Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: How to Appreciate a Painting
Christine A. Elmore's curriculum unit designed "to facilitate her third-graders' enjoyment of and response to fine art." This unit can be applied to all age groups and provides an extensive background on art in general.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Art Wonders
Can portraits talk? What's in a landscape? How do artists make furniture? ArtWonders helps young learners ask and answer the kinds of questions that make observing art an interactive experience.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Art Wonders Teachers: Portraits
A teacher resource that explains an online activity through which students explore and find important objects in portraits. Click on the lesson plan link on the left to access a lesson on portraits and a student handout that goes with it.
Other
De Young Museum: Nineteen Century American Art (I Notice . . . I Wonder . . . )
Learn nineteenth century American art and history in this multi-disciplinary analysis of various works of art from the period.
Other
Art Teacher on the Net: Questions to Ask Yourself as You Look at Your Art Work
Dozens of questions that help art appreciators of all ages look at art effectively. Questions follow the basic art criticism outline to describe, analyze and interpret. Can be used for any art piece!
Smithsonian Institution
National Portrait Gallery: George Washington: Portrait for Kids
Many components of a portrait of George Washington have been removed. You need to uncover them with the red spyglass. As you find each piece you will learn how it plays an important roll in the value of the painting and why the artist...
Other
Poway Unified School District: How to Analyze Art
This tutorial will lead you through the steps on how to view and understand art. Great for all ages.
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Mona Mesa: What Is Your Opinion? [Pdf]
For this lesson, 1st graders look at a print of "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo DaVinci and talk about what they see, searching for visual clues to help them form an opinion. They discuss the importance of portrait paintings during the...
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Self Portraits With the Touch of a Finger [Pdf]
In this lesson, students will explore self-portraiture by looking at classical portrait paintings, such as Diego Velazquez's La Infanta Margarita or Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione. A close look at these works reveals...
Other
De Young Museum: Analyze California Art Objects (I Notice . . . I Wonder . . .)
This pdf file is a multi-discipline analysis of the painting "View of Donner Pass", which guides one through the process of asking questions about an artwork in order to understand it's historic relevance.
Other
De Young Museum: Analyze Colonial Art Objects (I Notice . . . I Wonder . . .)
Learn about American colonial history via this pdf file article which analyzes various Colonial era artworks in order to uncover what they tell us about the past.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed:why Vermeer's "Girl With the Pearl Earring" Considered a Masterpiece
Is she turning towards you or away from you? No one can agree. She's the subject of Dutch Master Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring," a painting often referred to as the 'Mona Lisa of the North.' But what makes this painting...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Why Is This Painting So Captivating?
On first glance, the painting "Las Meninas" ("The Maids of Honor") might not seem terribly special, but it's actually one of the most analyzed pieces in the history of art. Why is this painting by Diego Velazquez so captivating? James...
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: The Unexpected Math Behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night"
Physicist Werner Heisenberg said, "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: why relativity? And why turbulence? I really believe he will have an answer for the first." As difficult as turbulence is to understand...
Eduweb
Eduweb: A. Pintura, Art Detective: The Case of Grandpa's Painting
Play the role of a 1940s-era detective and discover the artist of a mystery painting by examining its style, composition, use of color, and subject. Involves comparing and contrasting the work of Raphael, Titian, Millet, Van Gogh,...
Other
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Looking at Art: Rembrandt Self Portrait
From the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum this is a learning exercise called Looking at Art which deals with the theme of portraits using the example of Rembrandt's self-portrait, 1629.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Special Topics in Art History: Seeing America
A course on looking at American history through art. Should be cross-checked against smarthistory.org.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Master Drawings
The purpose of this instructional activity is to introduce you to the pleasure of looking at master drawings. Through the presentation of large-scale details, videos and close-up images simulate the experience of looking at a drawing...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Arts and Humanities: Looking at Art
Course covering why art matters, elements of art, and principles of composition.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Arts and Humanities: Art of Asia
A landing page for a course on the art history of Asia.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Arts and Humanities: Art of Africa
A landing page for a course on African art found in regions and in individual countries.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: New to Art? Get Started With This Activity
In this tutorial, think about how art and identity are related.
Goshen College
Goshen College: Art Aesthetics and Art Criticism Handouts
Marvin Bartel, Ed.D., provides useful handouts for critiquing artwork and for assessing students' abilities to write and discuss art intelligently.