Talking About Art - Open-ended Questions to Lead Aesthetic Discussion

Talking about art with someone is a fun way to learn, express your own thoughts and views, and experience the world through someone else’s eyes while looking into the artist’s soul. To accomplish this in a classroom setting, I typically create a series of (open-ended) questions about a particular work by a highlighted artist in each of my lessons. I always start off by going around the classroom asking, “Where does your eye go first?” Students discover that everyone sees things differently. Sometimes you will find that your own view is shared by others. Our eyes are drawn to our favorite colors, the eyes in a portrait, the lightest or darkest value, a particular detail or focus, or simply something that draws our own interest.

Scanning an artwork in-person or viewing a large poster or presenting electronically in MS-PowerPoint is a great way to socialize art with students. You'll begin to discover what they know and help them learn more about art concepts and how to express themselves using art vocabulary.

Try to come up with at least two questions in each of the following four categories: (1) Sensory (line, color, value, texture, shape, form, space); (2) Formal (balance, unity, dominance, repetition); (3) Technical (method, medium, style, materials); and (4) Expressive (feelings, mood, reactions, responses).

Here are some typical questions:

Sensory

• What colors do you see? How would you describe them relative to each other?
• How would this scene feel different to you if the colors were more realistic?
• Can you name five colors found in this painting? 
• What color is used to ground the painting?
• What different textures do you see?

Formal

• What colors dominate the picture?
• What shapes repeat throughout the composition? Is the painting a balanced composition?
• How has the artist used color for emphasis? To create interest? To guide your eye?
• Where do you think the artist has placed the most emphasis?

Technical

• Is this a realistic painting? Why or why not?
• Is this a landscape? Seascape? Or something else?
• Why do you suppose the artist chose such bright colors?
• How does the artist use the space to show depth?
• Do you think the artist was painting from real life or did he make up this scene?
• How has the artist used light or dark for emphasis and to create the illusion of three dimensions?
• What did the artist do to pull off his illusion?

Expressive

• Where do you think this painting is supposed to take place?
• What’s happening in this painting?
• Can you point to and describe the objects on the left at the horizon? Do they remind you of anywhere else in the scene?
• Could this have been a modern-day photograph? Why or why not?
• Do you think this painting looks different in-person? How?
• What do you think is the most detailed part of the painting? Does the detail make sense everywhere in the painting?

I used the bolded questions (above) to guide the discussion of The Gleaners (1857) by French artist, Jean-François Millet.

Don't forget to start by asking, “Where does your eye go first?” This tradition will set the stage for discussion and will become a familiar way to introduce a print.