Looking for suitable paintings for an art criticism lesson with children? Try these ten paintings and use my free printable art criticism questions cards to get the conversation started.
Ten paintings to use for art criticism with children
Here are ten paintings to use for art criticism lessons with children. The paintings represent a range of artworks including portrait and landscapes, and are a great starting point to get children talking about art.
The images are all shared with permission from The Met Museum’s Open Access resource library.
You can also download my free printable art criticism question prompts to get the conversation started.
What is art criticism?
Art criticism typically leads us through four stages of talking about a work of art: description, analysis, interpretation, and decision.
Everyone can have an opinion on a work of art, whatever our age or experience with art.
Children can be fantastic art critics. They can express fresh ideas, use their imagination, and generate interesting ideas.
Easy art criticism lesson for children – with printables
You can use my easy art criticism lesson for children if you’re wondering how to introduce children to art criticism. It’s easy! And my printable art criticism conversation prompts will help you make your art criticism lesson a success.
Ten paintings to use for art criticism with children
Once you’ve checked out my art criticism lesson and downloaded your copy of the printable art discussion cards, you can use these ten paintings to begin talking about art with your children.
The images are all from The Met Museum’s Open Access library, and give an interesting range of images for you to critique.
The Empress Eugénie (Eugénie de Montijo, 1826–1920, Condesa de Teba),1854
Franz Xaver Winterhalter German
Evening in the Woods,1876
Worthington Whittredge
The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning,1897
Camille Pissarro French
Mrs. Mary Arthur,1900
Thomas Eakins American
Catherine Brooks Hall,ca. 1830
Shepard Alonzo Mount
Conversation Piece,ca. 1851–52
Lilly Martin Spencer
The Plantation,ca. 1825
American
Ocean Life
James M. Sommerville
Firemen’s Washing Day,1870s
William P. Chappel American
Seated Peasant,ca. 1892–96
Paul Cézanne French
More resources for teaching art to children
See my guide to art criticism with children here.
Don’t forget to download the printable art criticism question cards.
Try my famous artist lessons here.
For a complete resource, get your copy of The Art Spark Program and Exploring Great Artists.
I love the idea of using pieces of art to help young children develop critical thinking skills and an eye for detail. Thank you for sharing this resource! I am excited to implement it with my students.