I was recently given the opportunity to guide my 3rd grade homeroom class through the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California on a field trip. I don’t let them look at the plaques until after we have discussed the paintings, which I hope encourages them to pay closer attention and notice more details than they might otherwise see. They impressed me with their observations, and we had some great discussions about the paintings I chose to show them.

My favorite painting at the Norton Simon is “Saint Joseph and the Infant Christ” by Baciccio. I was eager to show it to my students, and their eyes lit up in appreciation as soon as we approached it. I asked my students to describe what they thought was happening in this moment, without looking at the plaque on the wall. One girl jubilantly broke out with, “That is a daddy holding his baby for the first time. I know it.” She went on, “He LOVES that baby, and you can see the… DELIGHT in his eyes!”

We all agreed that the infant Christ’s grasp of Saint Joseph’s beard is the most delightful detail of the painting.

I must have walked by this painting without noticing it at least twenty times in my life. But when I did my pre-field trip scouting at the museum this time, I found myself incredibly drawn to it. I love the layers of past civilizations, the green farmlands hopefully nestled beyond them, and the way the viewer’s eye is drawn to the expansive, bright blue sky. What a powerful image of eternal hope.

My attentive class, and my mid-speaking face

One student suggested, as he observed the little people wandering through the ruins, that he believed they were there to look for inspiration from the past so they could fill in the other land with even more beautiful buildings.

You can’t make this stuff up!

The Norton Simon is such a wonderful field trip destination. These two portraits are so close together, just asking to be compared! My students agreed that both of these men appear to be wealthy and confident, but that one of them clearly has more wisdom (and perhaps more confidence) than the other. We posed ourselves in both positions to see if we could understand these men better while we discussed what kinds of people we were looking at.

One child said, “The young man can buy anything he wants and he wants you to know it. The older man can buy anything he wants but does not care what you think about that at all.”

It has been a long time since I have been on one of our school art field trips, and I was elated to be back in the saddle. Watching children find meaning in beautiful art is something I am fortunate enough to see often, but to see it happen with paintings is such a rare treat for me.

Here are some of my other favorites from the Norton Simon that I did not discuss with my class:

*‘The Burghers of Calais’ by Rodin — The history behind this one is incredible.*

*“The Rag Picker” by Édouard Manet — I disliked this one at first glance, but after discussing it at length with my husband, I quite like it.*

*“A Soldier on the Field of Battle” by Horace Vernet — This one hurts to look at, and yet…*

*“Madonna and Child with Adoring Angel” by Botticelli — The cheek to cheek embrace!*

*Coronation of the Virgin Altarpiece by Guariento di Arpo — What an image of love!*

I will end with a request: visit the Norton Simon Museum! Their collection is filled with treasures, and each one is displayed so thoughtfully. I encourage you to take a child with you and tend some roses together.

Thank you to Roberta Contin for the photos of me with my class… And for being wonderful company at the museum!