The Alms

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool painting! It's called The Alms, and it's super old – it was painted way back in 1658! Can anyone guess how old that is? (Pause for answers). Wow, that's a long, long time ago! nn This painting is pretty small, but it tells a big story. See this nice lady? She's wearing a beautiful white dress. She's sitting on a stone step, and she's carefully working on something with a needle. What do you think she's making? (Pause for answers). Maybe a blanket or a pretty piece of clothing! And look, she has a little dog at her feet! Isn't that cute? nn Now, look over here. See this boy? He looks a little sad, doesn't he? He's holding out his hat. Do you know why he might be doing that? (Pause for answers). That's right! He's asking the lady for some help, some money maybe, to buy food. This painting shows us how people helped each other a long, long time ago. nn The artist was really clever with the light and shadows. See how some parts of the painting are bright, and others are darker? It makes the people and the things around them look really real! He also used lots of brown and earthy colors, but the lady's white dress really stands out, doesn't it? nn This painting shows us two different kinds of lives. The lady has a nice home and plenty of food. The boy doesn't. It reminds us that even a long time ago, some people were rich, and some were poor. But it also shows kindness and helping others. What do you think about that? (Pause for answers). nn So, The Alms is a small painting, but it tells a big story about helping others and the differences between people. It's a really important painting, and I hope you enjoyed learning about it! Do you have any questions? nn