Art makes smart

Objectives

• The activity aims to utilize the participants’ human capital; their observations, prior knowledge, memories, thoughts, emotions, senses, opinions, hopes, reactions, curiosity, openness to new ideas, ability to listen, and share perspectives.
• It also aims to create awareness and critical reflection on societal conditions.

Art is a good gateway to acquaint oneself with topics such as self-development and reflection. Art reflects culture and society and is open to various personal interpretations.

Material

• A colour copy of the artwork you have chosen, on- or offline.

Preparation

• Find a suitable artwork and make a colour copy or save it digitally in order to show it on a screen.
• Make yourself familiar with relevant facts about the artwork, the artist, the artist’s life and time period. Having some background information is very helpful.
• Make a plan for the organisation of the lesson tailored to the group. See Description for conversation points and other activities.

Instructions

This activity is inspired by the program ‘Take one picture’, developed by The National Gallery in London.

The facilitator chooses an artwork (a painting or a sculpture) by a famous national artist. This artwork will be a starting point or inspiration for conversations and other different activities to do in the classroom. Make the artwork visible by using enlarged images or by displaying it on a smart board / big screen.

Conversation points:

• The visual elements: describe what you see
• The action taking place in the motive. What happens here?
• What emotions or associations do you get when you look at this artwork?
• Which senses come alive when you see it? Smells? Sounds? Feelings?
• If this was a scene from a movie, what kind of music would be used?
• Which specific details in the painting draw your interest?
• What do we know about the painter and his/her life?
• What does the motive tell us about the history of this actual site or society?
• What visual techniques or effects have been used in the composition (colours, positions, etc)?
• Do you know other interesting artworks by the same artist that can relate to this one?
• What does the artwork tell us about culture and cultural expressions?
• What if this artwork is a mirror, how do you see associations of yourself in this piece of art?

Examples of other activities one can do:

• Create a story that fits the image or artwork. What has happened before, and what will happen afterwards?
• Search for more information about the artist or the time period he/she lived in. Compare with today.
• Visit the museum and see the actual painting
• Make brief 5-mins sketches of the painting

For language learning:

• Hand out A3 sheets of paper with a small photo of the artwork in the middle.
• Let each learner write words or sentences to each of the elements in the artwork. This can also be done in pairs or as a group.

(2023: Example of an image one can choose: Claude-Joseph Vernet, ‘A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas’, 1773)

Links

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/learning/take-one-picture