Ideas for Discussing Prints

The children will remember the pictures more if they participate in the discussion each time.  Use these questions as a guide in preparing your presentation.  Don’t ask dead end questions…pose question that open up new avenues of discovery.

  

1.                  Compare art objects.  As you look at these two paintings, do they look the same? What makes them look different?

2.            Is it good to have pictures or statues that look different? Why?

3.            Can you tell us about something in our town, or your yard or school that does not look nice? How does it make you feel when you see something that does not look nice?  What could you and I do to make out town look better?

4.           Here is rock. Is it pleasing to look at? To feel? Is it a work of art? Why? Art most things around us art objects in a way?

5.           Here is a weed.  What do you see in the weed? Does it look strong or weak, friendly or unfriendly? Does it look you or old? What makes it look that way?

6.           Why do businessmen hire artists rather than non artists to design automobiles, billboards, and cereal boxes?

7.           Art beautiful things good for us? Are they always good for us? Do beautiful things always cost a great deal of money?

8.           Here is Gainsborough’s Blue Boy.  Do you believe that this painting affected boys and girls in Gainsborough’s day in the same way that it affects you? Why? Did this boy dress like this everyday? How would he dress today?

9.            Is it worthwhile for people to make art objects that deal with the same subject matter? Why?

10.         Is it worthwhile for one artist to employ the same style as another artist? Why?

11.         In how many different ways can are be valuable to use? Do we use art skills when we select our clothing? Or write our name on a paper?

12.         If two average citizens happen to disagree about the worth of an art object, is it possible to determine if one is more nearly correct than the other?

13.        Why was this color chosen? Do you know that warm colors always attract attention and seem to ‘jump out’ at us?

14.         Did the artist use the ’whole space’ for the picture? Whey did the artist include this object (for this one) in the picture?

15.          Is the main theme of this picture a person, place or thing?

16.        How often did the artist repeat this color? This diagonal line? This brush texture? Did you know that all great pictures have repetition of line, color, or form?

17.         If you could change one thing about this picture, what would it be?