Grandma Moses
Vocabulary
| page | personal | try their hand |
| busy | take up | keep busy |
| sew | train (2) | discovery |
| chance | arthritis | would rather |
| follow | hail (2) | take lessons |
| scene | draw up | incline (2) |
| nearly | suppose | draw/drew/drawn |
| advice | admire | lead/led/led |
| want | formal | give/gave/given |
| avoid | show (2) | would-be |
| use | folk (2) | follow her lead |
| claim | deep (2) | make/made/made |
| hate | look at | attachment |
| collect | almanac | sell/sold/sold |
| sort of |
Video
Transcript
And now a page from our Sunday Morning Almanac: December 15, 1961, fifty-four years ago today, the day the painter known as “Grandma Moses” died at the age of one-hundred-and-one (101).
Born in 1860, Anna-Mary Robinson Moses had no formal training in art. Instead she lived much of her life on a farm, in Eagle Bridge, New York.
She took up painting in her late seventies (70s) to keep herself busy after arthritis made it too difficult for her to sew.
A chance discovery by a traveling collector led to her first one-woman show in New York City in 1940.
Hailed as one of the greatest American folk artist, Grandma Moses drew upon her long ago experiences.
Grandma Moses, Artist: “I’ve been inclined to paint old scenes. I suppose that’s because I am old.”
She was nearly ninety-five (95) years old when she talked to CBS’s Art Murrow in 1955.
Art Murrow, Journalist: “What sort of advice would you give to those people if they had time to try their hand at painting?”
Grandma Moses, Artist: “Well anybody can paint, who wants to paint.”
Art Murrow, Journalist: “Can they?”
Grandma Moses, Painter: “Oh, sure! Anybody can paint.”
Grandma Moses advised would-be artists to follow her lead and avoid taking lessons.
Grandma Moses, Painter: “If they had a teacher, they would soon paint as the teachers paint. And it’s best for them to use their own ideas.”
Personal though her paintings where, she claimed to have no deep attachment to them.
Art Murrow, Journalist: “You hate to see a painting sold, after you’ve made it, and liked it and looked at it a long time?”
Grandma Moses, Painter: “Oh no; I’d rather see the money!”
Grandma Moses left her admirers plenty of paintings to like and look at — more than sixteen-hundred (1,600) in all.
Questions
Doodling, Sketching, Drawing. Grandma Moses surfed the internet and did computer graphics. True or false?
Painting. Was “Grandma Moses” her real name? Did she live in New York City? Was she a city girl?
Clay Sculpture. Grandma Moses started painting when she was five years old. Is this right or wrong?
Ceramics. Did she promote herself on social media such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube?
Wood Carving. She mostly painted cars, airplanes and cruise ships?
Printmaking. Grandma Moses believed she had special talents and abilities. Only people with special talents and abilities can paint. Is this correct or incorrect?
Should people take art lessons from a teacher?
Bronze Casting. Did she want to keep all her paintings?
Stone Sculpting. Does Grandma Moses’ life offer any lessons for others?
Glassblowing, Stained Glass. I am a painter. Painting is my hobby. Yes or no? Did you paint when you were younger?
Embroidery, Knitting, Tapestry. Do you know anyone who paints?
Carpet Weaving. I know some old people with special talents or hobbies.
Tile Mosaics. What might happen in the future?
Calligraphy. What should people, governments, businesses do?
