How Artists See Families: Mother, Father, Sister, Brother - Hardcover

Carroll, Colleen

9780789201881: How Artists See Families: Mother, Father, Sister, Brother

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0789201887 ISBN 13: 9780789201881

Publisher: Abbeville Kids, 1997

Each lavishly illustrated volume in this innovative series is devoted to a subject that every child already knows from personal experience. The works of art chosen for each book show the many different ways great artists have perceived and expressed that very subject throughout the ages. Author Colleen Carroll's engaging, conversational text is filled with thought-provoking questions and imaginative activities that spark children's natural curiosity both about the subject of the artwork they are looking at and about the way it was created.

This direct, interactive approach to art -- and to the world -- promotes self-exploration, self-discovery, and self-expression. As it introduces basic artistic concepts, styles, and techniques, it also provides loads of fun. For children who want to know more about the artists whose works appear in the book, biographies are provided at the end, along with suggestions for further reading and an international list of museums where each artist's works can be seen. As children begin to understand the multitude of ways that artists see, they will deepen their appreciation of art, the world around them, and, most importantly, their own unique vision.

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About the Author:

Colleen Carrollis an educational consultant whose clients include Nickelodeon, MTV, USA Today, and the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of American History. She has taught sixth grade in California and now develops the art curriculum for The Edison Project. She lives in New York.

NOTE TO PARENTS AND TEACHERS

As an elementary school teacher I had the opportunity to show my students many examples of great art. I was always amazed by their enthusiastic responses to the colors, shapes, subjects, and fascinating stories of the artists lives. It wasnt uncommon for us to spend an entire class period looking at and talking about just one work of art. By asking challenging questions, I prompted the children to examine and think very carefully about the art, and then quite naturally they would begin to ask all sorts of interesting questions of their own. These experiences inspired me to write this book and the other volumes in the How Artists See series.

How Artists See is designed to teach children about the world by looking at art, and about art by looking at the world through the eyes of great artists. The books encourage children to look critically, answer--and ask--thought-provoking questions, and form an appreciation and understanding of an artists vision. Each book is devoted to a single subject so that children can see how different artists have approached and treated the same theme and begin to understand the importance of individual style.

Because I believe that children learn most successfully in an atmosphere of exploration and discovery, Ive included questions that encourage them to formulate ideas and responses for themselves. And because peoples reactions to art are based on their own personal aesthetic, most of the questions are open-ended and have more than one answer. If youre reading aloud to your children or students, give them ample time to look at each work and form their own opinions; it certainly is not necessary to read the whole book in one sitting. Like a good book or movie, art can be enjoyed over and over again, each time with the possibility of revealing something that wasnt seen before.

You may notice that dates and other historical information are not included in the main text. I purposely omitted this information in order to focus on the art and those aspects of the world it illustrates. For children who want to learn more about the artists whose works appear in the book, short biographies are provided at the end, along with suggestions for further reading and a list of museums where you can see additional works by each artist.

After reading How Artists See, children can do a wide variety of related activities to extend and reinforce all that theyve learned. In addition to the simple activities Ive suggested throughout the main text, they can draw or paint a family portrait, construct a family tree, or plan and cook a special family meal. Since the examples shown here are just a tiny fraction of the great works of art that feature families as their subject, children can go on a scavenger hunt through museums and the many art books in your local library to find other images of families.

I hope that you and your children or students will enjoy reading and rereading this book and, by looking at many styles of art, discover how artists share with us their unique ways of seeing and depicting our world.

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