How Did Charlotte Mason Suggest Art be Taught?
With most things CM (Charlotte Mason), once you get accustomed to her methods and they become a habit, you realize just how easy they are. Artist study is no exception. Charlotte Mason's way of studying artists is inexpensive, simple, and enjoyable.
The Basics of CM Artist Study
Miss Mason suggested that a different artist be studied consistently for an entire term -- up to 12 weeks. During that time, at least 6 different works of art by that same artist should be studied. That's only one work of art for every two weeks! Very doable!
But of course, you can do one work each week or even one each day. The point is that you focus on one artist and immerse yourselves in his style, his methods, and his images until you know that artist.
This artist study is mainly done through what CM called picture talks. During this lesson, your role as teacher is so easy. You just let the art speak to the child. You don't say much if anything. Just let the art speak to the child. The little that you do say may include some background relevant to the painting, the artist, or the time period. But by no means do you need to give a lecture about the work.
Don't let the term picture talk mislead you. You don't have to do all the talking! The child should be doing most of the talking as he describes what he sees and admires in the painting.
Then leave the art work available to be seen through out the week until another piece of art is studied.
Charlotte Mason's Thought about Artist Study
read her own words online
What did Miss Mason herself write about art study in the homeschool? Actually, there are two main exerpts from Home Education that deal with this subject. It will take you only a few moments to read these pages. You will be enriched by reading her own words about artist study.For more of Charlotte Mason's works, see the additional links and bibliography below the guestbook.
- Volume 1 p. 307-315
- Scroll down to pages 307-315 to the section titled Pictorial Art for her clear, detailed directions of how to conduct an art study.
- Volume 6 p. 213-218
- This entire section is concerned with the study of art.
An Example of Artist Study
at my home
I'll give you a glimpse into artist study at our home........Background
For that term we were studying Renoir. We had already studied approximately 30 of his paintings, one each day. Each day my method is the same. I hand the art print to my daughter and let her study it for 1-2 minutes, until she feels confident that she knows it well enough to narrate it back to me. Then I take the picture from her and listen as she describes everything she saw.
Problem
What if during the narration, she describes something incorrectly? For example, she says there are two people in the background but, in fact, there are five people? After she is done with her narration, I would say, "You said there were two people in the background, but take another look at the painting and make sure." Then I would hand her the print and allow her to look more closely and ammend her narration.
Don't interrupt the narration if at all possible. Wait until the end to allow your child to make corrections.
If she doesn't mention more subjective things, I may ask her. For example, "What is the mood of this painting? Would you like to be in the scene painted? If you were there, what would you hear, smell, or feel?" I often use the questions listed here; in fact, I keep this laminated page with my weekly homeschool schedule. Asking one or two different questions each day gives our artist study more variety and often opens the door to some great mother-daughter discussions.
More on Artist Study in our Home
Then we came to two portraits of Renoir's son: Portrait of Claude (Coco) Renoir, below on the left, and The Clown, farther down.
I realized that the notes in the art book had some interesting facts that my daughter would be able to relate to and that would help her understand the painting. I only occasionally share the book's notes since I'd rather her do the thinking herself. But these notes about The Clown would help her more knowledgably contrast the two paintings.I didn't read them, I simply paraphrased it in conversational language: Renoir's regular model had not come to sit for that day's painting. So Renoir's son had to act as a stand-in. The boy complained about the itchy stockings and being forced to stand still. Renoir both threatened and bribed the boy to get him to pose for the painting.
After our regular study of each painting, complete with narration, I had my daughter contrast the two pieces. She mentioned things such as the pose, the background, the child being older in one, the child's mood, the colors and condition of the painting.
The Creating
Then I gave her a blank piece of paper cut to the proportions of Portrait of Claude (Coco) Renoir and asked her to draw and then color a copy of the painting as closely as she could. You can see her result beside the original.
I pointed out all the ways that her rendition matched Renoir's original and praised her. Then I asked her to place her work alongside his and point out what was different or lacking in her version. In this way, I am not criticizing her work but I am teaching her to look critically at art
Then we displayed her artwork in a blank frame hanging on the wall of the homeschool room and moved on to science. Later that piece went into our art notebook.
After studying four or five more paintings by Renoir, we were finished with our book of art prints and moved on to another artist.
Note that we do not duplicate every painting we study. So far, I've chosen to do this with only one of each artist's paintings. In this way, art study is very quick each day, and only occasionally does it take longer
Helps with Artist Study
These links are mainly for you, mom or dad, to prepare for your artist study and picture talks.
- Looking at Art
- This is a GREAT list of questions to ask about the art you study. I have laminated this page and keep it handy every day during homeschool.
