I love the impressionists, and Van Gogh and Monet are my favorites. I also adore DaVinci, but not for his paintings, but rather for his inventions. But I’m not really an “art person.”
I don’t have a creative art bone in my body. I have a good eye for photography, and I love photos, but I couldn’t create a drawing or painting to save my life.
However, I still believe in the value of art. This month, to study more art, we watched a video called 100 Great Paintings of All Time.
Of course, whether they are the greatest 100 is debatable, but it is a great way to familiarize students with art and some of the “greats.” We would pause at each painting and answer questions such as:
When do you think this was painted?
How does this painting make you feel?
What is the painting trying to communicate?
Are there any biblical references in the painting?
Where do you think the artist is from?
Search engines are your friend. There are a wealth of resources for each painting including when it was painted, the “why,” and any accolades. My children especially liked guessing the time period and then relating it to other time periods they know (ie Shakespeare was as alive, or just before the Revolution).
It’s interesting to hear what each child thinks of the paintings. When my 16yo looked up the Pollack painting and learned it sold for many millions of dollars, she remarked it looked like a kid painted it. It’s not her favorite, and she was shocked about the price. This led to a discussion about art and how it is influenced by culture and popularity, and different people see art differently, and that’s a good thing.
If this video sparks your child’s interest in art, and you feel unprepared, there are a wealth of free videos online to help teach art. Remember, home education is about following rabbit holes and discovering who each child is meant to be, don’t stress over the resources, they are available.
My girls took a liking to cartoon-type art, and have found many series on this type of art on YouTube. After several videos, I can see a huge improvement in their art related to people, their proportions, and structure, even if it’s cartoon-like.
Their favorite is the “Art for Kids Hub.” A pack of colored pencils and a drawing pad has kept them occupied for many hours developing their art.
~Dawn, home educating mom since 2007