Picture by Josef Herman (ND) ‘Dusk’. [Lithograph on paper]. JHAFC
Josef Herman (1911–2000)
Who is this project for?
This is an artist led project designed for young children. Anybody can do this project if you want a small amount of information and to undertake a simple art project. If you are older than about 11 or want a harder version of this project then follow this link.
If you are a Welsh speaker then follow this link. Fersiwn Cymraeg yma.
WELCOME TO THE PROJECT
In this project you will look at the work of the artist Josef Herman. He was born, to a Jewish family, in Poland in 1911 and then he lived in Wales for 11 years from 1944. He lived in lots of other places but we will be looking at this part of his life and work.
You will be:
- Sketching
- Drawing
- Learning about the Artist Josef Herman
- Looking at the following themes
Place, Miners, Archive
Introduction
Look at this film to find out about what you will do in this project. You will also learn a bit about the artist Josef Herman.
The first thing you will do is to make marks.
Mark Making
What can you draw with in this project?
- Use different drawing materials like pencils crayons felt pens charcoal..... What else do you have?
- Experiment in using drawing materials in different ways
Mark making film. Click to play.
What surfaces can you draw on in this project?
- Experiment with different surfaces.
- You could use paper, cardboard a sketchbook or old magazines or whatever else you can find.
If you're having fun fill lots of surfaces with marks.
Herman used different marks in his art.
Picture by Josef Herman Sketch of the tip and landscape with trees by road (about 1949–50). [Ink on paper]. TATE.
Looking and making marks
Now look at Herman's work and copy the marks in this drawing of Ystradgynlais.
You could use
- Any surface
- Any material
- Paint, felt pen, tea or coffee mixed with water
Do any amount of drawings as you like, but at least do one of each image below
Picture by Herman (about 1949–50) Sketch of the tip and landscape with trees by road.[Ink on paper]. TATE.
Herman used pencil, pen, ink and brush on paper in this drawing.
THEME: Place
Herman and Ystradgynlais
Click to play this short film.
In the next film you will pretend to Walk in Josef Herman's Footsteps through the village of Ystradgynlais.
Now it's your turn to do some drawing.
Picture by Herman (1955) ‘Landscape with tip’ (Notes from a Welsh Diary).[Ink on paper]. TATE.
Drawing Herman's Place
Ystradgynlais South Wales
You will need to
- Get a pencil and paper
- Look at Ystradgynlais in the Herman's pictures below
- Remember your Mark Making from earlier
- Sketch and don't be afraid to make mistakes
Draw both pictures as many times as you like in different sizes. It's up to you how you do this. They could be very small like a stamp or large like a poster.
Picture by Herman (1947) ‘View from the Bridge, Ystradgynlais’ (Notes from a Welsh Diary). [Ink on paper]. TATE.
Herman made lots of drawings using the same themes.
Picture by Herman (1947) ‘View from the Bridge, Ystradgynlais’ (Notes from a Welsh Diary). [Ink on paper]. TATE.
Drawing YOUR PLACE
Go out into your garden or look through the window. Look at ‘YOUR PLACE' and draw what you can see outside.
Explore with different materials and surfaces for these drawings. Do as many as you like.
Look at how Herman drew in pencil first then drew over the pencil in pen and wash. Notice that he didn't rub out the pencil marks.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes just draw over them, look at Herman's drawing.
Josef Herman looked through the window of the pub and drew his place - Ystradgynlais.
THEME: Miners
Look at the film of Herman's coal miners.
Now it's your turn to draw Herman's coal miners.
Picture by Herman (1951) Sketch of miners [Ink on paper]. TATE.
Drawing Herman's Miners
Josef Herman drew and painted a lot of coal miners.
Here are some pictures of coal miners for you to draw.
- Look at the marks
- Look at the shapes
Choose one of these pictures to draw or you may want to draw all of them.
You could also add colour
What colours do you have to use?
Picture by Herman (N.d.) Sketch of a miner seated; figures in landscape. [Ink and watercolour on paper]. TATE.
Remember this is your picture it doesn't have to look exactly like Herman's work.
THEME: Archive
Herman's flowers and birds
Look at the film to see some of Josef Herman's work in the archive at Ystradgynlais. You will also learn about what archive means.
By looking at Herman's work in the archive we can have a better understanding of how he made art.
Picture: Archive visit and art response (JHAF2017)
Drawing Herman's flowers and birds
Here are some of Herman's flowers and birds from the Archive at Ystradgynlais. You may want to draw all of them quickly with a pencil and then choose one to work on with colour.
Herman used lots of different materials to make his art.
Picture: Archive visit and art response (JHAF2017)
Exhibition
Bring your drawings and paintings together
- Collect your drawings from this project in front of you
- Experiment with putting your drawings next to each other
- Think about what they look like
- You need to decide what you like best
After planning you can make your own exhibition.
Then you can then take a photograph of your work and share it with us.
Here are some examples of the presentation of work from the Josef Herman Schools project in 2017 you can see all the different kind of art produced.
Click to play this film to see how you could bring your drawings together.
Herman had a large archive of work in his studio.
Picture: Archive visit and art response (JHAF2017)
Example of ways that you could exhibit and photograph work.
How to share your work with us?
The Josef Herman Foundation Trustees are always happy to see responses to Josef Herman's work.
Please share with us on our Instagram online gallery @orieljhcymru #jhsp20 #capsiwlcovidjh20 #josefherman
For links to further information about Josef Herman. Please visit the Josef Herman Art Foundation Website at http://josefhermanfoundation.org/
Or visit TATE London
Thank you for participating in this project. We hope you enjoyed learning about Josef Herman and producing your own work. We look forward to seeing your responses on Instagram. Diolch.
Project Artists Gwenllian Beynon, Nicola Dowdle, Jessica Burtonshaw, Catrin Bradley, Owain Roberts. And a special thanks to Steff for testing this resource for us.
All of Josef Herman's art works used by kind permission of ©The estate of Josef Herman (not for commercial use) All Photographs Josef Herman Art Foundation Cymru ©Bernard Mitchell (Herman in his studio Archive film) ©Llew E. Morgan estate Photographs of Josef Herman in Ystradgynlais. Work available at https://www.tate.org.uk/