I just came across an excellent strategy for teaching homeschool art appreciation. I just had to share. It is Charlotte Mason’s Picture Study.
First off, an excellent quotation given on the post below to get is in the mood.
“Every child should leave school with at least a couple of hundred pictures by great masters hanging permanently in the halls of his imagination . . . At any rate he should go forth well furnished because imagination has the property of magical expansion, the more it holds the more it will hold.” — Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6, p. 43
Over on Homeschool Encouragement, Tonia from The Sunny Patch did a guest post called “Art Study the Easy Way.” She describes a strategy of studying 6 artists a year for 6 weeks each. Each week, you discuss just one artwork with your students. Tonia gives a great how-to which consists of the student looking closely and studying the artwork, and then narrating it back to you. Printing it in color and keeping in a binder will give your students a reminder of all the great art they have learned about in the year. Click over to the post to find out more!
Here is a good video demonstrating this process and its value. It is a must watch if you plan on doing this! She talks about how to find cheap reproductions as well.
I really love the simplicity of this program and the focus on putting the kid in the driver’s seat. In the video, she talks about having your child developing a personal relationship with the art and the artist. Love. Love.
I have a couple of additional thoughts on this activity. The picture on the post had some artist names that were all very similar. I would add some variety to make it more interesting for the kids. A whole year of Impressionism would be super boring! Also, be sure to include artists from other cultures and time periods. It is easy to focus on just the “great masters” and forget that those artists were seemed great by historians in a Western-centric and male-centric perspective.
I plan on furthering the resources on this topic and do some of the art finding and selecting for you, but this post is getting a little long. Next time, I will be sharing 6 American artists, and future posts will delve into more.
Charlotte Mason Picture Study Resources on the Art Class Curator
Here are the resources I have created so far for Charlotte Mason Picture Study. Each has a PowerPoint of 6 artworks and information about the artist.
- Charlotte Mason Picture Study: Henry Ossawa Tanner
- Charlotte Mason Picture Study: John Singleton Copley
- Charlotte Mason Picture Study: Thomas Cole
- Charlotte Mason Picture Study: Mary Cassatt
- Charlotte Mason Picture Study: Frederic Remington
Charlotte Mason Picture Study Books and Postcards
- Dover Art Postcard Books – In the video, she talks about the Dover art postcard books. I used to be so addicted to these back when I worked in a museum store in college! I am really trying not to order them all right now. Dover also has artist sticker books and famous artwork coloring books. I might have to break my coloring book rule for those. Step away from Amazon.com, Cindy. Step away.
- Taschen Basic Art Series – I’ve mentioned these Taschen books on my blog before, but they are great. They focus on individual artists or styles with big reproductions and not a whole lot of text. Plus, they are cheap!
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Your blog is amazing and a God send!!! I have been searching for a place to “begin” and resources for art study in our homeschooling adventures. You have given me a starting point. Thank you so much for all of the work that you put into it and allow others to enjoy!
Thank you so much! I’m so happy my site will be helpful for you. You are exactly the person I am thinking about in my head when I write my articles–a person who wants to teach art to her kids but doesn’t really know what to do. Let me know how it goes or if you have any questions! I’d love to hear about your journey.
This is perfect! Thanks so much! How big would you think these okay to print? Also any tips on printing to get the most accurate to color/texture and all? I would like to display these in our home as we study them. Again, this is exactly what I was looking for so thank you, thank you, thank you!!
You’re welcome! Hmm! I designed them just for 8.5×11, so I can’t guarantee how they would look blown up. Each printer is so different , and it’s definitely not my specialty. Sorry!
I just stumbled upon your website and love it! I was looking for resources about early American artists, specifically around the time of Westward expansion. We’re going to study George Catlin and possible Frederic Remington. Thanks so much for providing these resources and information! Looking forward to perusing your site more ;).
Thank you! I have a couple of other posts about westward expansion–check these out. 🙂
https://artclasscurator.com/manifest-destiny-art/
https://artclasscurator.com/the-role-of-art-in-the-exploration-of-the-american-west/
“Also, be sure to include artists from other cultures and time periods. It is easy to focus on just the “great masters” and forget that those artists were seemed great by historians in a Western-centric and male-centric perspective.” YES to this! this has been my main problem when looking for art curriculums to teach from home and why I am so happy I found your site. Can’t wait for a homeschool version of your art resources subscription…hint, hint. Love this post, thanks!
Thank you!! I do hope to have a homeschool version one day. Too many ideas not enough time or resources! 🙂