It was his father who had taught him everything\u2026 Together he and his boy walked through the endless galleries filled with the wonders of the world, the pictures before which through centuries an unbroken procession of almost worshiping eyes had passed uplifted. Because his father made the pictures seem the glowing, burning work of still-living men whom the centuries could not turn to dust, because he could tell the stories of their living and laboring to triumph, stories of what they felt and suffered and were, the boy became as familiar with the old masters\u2014Italian, German, French, Dutch, English, Spanish\u2014as he was with most of the countries they had lived in\u2026<\/em><\/p>
\u2026 The game he had created for himself was as simple as it was absorbing. It was to try how much he could remember and clearly describe to his father when they sat together at night and talked of what he had seen. These night talks filled his happiest hours.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>From The Lost Prince by Frances Hodgson Burnett<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
The passage above is one of the most accurate descriptions of Charlotte Mason picture study that I\u2019ve found in literature. In it, the boy Marco does not have any playmates, and his father spends maximum time teaching him. His teachings included getting Marco familiar with all the great works of art\u2014but the underlying purpose was really to train his mind\u2019s eye to be keen and almost photographic in memory! <\/p>
The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes the need for a varied curriculum. So it\u2019s not just all about books! Instead, it includes what we call the \u201criches\u201d: hymn study, folk songs, picture study, composer study, poetry, handicraft! <\/p>
What is Charlotte Mason Art Study? <\/strong><\/h2>
Don\u2019t fret, art study in the Charlotte Mason homeschool doesn\u2019t have to be full of analysis. In fact, it starts off mainly in terms of appreciation, and then we train the children to be able to rmemeber details in the paintings, and over time, they may be able to recognize a certain artist\u2019s work based on the style. <\/p>
Let\u2019s take a look at what Miss Mason says about picture study: <\/p>
Study of Pictures.\u2013\u2013The art training of children should proceed on two lines. The six-year-old child should begin both to express himself and to appreciate, and <\/em>his appreciation should be well in advance of his power to express what he sees or imagines<\/em><\/strong>\u2026 But the reader will say, ‘A young child cannot appreciate art; it is only the colour and sentiment of a picture that reach him.\u201d \u2026 As a matter of fact, the minds of children and of their elders alike accommodate themselves to what is put in their way; and if children appreciate the vulgar and sentimental in art, it is because that is the manner of art to which they become habituated. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>(vol 1 pages 308-309)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
Here we can see that children are perfectly capable of appreciating art, even before<\/em><\/strong> he is able to express that appreciation. This means we introduce art study as early as six years old, even as the child is only beginning to learn how to communicate what he sees. <\/p>
8 Steps to Do Charlotte Mason Picture Study\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>
Here are 8 practical steps on how to do picture study: <\/p>
1. Start with a review, then a \u201cteaser\u201d of the artist\u2019s life or work. <\/strong><\/h3>
Step I.\u2013\u2013Ask the children if they remember what their last picture-talk was about, and what artist was famous for animal-painting. Tell them Landseer was acquainted with animals when he was quite young: he had dogs for pets, and because he loved them he studied them and their habits\u2013\u2013so was able to paint them. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>from Volume 1, page 310<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
Here we see that, similar to lessons from books we read, we also start by asking the child about the last painting studied. Then, Miss Mason suggests giving a bit of background information on the artist in order to whet the child\u2019s appetite. The key to remember is that it doesn’t have to be long-winded and can focus only on what may be related to the picture to be studied. <\/p>
2. Let the child observe the painting. <\/strong><\/h3>
Give them the picture\u00a0‘Alexander and Diogenes’\u00a0to look at, and <\/em>ask them to find out all they can about it themselves<\/em><\/strong>, and <\/em>to think what idea the artist had in his mind<\/em><\/strong>, and <\/em>what idea or ideas he meant his picture to convey to us<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>from Volume 1, page 310<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
Take a look at the kind of things we can encourage our child to do while observing the painting: <\/p>
- to find out all they can by themselves<\/li>
- to imagine what idea the artist had in mind<\/li>
- to think about what ideas the artist intended to convey through his painting <\/li><\/ul>
Doesn\u2019t this make for a good discussion? <\/p>
3. Ask the child to express what he saw. <\/strong><\/h3>
After three or four minutes, take the picture away and see what the children have noticed. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>from Volume 1 Page 310<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
Here we can see that Miss Mason recommends about three to four minutes of the child looking at the given painting and then he or she recalls what was in the painting and describes it. <\/p>
4. Consider reading a short biography of the artist or the theme in the painting. <\/strong><\/h3>
Let them read the title, and tell any facts they know about Alexander and Diogenes; then tell them Alexander was a great conqueror who lived B.C. 356-323, famous for the battles he won against Persia, India, and along the coast of the Mediterranean He was very proud, strong, and boastful. Diogenes was a cynic philosopher. Explain cynic, illustrating by the legend of Alexander and Diogenes; and from it find out which dog represents Alexander and which Diogenes. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>vol 1 Page 311-312<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
From the example in Volume 1, the painting was about Alexander and Diogenes, so if you have been able to read their story in other books, you can ask your child to tell you what he remembers. Then, you can also tell them some details about the people portrayed in the painting, if they are figures from history or literature. <\/p>
5. Ask for a drawn rendering. <\/strong><\/h3>
Let the children draw the chief lines of the picture, in five minutes, with a pencil and paper. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>from Vol 1 Page 312<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
Another activity relating to picture study is for the child to draw what he remembers from the painting. Miss Mason recommends using only pencil and paper, because the goal is to \u201cnarrate,\u201d through drawing, the chief details of the painting, and not necessarily to make a complete reproduction! And, if you notice, it’s only a 5-minute activity!<\/p>
6. At the end of the term, ask the child to describe the painting he likes best. <\/strong><\/h3>
Take a look at some examples of what the children said, during Miss Mason\u2019s time, who were given paintings to study over the course of a school term. They were asked to describe which paintings they liked best: <\/p>
This is what a little boy [about nine years old] makes of it:\u2013\u2013”I liked\u00a0the Sower\u00a0best. The sower is sowing seeds; the picture is all dark except high up on the right-hand side where there is a man ploughing the field. While he is ploughing the field the sower sows. The sower has got a bag in his left hand and is sowing with this right hand. He has wooden clogs on. He is sowing at about six o’clock in the morning. You can see his head better than his legs and body, because it is against the light.”<\/em><\/p>
A little girl of seven prefers the\u00a0‘Angelus’, and says:\u2013\u2013”The picture is about people in the fields, man and a woman. By the woman is a basket with something in it; behind her is a wheelbarrow. They are praying; the man has his hat off in his hand. You can tell that it is evening, because the wheelbarrow and the basket are loaded.\u201d \u00a0<\/em><\/p>from Vol 1, Page 309<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
7. Let the child make his own connections. <\/strong><\/h3>
From the above examples, we can see that although the children may be given the chance to enjoy the same set of paintings throughout the term, each of them will have their own personal favorites. Their individuality also shows up in the way they describe the paintings, and in which parts resonate deeply with them. <\/p>
8. Make it a regular activity. <\/strong><\/h3>
When children have begun regular lessons (that is, as soon as they are six), this sort of study of pictures should not be left to chance, but they should take one artist after another, term by term, and study quietly some half-dozen reproductions of his work in the course of the term. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>from Vol 1, Page 309<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>
Here we can see that we shouldn\u2019t be haphazard about picture study, of just doing it whenever we remember it! (I\u2019m guilty of this!) Instead, we need to be intentional, scheduling one artist per term, and then another artist fo the next term, with \u201csome half-dozen\u201d paintings to study per term. <\/p>