Picture Study

Overview

“Art appreciation is accomplished through a method called picture study. Just ten or fifteen minutes once a week is all it takes. Here’s how you do a picture study.

  1. Select one artist and linger with him or her for twelve weeks.
  2. Once a week, select one of that artist’s works. Look at it together until everyone can close their eyes and see every detail in its place.
  3. Hide the picture from view and have the children describe what it looks like.
  4. Look at the picture again and discuss any other points of interest.
  5. Display the picture in your home for the rest of the week.

The next week look at a different picture by the same artist.” See more at Simply Charlotte Mason.

Resources

Riverbend Press ($) – “One set of Artist Prints contains seven high-quality images of works produced by an individual artist or, in some cases, a school of artists. All works are in the public domain. The images are printed on 8.5 x 11 coated-card stock. Each set of prints includes a cover page which contains the title of the painting, the location where it usually resides, the year(s) it was painted and the size of the painting.”

Simply Charlotte Mason ($) – “Everything you need to successfully do picture study is in this easy-to-use portfolio. Just one 15-minute lesson once a week is all it takes to spread this feast and cultivate within your children an appreciation for what is just, true, and beautiful.”

The following is a demonstration of how to do picture study by Sonya Shafer of Simply Charlotte Mason: