National Gallery of Art: Activity Book

By Maura A Clarkin and Maura A. Clarkin

This activity book aims to introduce young people to more than 40 masterpieces of painting and sculpture in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC. It guides them through basic principles of making art by way of 25 adventures which contain questions in various forms.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810925958
• ISBN13: 9780810925953
• Release Date: September 1994
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 0.5" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Excellent creative teaching tool for young artists

Children may not love this book when they pick it up, but they're sure to enjoy the projects and activities it guides them through (especially with the participation of an adult). And they'll learn a lot from it, in spite of themselves! There are 25 good-quality reproductions of paintings from a variety of cultures and periods, with a series of activities based on each. Projects teach about everything from perspective, to formal elements of design, to content, all with easy and entertaining projects, games, puzzles, etc. Many of the q & a's are designed to enhance a child's focus and powers of observation, too. This book appeals to me, particularly, though, because of its ambition to teach not just the meaning and appreciation of paintings, but also how to see and think creatively. One word of caution: while much of the content may appeal to any age, the language used in most of the activities seems geared to mid- to upper-elementary age children. Junior high students might also enjoy using the book, though, because of the sophistication of the ideas presented.