by Jennifer Towle, Santa Fe Trail High School
Students will learn to "read" visual symbols found in artwork through the stages of art critisism: describe, analyze, interpret and evaluate.
Teacher Introduction
During this WebQuest, students will learn the four steps of art critisism as a way to decode visual symbols and reaveal meaning in art.
"How to Read Artwork" involves describing, analyzing, interpreting and evaluating visual information.
- Students will describe artwork in terms of its literal content and artistic elements.
- Students will analyze artwork in terms of how the artist used the elements and principles of design to manipulate the content to provoke meaning.
- Students will interpret artwork based on what they have discovered about the work in the first two steps. They will consider literal descriptions, emotional content and the use of symbols and allegories to arrive at the meaning in the work.
- Students will evaluate the artwork's worth based on information gathered about the work. Judgments must be supported by information learned through the "reading" process.