Description
The intention of this picture study aid is to equip the home educator with some basic facts and understanding of a sampling of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings. It is not meant to be an exhaustive analysis or study of each piece or a complete biography of the artist.
About picture study, Ms. Mason recommended keeping learning as simple as possible, especially in the younger years, and put extra emphasis on the images by themselves.
There is no talk about schools of painting, little about style; consideration of these matters comes in later life, the first and most important thing is to know the pictures themselves. As in a worthy book we leave the author to tell his own tale, so do we trust a picture to tell its tale through the medium the artist gave it. In the region of art as else-where we shut out the middleman. (vol 6 pg 216)
Definite teaching is out of the question; suitable ideas are easily given, and a thoughtful love of Art inspired by simple natural talk over the picture at which the child is looking. (PR Article “Picture Talks”)
…we begin now to understand that art is not to be approached by such an acadamised road. It is of the spirit, and in ways of the spirit must we make our attempt. We recognise that the power of appreciating art and of producing to some extent an interpretation of what one sees is as universal as intelligence, imagination, nay, speech, the power of producing words. But there must be knowledge and, in the first place, not the technical knowledge of how to produce, but some reverent knowledge of what has been produced; that is, children should learn pictures, line by line, group by group, by reading, not books, but pictures themselves. A friendly picture-dealer supplies us with half a dozen beautiful little reproductions of the work of some single artist, term by term. After a short story of the artist’s life and a few sympathetic words about his trees or his skies, his river-paths or his figures, the little pictures are studied one at a time; that is, children learn, not merely to see a picture but to look at it, taking in every detail.” (vol 6 pg 214)
This picture study aid is meant to offer basic information about the artists as well as ready answers should your student ask about a particular aspect of a piece and the explanation isn’t readily evident. Ms. Mason emphasized not focusing on strict academic discourse when doing picture study, but rather simply exposing students to the art itself:
His education should furnish him with whole galleries of mental pictures, pictures by great artists old and new;––…––in fact, every child should leave school with at least a couple of hundred pictures by great masters hanging permanently in the halls of his imagination, to say nothing of great buildings, sculpture, beauty of form and colour in things he sees. Perhaps we might secure at least a hundred lovely landscapes too,––sunsets, cloudscapes, starlight nights. At any rate he should go forth well furnished because imagination has the property of magical expansion, the more it holds the more it will hold. (vol 6 pg 43)
Rebecca M. (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?Lindsay (verified owner) –
A very thorough study of Vincent Van Gogh including a biography, related books, background about several works, beautiful prints and helpful and practical picture study implementation instructions. I can’t think of anything missing.
Kathleen (verified owner) –
I’m a homeschool veteran and am now tutoring other homeschoolers. I feel blessed to have these resources. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Cathy Tolbert (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?Brooke (verified owner) –
Absolutely perfect for incorporating into our artist study! Easy to read, print and enjoy. Thank you!!
Jenny Nygren (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?Annie (verified owner) –
What a wonderful set of prints to use in my picture study. Very nice quality paper and ink. Sharp images and large enough to see all details. A Humble Place has been added to my favorites!
Janai Maughan (verified owner) –
These are beautiful. The quality is wonderful and well worth the money. I look forward to using them with my girls.
Huibrie P. (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?Annalisa (verified owner) –
Very helpful gathering of materials to make a CM picture study unit on Van Gogh simple and enjoyable. Thank you!
Colleen D. (verified owner) –
What a fantastic resource!!! I would have paid twice as much for how much great information you have gathered here. Please keep them coming!!
Amy Fiedler (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?Cindy S. (verified owner) –
These are beautiful prints! I will definitely order more prints in the future.
Jenny (verified owner) –
Nice color and good quality.
Joel Bigley (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?Jenny (verified owner) –
Was this review helpful to you?nancy h. (verified owner) –
I received the Van Gough study aid and art prints and I couldn’t be happier.
They are lovely and it’s so helpful to have each print In a child’s hand to look at as we are going through the study aid. The prints are high quality and the study aid is set up so I can use as little or as much info as I want, with references for further study added throughout. In the beginning of the study aid is a section on how Charlotte Mason recommended picture study and that is so helpful!
We did this last year but I had printed it all off at home and I am so very pleased to have just spent the extra and bought the study and prints already printed and bound ( Study Aid) I will do it again.
Thanks Rebecca for offering these!
Nancy H