Page 26 - Specialist Crafts Catalogue UK

Writing About Art with Purpose
By Sarah Crowther
How many times have your students described an artwork as “interesting”? Or “unique”? These vague words creep into art writing far too often and they tell us nothing. In this lesson, students will learn to ditch empty adjectives and replace them with meaningful, subject-specific language.
Aims:
To encourage the use of subject specific language and descriptive writing.
INTRODUCTION
Pretend to describe an artwork in a book that students can’t see. “I’m looking at an interesting artwork. I find it intriguing and unique.” Ask what they now know about this artwork. Nothing! Those three words are banned when discussing or writing about art: interesting, intriguing, and unique. They tell us nothing.
Inform the class they will be writing about an artwork. To help them structure their writing, they will think of 5 keywords inspired by an artwork and then choose adjectives from the provided list. They will use these to help write a paragraph about the artwork.
MODEL THE ACTIVITY
Show students ‘Two Dancers’ by Edgar Degas. Share the following keywords: contrast, brush strokes/dry brush, silhouetted, sepia, quality of line.
Share the following adjectives: Contrasting, elegant, Implied, monochrome, muted, sepia.
Read the writing below. Tell them that the opening sentences broadly describe the artwork. Then it goes into more detail and then it describes the mood/atmosphere of the artwork.
The painting shows two ballerinas standing, facing each
other. The artwork looks like an unfinished sketch. Degas has used dark browns and sepia colours and the paint has been