- Museum of Modern Art
- This is a wonderfully thorough online lesson called Guide for Looking. It has lots of good questions to ask when looking at art. Then some background information is given and more questions are asked. This would be great to do alongside your child if you're having trouble with getting the discussion started. The paintings are by various modern artists and do include nudes. A PDF of the entire lesson is available. If you're needing help with what types of questions to ask and what kinds of background information to offer, this site would be helpful.
- How to Pronounce Artists' Names and Artistic Terms
- This is a great reference tool! You certainly want to say those names correctly!
- Pictures Every Child Should Know
- This is the online text of an old book by Dolores Bacon. It is very much in the spirit of Charlotte Mason. For each painting (unfortunately only a black and white print of the original), she gives pronunciation of the artist's name, his artistic school of thought, and some background to help you in your picture talks.
- Animated Art Principles
- This little animated show will introduce you to several art concepts -- pattern, balance, etc. It's an engaging way to open the discussion of these concepts with your child.
- Art Resources
- This page has loads of material! There are printable PDFs, online activities. I started linking to so many of these (such as the next link below) that I decided to give you the main site and let you explore for yourself. Have fun!
- Creating a Question Checklist
- This PDF checklist has questions to ask about a work of art.
Encouragement and Ideas
for Artist Study --a Yahoo group
Real Help From Real Moms
great blog entries about artist study
- Peakmore Academy Artist Study
- This blog entry recounts a study of Pieter Breugel. There is a free PDF notebooking page and a scanned example of her daughter's work! A great place to start for a newbie!
- Picture Study
- This blogging mother shares how she does art study with her children. She even has pictures from their art notebook! Very practical notes from a CM educator!
- Mary Cassatt Study
- Barb from The Heart of Harmony shares some resources and links for a study of Cassatt.
Mary Cassatt
Potential Artwork for an Art Notebook
Notice that among these works by Mary Cassatt is a child's coloring page of The Boating Party. Using coloring sheets is a good way to let very small children begin their study of art and learn to see. For a few coloring pages of famous works of art, visit Edupics.com .
Art Notebooks
Some parents like to make notebooks of the art they study. They use single page prints of the paintings to create their own art resource.These prints may be purchased online, bought cheaply in the framed art section of a chain store, taken from calendars and postcards, or printed from the Internet.
By letting your child take ownership of this notebook, decorating it, organizing it, making notes, and even selecting the pieces of art, his motivation to study art will increase.
You may also want to include in the art notebook your child's renderings of the art you study. Whether you use black and white coloring book style pages for the child to color or whether you let her draw her own version, those would make nice additions to the art notebook. If you would like more notetaking added to the notebook, Molly at Homeschool with Index Cards offers an attractive, free, printable Artist Biography Form. And Notebooking Pages offers some nice art and artist related freebies as well!
Below is an example of a self portrait by Van Gogh and my daughter's rendition of it. This is in our art notebook.
Here is a Monet reproduction done with a coloring page.
For more about studying Monet, visit Monet Artist Study.
And here is a notebooking page with lapbooking elements --small minibooks (matchbooks) featuring Monet's artwork.
These examples show you how varied your art notebook can be.
Art is All Around You
be aware
While shopping, you will see framed art reproductions of famous paintings. You can stop and admire them with your children. There are a couple of benefits to this. One, this it totally free. Two, your children see that art really surrounds us in everyday life. And this is not limited to the framed art section of the store. You will find fine art on calendars, stationery, journals, postcards, and notecards. (These are four art calendars bought well into the year for a ridiculously cheap price. These make a great, cheap resource for studying art!)
Of course, you can visit art galleries and museums, but don't forget less obvious places such as libraries, town halls, and government offices. They often have sculpture and paintings decorating the facilities.
College campuses often have exhibitions of student work. Although some of it may not be appropriate, there is a possibility that your children would have a great opportunity to study art and even meet a young artist.
Be on the look out for art. And when you see it, stop and enjoy it for a moment.
More Fun Art Things
FAMOUS ARTISTS LEARNING PLACEMAT by Painless Learning
Learn while you eat!
Amazon Price: $2.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Vincent Van Gogh
Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
ARTIST FINGER PUPPET SET
Monet, Dali, Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo!
Amazon Price: $19.98 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Puzzles Plus The Starry Night Van Gogh 24 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
What a great idea! A puzzle of a painting you are studying!
Amazon Price: $13.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Artist Memo
A memory game on wooden tiles of famous works of art from the impressionistic and expressionistic eras.
Amazon Price: $44.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Links about CM Artist Study
- Penny Gardner's Tips for Artist Study
- Penny's tips and pictures of her children's projects.
- Affordable Picture Study
- Great article with links.
- Karen Andreola's Tips for Artist Study
- Great article.
