Studying the History of Art and Design
The Art History document on the left was produced in conjunction with literacy specialists in order to create a method of teaching students to know and understand the language of art.
The appreciation of art can be a lifelong pleasure. Yet many students hardly ever see art and some students will never step foot inside an art gallery in their lives. Art is seen as an elitist, complicated product that only the gifted few can access.
If these boundaries are to broken down then teachers of art must make the understanding and appreciation of art an integral part of their art education. Sadly, this is not the case in many schools.
This method of looking art is not my own. The Content, Process, Mood and Formal Elements approach is an old one. What I have done is to re-draw this format into a cohesive, easy to understand method that teachers can relate to any image. I have seen similar models to this one in many schools. This is simply my version of it for you to use as you wish in your lessons.
What the System Involves
A large A2 poster should be visually displayed in the classroom. This poster is a focal point for lessons and should be referred to by the teacher. A3 versions of the poster can also be printed out and handed out to students.
The poster breaks the process of looking at artwork into the four main areas of: Content, Formal Elements, How it was Done and Feeling and Mood. The poster explains clearly what each stage means.
Task Sheets
A task sheet supports the poster. This task sheet asks students to complete a routine set of tasks for each piece of artwork they look at. These are basic tasks that should be repeated whenever they look at images. This is important, because this regimented discipline needs to be completed whenever we see art.
A writing frame also supports the poster. This helps students to focus and direct their studies and form cohesive sentences.
Finally, a Mind Map or thought tree can be used to direct students to break down the thinking process. This will help students to ensure that they have looked at every aspect of the Studying Art Process.
Formal Elements
The formal elements of art are very difficult for young minds to master. They often struggle to find the vocabulary to express their thoughts and opinions. The following task sheets are designed to teach students how to use this language. they are surprisingly effective. I have focussed on COLOUR, LINE, PATTERN & TONE.
The sheets have a range of words pre-printed and a series of blanks for the students to select their own words. The sheets are colour coded so you can use different sets together and not get them mixed up. The teacher would cut these sheets up. They would then give students a poster or piece of artwork. The students would then select and pick which words were relevant to the piece of artwork. They would then be required to form a sentence using the words they have chosen.
