Objective: Students will explore and compare two paintings by Haitian artist Préfète Duffaut,
focusing on how shared symbols and imagery represent themes of spirituality, folklore,
and imagination.
Look: Display both paintings (St. Francis and Spider Queen) side by side. Instruct students to silently observe for one minute. Ask: What are the first things you notice in each painting? How does each painting make you feel? What colors or patterns repeat?
Write: Students write for 5–7 minutes in response to prompts: What is happening in each painting? What symbols or images stand out to you (e.g., paths, figures, animals,
shapes)? What might those symbols represent? Encourage students to use descriptive words and to compare/contrast as they write.
Share: Facilitate a class (or small-group) discussion. Guiding questions: What symbols appear in both paintings? Do you think the setting is the same in both paintings? How do those symbols connect to ideas of spirituality, storytelling, or Haitian culture? How might the artist’s use of bright color and repeated patterns help tell a story? Students can add or revise their notes after discussion to show new insights from peers.
Extension (optional): Students create a quick sketch or collage of their own symbolic “community world” inspired by Duffaut’s layered cityscapes, choosing colors and shapes that represent
something meaningful to them. These can be displayed around the room to encourage
identity and classroom community.
Standard(s):
Cr1.1.4a / Cr1.1.5a – Brainstorm multiple approaches to a creative art or design
problem.
Re7.1.5a – Compare one’s own interpretation of a work of art with the
interpretation of others.
Re7.2.5a – Identify and analyze cultural associations suggested by visual imagery.
W.4.2 / W.5.2 – Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and
convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.9 / W.5.9 – Draw evidence from literary or informational texts (or artworks) to
support analysis, reflection, and research.