### Learning to Look: Discussion Guide \*

> *Supports NH Curriculum Framework for the Arts Standard 3,
> especially*w *reflect on how artworks differ visually, spatially, and
> functionally (Grade12), p.*39; and *Standard 4, especiallyw analyze,
> describe and demonstrate how factors of time and place influence
> visual characteristics that give meaning and value to a work of art
> (Grade 8)* andw *differentiate among a variety of historical and
> cultural contexts in terms of characteristics and purposes of works of
> art (Grade 12), p.*40*.*

-   **"Learning to Look: Sculpture Analysis Worksheet:** Students will
    be comparing three works of art using the laminated photographs of
    "Diana" found in the curriculum. This is an exercise that may be
    done orally in class, in cooperative groups or as an individual
    written assignment. It is designed to improve student visual
    literacy, to sharpen their observation skills and to analyze and
    learn to express what they see.

> *Supports NH English Language Arts Curriculum Standard #7,
> especiallywUse Language skills to record observations, communicate
> hypotheses and analyze information\...(Grade 10),* p.23.

**The following is a suggested format for initiating discussion about a
work of art. Although it is not necessary that you know anything about
an object before beginning to explore it with your class, suggestions
for a guided discussion are included. This guideline is appropriate and
useful to a study of any work of art**

**(i.e. not limited to sculpture).**

A work of art is a form of communication. It employs **visual clues**,
rather than words, to express its meaning. Examining works of art will
allow you and your students to explore other cultures and time periods,
marvel at human ingenuity and creativity, and open a dialogue on a world
of issues and ideas central to the human experience.

Museum educators often use what is called the **\"inquiry method\"**
when exploring a work of art with the public. This Socratic method
employs an **open-ended question and answer technique** designed to help
students look closely at a work of art, begin to analyze it and defend
their analyses based upon the visual evidence they observe.

\* Developed by the Hood Museum Education Department., Dartmouth
College, Hanover, NH, assisted by John Bennett, art teacher and
consultant. Adapted for the Colony Curriculum by Connie Gephart.

1.  **Close Observation:**

> This activity can be done in class discussion or in a written format,
> using the student Sculpture Analysis Worksheet as a guide. In this
> curriculum we have supplied copies of three versions of \"Diana\" by
> three different sculptors.

a)  **Begin by asking students to describe everything they see.** Always
    challenge students to be very specific in their observations. Begin
    with broad, open-ended questions, such as:

    -   **What sort of object is this?**

    -   **What do you see (in this painting, sculpture, etc.)?**

    -   **What else do you see?**

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a)  When most of the major observations/components of the work of art
    have been listed, review with your students what they have
    discovered. **Ask them to concentrate on particular elements, or
    details, to help them focus on the work more closely.**

-   **How would you describe the composition? The motion or activity?**

-   **How would you describe the expressions on the faces?**

-   **How would you describe the clothing (if any)?**

-   **Does this work look natural, representational or is it stylized?**

b)  **Sometimes it is possible to identify the MATERIALS and the PROCESS
    employed in the making of an object.** If possible, ask your
    students to identify these. More detailed understanding of the
    PROCESS can be gained through research.

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2.  **Preliminary Analysis:**

> If students are using the "Learning to Look" worksheet, they can
> answer the suggested questions.

a.  **Once you have listed all the visual elements you can see in an
    object, begin asking simple analytic questions that will deepen
    their understanding of the work. After each question, ALWAYS ask,
    \"How do you know?\" or \"How can you tell?\"** This will help
    students look to the work for their answers rather than veering off
    into speculation. Examples of ANALYTIC questions might be:

-   **What do you think is happening in this composition? Why?**

-   **Who do you think this person might be? Why?**

-   **How does this work make you feel? Why?**

-   **What do you think this object was used for? Why do you think
    that?**

    a.  Again, students may become highly imaginative and suggest
        answers that cannot be verified by the work. **Simply ask the
        class if they agree or disagree and why.** The discussion will
        encourage students to look at the work of art even more closely.

2.  **Research (incorporating additional information):**

> Research adds information that is not immediately visible. Good
> resources include encyclopedias, books on art history, artist
> biographies, etc.

a)  In most museums, a label usually appears near each object
    identifying the artist\'s name, title of the work, the date it was
    made, the dimensions and the materials used to create it.

