what we did was wrong Please forgive us We won’t repeat it Now here we are starving to death Now, please let us out

Poem As I stared out the window I thought of what I did I asked myself why I did it. What was I thinking? I am miserable. I wish I could go back in in time and do not do what I did. The cell was so little and I had to share with four people. It was horrible. Poem This picture. This picture shows a lot of meaning. It’s important because nobody is bleeding. These people are very skinny They must not be eating.

Poem Philip Evergood your picture ids very relative, Like the sad Americans and depressed natives It show the background of the nowadays truth Like a bad picture taken in a photo booth.

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