Art Reviews

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Vincent’s Colors by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (2005) is, of course, about Vincent van Gogh who was a Post-Impressionist artist. Throughout his life he wrote letters to his younger brother, Theo, about his paintings. The book matches 16 of his popular paintings with his own words. Through the book and his paintings readers (and their children) can easily see and hear about his love and use of color. This is a good introductory book for elementary age children on the works of Vincent van Gogh. Available from Chronicle Books or major booksellers.

Matisse Dance for Joy by Susan Goldman Rubin (2008; Chronicle Books) is a colorful boardbook for preschoolers featuring eleven of Henri Matisse’s cutout collages all emphasizing movement and music. This colorful boardbook will capture the attention of your little one while sharing the works of an important contemporary artist. Available from Chronicle Books or major booksellers.

Mini Master Boardbooks featuring Degas, Matisse, Monet, and Van Gogh combines popular artists, their works, and rhyming prose into a masterful collection of boardbooks for young ones. The art is beautiful, but it’s the combination of art and writing that make it so enjoyable. Exposing children to fine art at a young age can only lead to good things. This colorful collection of books is a new favorite in our family library! Available from Chronicle Books or major booksellers.

Can You Hear It? by the Metropolitan Museum of Art introduces both art and classical music. It begins with an introduction to musical instruments and a note to parents and teachers. There are several ways to use the book and CD, including a Can You Hear It? game, in which a Can You Hear It? clue is read, then before listening to the CD, the objective is to try and find the clue within the picture. Next, play the CD and identify the clue within the classical music. The book and CD feature 13 works and is as enjoyable as it is informative. Chrysanthemums by Utagawa Hiroshige features The Flight of the Bumblebee by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. Some of the clues are fairly easy and some are a little more difficult, but all engage and encourage your child to not only focus on the art but to listen carefully to the music. If you’ve never done a study involving art or classical music, this would be a wonderful way to start. Available from major booksellers.

Child-Size Masterpieces by Aline D. Wolf (widely recognized as a renowned modern interpreter of Maria Montessori’s philosophy and methods) is a complete curriculum for developing art appreciation in young children. Originally titled, Mommy, it’s a Renoir! Child-Size Masterpieces is for “parents, teachers, or any other adults who want to experience the delight of introducing beautiful paintings to young children.” Children as young as three can do the beginning exercises and the succeeding steps gradually increase in difficulty for each child’s level of experience rather than specific age. The emphasis is on exposing young children to art reproductions rather than filling them with the facts of art history. Basic information (title and artist’s name) are printed on the back of each card. The Appendix of the handbook contains further reference material for readers who desire it, as well as detailed instructions on how to use the program. The steps included are: matching identical paintings, pairing companion paintings, grouping four paintings by one artist, learning the names of the artists, learning the names of famous paintings, learning about the schools of art, grouping paintings from the same school of art, and using a timeline of art. Eight volumes of art postcard books are available for purchase separately, if desired. Available from major booksellers.

Check out my article on page 46 of the funky flipbook edition of Heart of the Matter Magazine.

Karin Katherine is a proud stay-at-home mother of four. As the 7th of 8 children, Karin feels blessed by her average size (in her mind anyway) family and wouldn’t mind a few more – God willing and her husband notwithstanding. Her biggest homeschooling dream is to one day homeschool across the United States in an RV. Please visit her blog Passport Academy.