Picture Study: Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night (Part 1)
My daughter loves art so I thought a picture study would be such a great opportunity for her to be exposed to some of the world’s greatest artists! I don’t subscribe to one particular style of teaching but picture study seems to be popular among the Charlotte Mason community. I learned how to outline a picture study through this blog post by A Humble Place.
These are not intended to be art lessons. However, we ended up being so inspired, half the time I did create an art lesson to go alongside the painting we were looking at. Or my daughter took it upon herself to recreate her own versions of the paintings. Mostly I just wanted her to see different artists and styles of art from the past and present. The lessons are only meant to be 5-10 minutes long, so there is no pressure. It is simply looking at a work of art and sharing your observations. The main goal is to build a relationship with art. That’s it!
I am familiar with very few artists. I started with Van Gogh as the first picture study because he was the first artist that came to mind. So here is the first in series, Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night picture study.
SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR VINCENT VAN GOGH STARRY NIGHT PICTURE STUDY:
-Vincent Van Gogh Starry Night print
-Vincent Van Gogh portrait
-Map/globe
HOW TO PREPARE FOR VINCENT VAN GOGH PICTURE STUDY:
1. Print a portrait of Vincent Van Gogh and his Starry Night painting using UPS’s online printing service. I printed my pictures on 80lb cardstock paper in colored matte. You could also use a book that has his picture and painting.
2. Find an excerpt in a book or do a search online to gather information about Vincent Van Gogh’s life and his Starry Night painting.
HOW TO DO PICTURE STUDY WITH VINCENT VAN GOGH’S STARRY NIGHT PAINTING:
1. Show a picture of Vincent Van Gogh. Read a short background excerpt about Vincent Van Gogh from a book or from the search you did earlier.
2. Use your map or globe to show where Vincent Van Gogh was born and travelled.
3. Hand each child a picture of the Starry Night painting. If you have a small group you can also share one print to look at together.
4. For younger children, spend 2-3 minutes silently looking at the picture. Older children can spend more time looking. My four and six year old last about 2 minutes.
HOW TO DO PICTURE STUDY WITH VINCENT VAN GOGH’S STARRY NIGHT PAINTING:
1. Show a picture of Vincent Van Gogh. Read a short background excerpt about Vincent Van Gogh from a book or from the search you did earlier.
2. Use your map or globe to show where Vincent Van Gogh was born and travelled.
3. Hand each child a picture of the Starry Night painting. If you have a small group you can also share one print to look at together.
4. For younger children, spend 2-3 minutes silently looking at the picture. Older children can spend more time looking. My four and six year old last about 2 minutes.
5. After your allotted time, flip the painting over so the picture is no longer visible. Recall anything about the painting—what was in it, colors, how it made them feel etc.
6. Once your children are done sharing, flip the painting back over and share anything else that was missed from the picture.
7. Afterwards, share information about the painting. Read from an excerpt about the painting or share facts from your research.
8. Voilá! You’re done! The lesson should take 5-10 minutes.
If you are interested in trying picture study with your children, click the link below to download your free lesson plan for Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night!
xo L.
