Charlotte Mason called art study “picture talks.” The students were expected to express what they saw in the work or art. How does the painting or artwork make them feel? What do they see? What colors are in the picture? What is the artist trying to convey? These are questions to guide your art study. Your role as the teacher is simply to guide the student but not do the talking yourself. This is not time to lecture but engage your child in conversation about the work of art.
Art Study is best implemented by focusing on one artist’s works for a certain period of time. Traditionally, semesters are divided into 12 week sessions, so you may want to cover one artist per semester. The goal is to get to know that artist’s methods, life, and how that artist viewed the world around him. During this time it would be advised to assign a biography about the artist being studied. Have your child do frequent narrations based on his readings of the artist’s biography to fully grasp the personality of the artist.
As mentioned, conducting an Art Study is a matter of encouraging the child to discuss the painting being studied. Children love to spot details in paintings so be sure to have them point out something obscure or play an “I Spy” game. Talk to your child about the colors the artist chose to use in the painting. Discuss the emotion, the facial expressions on the subjects or subject, or what mood they think the artist was trying to convey. Ask the child to compare and contrast this painting to a previous one or even the elements in the painting. Have your child discuss how the paintings from an artist convey that artist’s individual style. The goal is to have the child analyze and evaluate the painting on his own. Once your student has discussed the elements of the painting you may have him create his own version of the painting. Remember to have your student implement the element, medium and style of the artist he is studying. This activity will reinforce the lesson and provide a creative outlet for the student.
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