van gogh and discussion techniques!
TRANSCRIPT
Happy 2015!
DO NOW:What is your biggest concern about
presenting a piece of artwork to the class?
Why we’re doing this project
For Today…
Pay attention to the way I ask questions how I respond to your answers.
Starry NightVincent Van Gogh
Make sure your selfie game is STRONG
Slide #1 of 4: Intro slide, with selfies and/or images of the work
Avoid random colors
Use a large image of your artwork…but DON’T DISTORT THE
IMAGE!
Slide #2 of 4: Title of work, and a bit of information
Starry NightVincent Van Goghoil on canvas188929”x36”
Starry NightVincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas1889
29”x36”
Slide #2 of 4: Title of work, and a bit of information
Vincent Van Gogh painted this while living in Rémy-de-Provence, France.
What kind of place do you think Rémy-de-Provence is?
Starry NightVincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”
Slide #2 of 4: Title of work, and a bit of information
Use that first question to
get the audience
used to you asking them
stuff.
Make it simple and
direct.
“I don't know anything with certainty, but
seeing the stars makes me dream.”
Slide #3 of 4: Artist Quote or Critic quote…begin to build the conversation
Starry Night Vincent Van Goghoil on canvas 1889 29”x36”
How do you react when you see the stars?
How is this “landscape”
painting different
from others that you’ve
seen?
Slide #4 of 4: Guide the conversation to your final question
Starry NightVincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”
In other words…What
makes this painting
“unique” or “creative”
Why should we bother
looking at this?
Slide #4 of 4: Guide the conversation to your final question
Starry NightVincent Van Gogh
oil on canvas 1889 29”x36”
TRUST IN THE MOMA WEBSITE
Question Techniques
How to build a discussion around
a work of art
What do these questions have in common?
• What do you see?
• Could you describe the environment in the painting.
• What type of country do you think this is taking place in?
• How are the people in the painting interacting with each other?
• Could you describe how these people are dressed.
• Why do you think the man
is on the ground?
Remember to listen to what your audience says…
Questions that can be answered in idiosyncratic, or
personal, ways.Open Ended Questions don’t
have a single answer...but multiple types of answers.
Open-Ended Questions
Use phrasing like “Do you think…” or “Describe…” or “How…”Use conditional language like “could” and “would” to get your audience to think hypothetically.
Agrarian Leader ZapataDiego RiveraFresco on cement, 1931
• What type of hat is he wearing?
• What type of tool is that?
• What country is being represented here?
• Who is this a painting of?
• Who is holding the horse?
• What kind of plant is that?
• When did this painting take place?
• What kind of horse is that?
What do these questions have in common?
COMPARE THESE QUESTIONS:
HOW ARE YOU FEELING? VS. ARE YOU FEELING WELL?
THESE TYPES OF QUESTIONS USUALLY RESULT IN EITHER A
“YES” OR “NO” ANSWER.
Close-Ended Questions
Close-Ended questions aim at a specific single answer.
Example: When was the war of 1812?
Agrarian Leader ZapataDiego RiveraFresco on cement, 1931
• Refer to what people have said and USE THEIR NAMES.
(This validates their opinions!)
• Give the audience information when they ask for it!
• Turn THEIR questions into YOURquestions
• Listen for contrasting opinions…if you sense that there’s two different points of
view emerging in the audience……Polarize the class: ask who agrees with
which point of view.
Uniting the Discussion
Final considerations for your audience…
Look for the different types of answerers
in the room.
Some people you can rely on being more verbose...others may be more succinct or brief. BOTH types of answerers are important for building a conversation!
Final considerations for your audience…
Watch out for "designated answerer syndrome”
When the same person continues to answer
questions first...and the people around them start
to respond less and less....since they now expect that person to
answer FIRST.
To make matters worse, the class usually starts to believe
what the Designated Answerer says, simply
because they're the first to say it.
Avoid the Designated Answerer Syndrome!
An audience is easily conditioned to expect that person to answer first to
"test the waters" or see what kind of answer the teacher is
looking for.
Starting with “WHAT YOU SEE?” is great...it's non threatening, and you don't need any previous knowledge to answer it.
You'll also be able to tell what the class is most interested in based on their answers...if they are sticking to the most literal and obvious things in the painting, then you have a very easy jumping off point.
More resources: wikihow.com/Ask-Open-Ended-Questions