Artist Timeline
Or if you already keep a timeline for history, simply add in the artists to that timeline. Give your children the perspective of when each artist lived and worked.
This is a basic art timeline with most of the major artists and all of the artistic periods. Look for the link at the top left for a printable version!
Renoir
Potential Artwork for an Art Notebook
Again notice the child's coloring page of one of Renoir's paintings, Girl with a White Hat. You can include your child's artist study related artwork in the art notebook. For a free coloring page of a Renoir, click here.
Artists Worth Studying
a list
Millet
Cassatt
Monet
Raphael
Grandma Moses
Da Vinci
Michaelangelo
Renoir
Van Gogh
Rembrandt
Wyeth
On the Ambleside Online artist study pages, you will find even more options for artists who created timeless works of art worthy of study. The current artist study schedule and previous years' studies are available.
If you don't mind using many online resources, you can use Ambleside's schedule and your entire artist study will be free. Links are available for the artist's works. You can just view them from the computer screen. (Many people set the week's art as their computer screen saver so that it is constantly visible.)
Another nice resource for artist study can be found at the 4Real Forums. There is a list of artists, and for each artist a thread including images, biographical links, and ideas.
Specific Artist Helps
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Monet Artist Study
-
Claude Monet is sure to be at the top of your homeschool artist study list! His paintings are everywhere and his contribution to art history is unparalleled. It is his own painting Impression-- Sunrise that gave Impressionism its name! Monet's subje...
-
Egyptian Art
-
I am creating this lens to gather links and images for a study of Ancient Egyptian Art. It will correspond to my fifth grade study of ancient art on Harmony Fine Arts art and music appreciation program. You can learn more about Harmony Fine Arts at m...
Art Books
Personally I don't like to rely on the Internet for our artwork. I much prefer to have a hardback book to sit with and pore over versus staring at a computer screen. And if you are printing pictures from the Web, I really doubt the ink costs are cheaper than just buying a nice, used book with full-sized art prints.When buying books for artist study, your main concern is how much of the book is just art. You want full page reproductions of the art, not tiny images and a lot of text.
If you have little ones joining in the homeschool experience, you may want to offer them a coloring sheet version of the painting.
You can also supplement your artist study with living books about the author, for example, the fictional story Camille and the Sunflowers linked below. The Diane Stanley biographies of Da Vinci and Michaelangelo are excellent reads as well.
These books all deal with Van Gogh. But you can search for similar books in these series about many other great artists. Amazon has a wealth of art books for children!
Vincent Van Gogh: Sunflowers and Swirly Stars (Smart About Art)
Amazon Price: $5.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $1.88
Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings (Klotz)
Amazon Price: $11.24 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $23.52
Camille and the Sunflowers
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $5.50
Color Your Own Van Gogh Paintings (Coloring Books)
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $2.00
Vincent's Colors
Amazon Price: $10.17 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $7.25
Purposes and Attitudes for Artist Study
Why are we doing this?
According to CM, there are two reasons to study artists.1. To cultivate a love of beauty.
2. To hone the ability to see.
So those are our purposes: We encourage children to interact with art by giving them opportunities to do so. And we train their seeing by asking them to narrate back the artwork during the picture talks.
Furthermore, we have a particular attitude when we study art. Sidford says in the article Art and Enjoyment that endeavors in the study of art should be
urged when they are a source of pleasure, not otherwise. I do not wish to infer that the whole of a child's course of study must be a 'primrose path,' far from it, but the essence of Art is enjoyment. . .
If art is beauty, then that beauty should be enjoyable. So make modifications to your artist study to make it fit your particular child. Make it fun; make it a joy.
For some children, that will mean adding field trips to experience art. For others, you will need to add hands-on art activities (see book recommendations below). Some children would be excited by exploring an art site on the Internet (see links below). What do your children think is fun?
Hands-on Art Ideas
to supplement your artist study
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters (Bright Ideas for Learning)
Includes only black and white copies of the art studied.
Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $10.95
Let's Meet Famous Artists
Black and white illustrations throughout the book
Amazon Price: $8.79 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $7.81
Masterpiece of the Month
Does not include the artwork.
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $7.50
Picture This!: Activities and Adventures in Impressionism (Art Explorers)
25 activities in response to the art of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Mary Cassatt. This series also has a title for Expressionism and Surrealism.
Amazon Price: $10.36 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $7.45
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: Their Lives and Ideas, 24 Activities (For Kids series)
This series also has a title about Da Vinci, the Impressionists, and the Surrealists
Amazon Price: $14.00 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $9.77
Online Art Activities
- Inside Art
- This online, interactive story will teach you about art through a jouney INTO a VanGogh painting! Although it is designed for 4th grade and up, a child as young as 1st grade could benefit from it with an adult reading/paraphrasing the screen.
