Children’s world is made of pictures.
If a child is able to be interested in books with pictures, he is also able to enjoy looking at paintings.
The adult can accompany the child in his discovery of art, indeed, he has a very important role in arousing the child’s interest because this interest does not appear automatically.
In her book “How to talk about art to children” Françoise Barbe-Galle, gives us very practical examples and hints on how to awaken the desire to see paintings, taking into account the age of the children. “Turning upside down” the traditional way of looking at works of art. Rather than telling them first of all the context of the work (period, artist, theme, etc.), the author proposes to approach the work directly.
The painting must be the priority, and even more so for an adult who is not an art specialist.
The objective is to satisfy the child’s curiosity but answering his or her questions and not anticipating possible doubts. We can share with a child (using their own words) an emotion provoked by the work “I love the red of this painting”; comment on a detail “look at this beautiful bird”; or convey a feeling “this painting scares me a little”.
It is advisable to tell them why we like or dislike a work, what amuses or disturbs us, and try to explain why.
The child will surely want to understand and will ask us questions.
We can also confess that we do not know why the piece produces such an emotion and ask the child what he/she thinks, maybe it will help us to put it into words. Let the child make his or her own choice It is important to take into account what appeals to the child.
Françoise Barbe-Galle advises us to follow him (both in galleries and museums) until he stops in front of a work of art.
Her choice may surprise us, but it must be the starting point.
In any case, the visit or discovery can start wherever you want, avoiding as much as possible to do it in a methodological way.
Art must be a pleasure. Age is not a limit. Is a young child more sensitive to an abstract work?
No, any painting can arouse a child’s interest.
The important thing is to use an appropriate vocabulary according to the age of the child.
You can learn much more in the book “How to talk about art to children” (Editorial Nerea) that you can find in our gallery in Sèneca street in Barcelona. Now, we want to propose you a little exercise. Show a work of art to a child and ask him/her: Do you like this painting, what do you prefer, what does it make you feel, what does it make you think about? This moment of exchange will be a privilege for you, a time to share and talk, to let them express themselves, to awaken their curiosity and to learn from their particular point of view….Go ahead!
How to talk about art to a child
