Based on the model of Bloom’s Taxonomy, here are some ideas for questions to ask students
when studying paintings (particularly with landscapes in mind). I don’t recommend trying to ask all of
these questions in a single sitting; rather, they offer ideas to cycle through, especially with multiple
views of the same painting.
Memory/Knowledge
1. What colors do you see? Which color is strongest? Is the palette warm or cool?
2. Which objects or geographical features do you notice in the picture? Do you recognize any particular flora?
3. What basic shapes stand out?
Understanding/Comprehending
4. What media does the artist use? Why might the artist have chosen this?
5. What is the weather like in this picture? In what environment or ecosystem is the landscape set?
Application
6. Which art movement or genre might this work be classified as?
Analysis
7. What is the artist hoping to communicate in this work?
8. Where is the light source? How does this contribute to the mood of the work?
Evaluate (Research may be necessary.)
9. What do you suppose is the purpose or end for this work?
10. When in the artist’s career or development was this work created? How might knowledge of this contribute to the viewer’s appreciation of the work?
11. Describe the provenance and history of this piece of art.
Creation/ Synthesis
12. Think of a poem, story, or work of music which melds well with the overall aesthetic of this piece of art. Share your reasons for this.
13. Make a piece of art including some aspect of this work. Be prepared to share with others the inspiration from this work that you included in your own.
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Marie K. MacPherson is a wife, mother, and baptized child of God. She is a CCLE certified educator, writer of curriculum, and author. Marie has published Meditations on the Vocation of Motherhood, Volumes 1 (2018) and 2 (2023), Mothering Many (2016), and Lutherans for Life/Concordia Publishing House booklets The Story of Baby Shalom and Teaching Children Chastity for Life. Her Bachelor’s Degree is in Elementary Education, with a specialty in Communication Arts and Literature and Synod Certification, from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN. A life-long learner, Marie enjoys graduate courses from Memoria College’s Great Books program, and coaching speech team students in the progymnasmata and rhetorical devices. Her husband Ryan teaches at the collegiate level and also is the president of The Hausvater Project. Together, they home school their seven children. Visit their website at www.intoyourhandsllc.com