- A. Pintura: Art Detective
- An online mystery story in which you read the clues to identify the artist of the painting. This is a great activity because is shows how an artist's entire body of artwork has a look, a feel, common themes, etc. The artists which are featured are Raphael, Titian, Millet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Picasso. Although it is designed for 4th grade and up, a child as young as 1st grade could benefit from it with an adult reading the screen.
- National Gallery of Art for Kids
- The content is always changing at this site! Explore and learn!
Art Reference Sites
For artwork, biographical sketches, and more.
- Art Cyclopedia
- The guide to great art on the web.
- WebMuseum's Artist Index
- A long list of artists which will take you to a biographical sketch and linked thumbnails of many of his/her paintings. You could do your artist study right from this site!
Art Study for the Little Ones
These are some great resources for introducing fine art to young chidren (or keeping them involved while you teach older children in your home).
Art Masterpieces to Color: 60 Great Paintings from Botticelli to Picasso (Dover Colouring Books)
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $5.06
Children's Matisse and Van Gogh Two-Book Set: A Magical Day with Matisse, In the Garden with Van Gogh
These are board books for the very youngest of children! Other artists in the series are Monet, Degas, Seurat, Picasso, and Matisse.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price:
Child Size Masterpieces of Steps 1, 2, 3 - Matching, Pairing, and Sorting - Level 1 Easy
This is the first in a series of 7 books with small, postcard sized reproductions of famous art. Your child can play sorting and memory games with the cards to become familiar with the art. A great way to make art fun at an early age!
Amazon Price: $18.00 (as of 07/26/2008)
Used Price: $12.43
Guestbook
please leave a note
Your comments, questions, or suggestions are always welcome.
Additional CM resources are listed below, so keep looking.
Thanks for putting this up Jimmie. I had been thinking about starting to teach art and your page helped me feel like I could do this. Thanks for showing me it can be done simply.
Posted July 05, 2008
Sincerely, thanks yet again Jimmie! You are so generous to share all your hard work.
Your skill in compiling these pages astounds me.
Posted April 30, 2008
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amandaquerque
Excellent and another wonderful addition to the BIG LENSES Group! Posted April 03, 2008 |
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mandyc008
Nice lens you got. It provides learning information for people who cannot go on their way learning arts in a classroom. This online way of learning is really a wonderful element in our world's new era. You can check out my article in Online Studies which tackles why online learning is a very convenient way of learning without going inside a four cornered classroom. Posted March 27, 2008 |
This is wonderful - very helpful and inspiring. Thank you!
Posted March 05, 2008
Thanks for all your resources. This makes putting together our artist study easier. I am glad I found your site!!
Posted February 10, 2008
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Shellonline
I love looking at artist's works, thanks for sharing all the great resources. You receive 5 stars! Super job! Posted January 03, 2008 |
You have done a fabulous job here!
The links with resources give me so many options.
THANK YOU!!
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Keri/
Posted December 27, 2007
Great Job, Jimmie.
I'm linking to you in Delicious.
Warmly,
lindafay
higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com
Posted September 23, 2007
Excellent work!! So thoughtful and complete, it will be an great resource for all children and adults who want to spend time learning more about art and artists.
Posted September 19, 2007
Articles
written in the spirit of Charlotte Mason
- Picture Talks
- by Miss K. R. Hammond
This article suggest some particularly excellent paintings for picture study and gives an example of a picture talk. - Art and Enjoyment
- By K. Sidford
This article will motivate you to make artist study a pleasurable part of your homeschool journey and not just another task to tick off the list. - Artistic Feeling
- By Canon Norris
This author claims that most all children have artistic spirit, but the home environment must deliberately draw it out.
Charlotte Mason's Works Online Links
online for FREE
- The Original Homeschooling Series
- Miss Mason's original writing.
- Modern English Version
- Miss Mason's works, rewritten for modern readers.
- Summaries of Miss Mason's Six Volumes
- Summaries of each volume for a quick read.
- Twenty Principles
- For an even quicker overview, see this list of twenty principles.
Charlotte Mason's Original Six Volume Work
her philosophy
Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series
Amazon Price: $37.14 (as of 07/26/2008)
Charlotte Mason's Philosophy - a Bibliography
in modern language for modern readers
A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning
Amazon Price: $13.59 (as of 07/26/2008)
Charlotte Mason Study Guide
Amazon Price: (as of 07/26/2008)
When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today
Amazon Price: $10.87 (as of 07/26/2008)
A Charlotte Mason Education
Amazon Price: $8.95 (as of 07/26/2008)
More Charlotte Mason Education
Amazon Price: $11.86 (as of 07/26/2008)
