Schools; INNER EYE; Describe, Analyze, Interpret, Reflect

Describe, Analyze, Interpret & Reflect	.
on line with Lincoln Center Institute	Visual Artist; John Toth
The Institute's approach to aesthetic education involves teachers and their students in a process of carefully planned observation and analysis of works of art linked to participation in activities designed to illuminate the relationship between artistic choice and aesthetic response. Toward this end, a working partnership has been formed between schools and the Institute, and between artists and teachers working in classrooms.
EXPLORING A VISUAL WORK OF ART The goal of this method is to enable viewers to a deeper understanding of works of art, to become conscious of the process of looking, to interact with a work of art, and to formulate interpretations through a process of visual analysis. This is done by engaging the viewer in a conversation with the art work using an open ended questioning strategy that is built on observable details within the art work and through hands on activities that explore the tools and process that illuminate concepts being explored. . The first group of activities - observing, talking, thinking, speculating, reflecting - is conducted by the Teaching Artist in the classroom, to elicit a wide range of ideas and opinions about works of art, by first sharing direct observations about a work of art and then drawing conclusions from the material gathered. Through the use of slides and reproductions, viewers are led through a questioning process designed to encourage them to observe closely, to speculate on meaning based on visual evidence contained within the work itself, and to derive individual interpretation and understanding. This inquiry process of analyzing “WHAT? HOW? and WHY” includes: 1. Describe What do you see? What are the facts before you? What materials does the artist use? Describe the materials the artist uses: painting, sculpture, collage 2. Analyze How do objects in the artwork relate to each other? What kind of relationships do you see? How does the artist compose the work? : rhythm, color, quality of line, texture Can you describe how things move in the painting? How are these elements organized: balance achieved through symmetry? How does the artist present the information? 3. Interpret What does the work of art express? What does it mean to you? What does it mean to the people in the society in which it was created? What does it mean to people today? How is it related to other artworks? Hands-on activities based on relations to the works of art under exploration are designed to ground the visual concepts that are being explored. These activities are not so much based on a finished product as they are in exploring the creative process of the work under study. Upon completion of activities a group discussion explores the various choices that artists make in the creation of their artworks. Between each teaching artist visit the classroom teacher is encouraged to lead a support follow-up activity designed to further deepen the concepts under study. After two or more classroom visits the viewers are ready to visit a museum to see the works under study. At the museum the viewers are lead by the teaching artist or by a museum guide of questions prepared by the teaching artist that further explore the works seen in the classroom. 4. Reflect A follow-up activity by the teaching artist after the museum visit is design to investigate the museum experience and reflect on the choices that artist make. John Toth, l996

EXPLORING A VISUAL WORK OF ART