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a)  Artwork is a product of the time in which it was created. Therefore
    in order to appreciate it, **it is helpful to know what was taking
    place historically, politically, economically and socially during
    the time it was made** because then the work takes on an enhanced
    meaning and can speak to us of the conditions in which it was
    created. Drawing on information you are studying in other classes
    will help enliven the discussion. Sample questions/connections to
    other content areas might include:

-   **Art-** What techniques were used to create this piece?

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-   **Social Studies-** What was going on historically, economically,
    socially during this period? How does this work of art reflect the
    time period?

-   **Language Arts-** How is the artist telling us a story? How has the
    artist set the scene or developed his characters?

-   **Science-** What materials were on hand for the creation of this
    work? What does this tell us about the environment in which it was
    made?

4.  **Interpretation:**

    a.  Interpretation involves bringing your close observation,
        analyses and any additional information that you have gathered
        about an art object together to try to understand what a work of
        art means. There are no absolute right or wrong answers when
        interpreting a work of art; there are simply more thoughtful and
        better-informed ones. Challenging your students to defend their
        interpretations based upon their visual analysis and their
        research is most important. Some basic interpretive questions
        might be:

-   **What do you think this work of art is all about?**

-   **What was the artist interested in saying with this work?**

-   **What purpose would this object serve for the society in which it
    was created?**

-   **What does this object reveal about the person who created it?**

-   **What does this object tell us about the culture in which it was
    created?**

    a.  **Every person who examines a work of art will experience it in
        a new way, bringing their own knowledge, values and beliefs into
        their interpretation.** It is important to remember that works
        of art mean particular things to the person who created them, to
        the audience for which they were originally intended, and to us,
        the audience who appreciates them often years or even centuries
        later. It is because works of art are such rich conveyers of
        meaning that they continue to fascinate and challenge long after
        they are created.

# Learning to Look:

# Sculpture Analysis Worksheet 

**Introduction:**

We are going to compare three sculptures by three artists. We will be
looking at different versions of the same theme, \"Diana.\" In Roman
mythology, Diana is the goddess of the hunt and the moon. She is
typically represented as a young woman with a bow and arrow and often
with a crescent moon in her hair.

**Step 1- Close Observation:**

**LIST everything you see on the chart provided.** Be thorough in your
observations; no detail is unimportant. It might help to think of
details as visual \"adjectives\" or clues.

  ----------------- ----------------- ------------------- -----------------
  **Sculpture**     **Figures in      **Additional        **Action or
                    Composition**     Objects/Details**   Activity**

  **A**                                                   

  **B**                                                   

  **C**                                                   
  ----------------- ----------------- ------------------- -----------------

**Step 2- Analysis:**

In looking at any work of art, always ask the questions: \"Why did the
artist do it that way? What was he/she trying to convey?\" Remember,
artists are always making choices!

**Based on your observations above, answer the questions for each
sculpture:**

a.  Who does the sculpture represent? How do you know?

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a.  What do you think is happening in this composition?

b.  What action do you see and what does it contribute to the feeling of
    the piece?

**Step 3- Research:**

Research can add information that isn\'t immediately visible in a work
of art. It contributes to a greater understanding and appreciation. Good
resources include the Encyclopedia, books on History of Art and/or
biographies of artists.

**Research the following:**

a.  Who is the artist of each sculpture? What do your know about
    him/her?

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a.  What is the subject matter? Elaborate.

b.  When was it done and for whom (if known)?

c.  What **medium** is it done in? Explain the process.

d.  Why was it made, is it known? For what use or purpose?

**Step 4- Interpretation:**

This is the final step in bringing together what we have observed and
learned in our study of the three sculptures. An interpretation helps us
to understand what the piece *means.* There are no absolute right or
wrong answers when interpreting a work of art, simply more thoughtful
and better-informed ones.

**Compare the three sculptures. In your discussion include:**

a.  How are these sculptures similar or dissimilar?

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a.  What feeling was each artist trying to convey and how did he/she
    accomplish it? (Look at the compositions.)

b.  What do these sculptures reveal about the artist and his/her style?

c.  What do these pieces reveal about the society in which they were
    created? (Compare the dates.)