Why Picture Study is for Everyone (not just Charlotte Mason homeschoolers!)

Let us then ask, What is the fundamental idea of our scheme of Picture Talks? It is, I take it, our conception of Art itself; not as the luxury of the rich, the plaything of the idle, the fetish of the would-be ‘cultured,’ but as a means of expressing man’s noblest dreams, deepest thoughts and tenderest fancies.

Miss K. R. Hammond (“Picture Talks,” Parents’ Review, Volume 12, no. 7, July 1901, pgs. 501-509)

I like to think of Picture Study as the great equalizer.

In case you’ve missed the posts I’ve written about Picture Study in the past, in its most basic definition, Picture Study (or “Picture Talks” as in the quote above) is art appreciation for Charlotte Mason homeschoolers. This practice is how those of us who follow the 19th-century British educator include fine art in our lesson time. It’s one of my favorite things about a Charlotte Mason education, and really was the ultimate selling point for me when I decided to adopt her philosophies in our homeschool.

I used this definition as a starting point, though, and while it’s simple, I think it could be simplified a little further, like this:

In its most basic definition, Picture Study is art appreciation.

And we don’t need to say anything more. Picture Study is the essence of art appreciation. Picture Study is all you need to do for art appreciation. It is the simplest, purest, and, I think, richest form of art appreciation.

Ironically, Picture Study is also probably one of the more challenging things, even for Charlotte Mason home educators to teach when they’re first beginning this path of homeschooling. The practice of showing your students a piece of art, letting them look at it quietly for three to five minutes, and then having them tell you what they saw, without interruptions, is too abstract. Where is the interpretation? Where is the art historical analysis? Where is the discussion of movements and styles and historical factors?

How could it possibly be enough?

To answer this question, I will share some personal anecdotal evidence that I often share when I talk with people about this topic. My degree is in art history. I spent four years in dark lecture halls staring at giant screens displaying art from various periods, countries, movements, and styles. I learned about mythology, diverse philosophies, historic time periods, and even the chemistry of paint and how it has evolved. I took copious notes during lectures about symbolism, styles, movements, and how certain artists influenced other artists. I was told the stories behind hundreds of paintings while laser pointers guided my eyes to the highlighted parts.

But I didn’t realize that I hadn’t really seen the art until I began doing picture study with my kids.

Picture Study affords a time of intentional quiet during which we are given the gift of getting to know a piece of art. We sit and look and notice and observe for just a few minutes with no other distractions. There is no splitting of attention with our eyes meandering while someone tells us where to look and why to look there. There is no lecture on the history of the piece or the techniques used to paint it while we vaguely gaze at it. There is no historical information on the artist behind the piece and why they chose to record this particular image while we’re trying to process what we see. This doesn’t mean that these things aren’t important and don’t have their own place in our education, but they are not what Picture Study is about.

Picture Study is about you (or your student) and that piece of art. And that’s it.

It allows us to develop a relationship with that piece of art. To get to know it with our eyes and minds without distraction or interruption. And when we are able to take the time to talk about, sharing what we saw and what stood out to us, without interruption, that is when it truly becomes a part of us and the halls of our imagination.

And so, since we don’t need a particular background, certain brain hemispheric dominance, or a special degree in order to sit with a piece of art and look at it, Picture Study is the great equalizer. Picture Study is for everyone. Picture Study is art appreciation.