When you are looking at a piece of art, here are some things you could talk about:
Describe what you see.
Look for the elements of art: lines, shapes, colors, form, and texture.
Look how the elements of art are used to create the principles of design: balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, variety and unity.
What do you think the piece of art is about?
How do you think it was made?
DO: SAY "TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ART"
All you ever have to say is, "tell me about your art." Young artists love to describe their ideas and you will learn all about their creative process. Plus, you'll avoid those awkward moments when you comment about the "dog" they drew when it was actually a firetruck.
DO: DISCUSS ELEMENTS OF ART AND PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Point out areas where the artist has successfully used elements of art to establish design principles and ultimately communicate their ideas. For example: "The line made between the ocean and the sky leads right to that lighthouse and really emphasizes it; it makes it seem like the lighthouse is an important part of the landscape." Figuring out how elements and principles work together to communicate meaning is like breaking a code; children love to discover how these elements all "click."
DON'T: MAKE A JUDGMENT
When you make a judgment on a child's art like "I love it!" you send the message that art must be made for another's satisfaction or approval.
Comments such as "isn't that colorful!" or "how cute!" may be true, but they take away from the more meaningful elements of the artwork such as the artist's message, their effort, or the process of making design decisions and problem solving. Most likely your conversations about a child's artwork will be short, so you might as well make it meaningful!
DO: USE VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES
The easiest way to get children thinking about art is to use Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS). In its simplest form, VTS consists of only three questions:
What do you see?
What makes you say that?
What else do you see? (I know - it's basically the first question all over again!)
The meaning that the child assigns to a work of art is just as important as the artist's intent, so there are no right or wrong answers. The power of art lies in its ability to speak to all people on a personal level, which is why everyone may have a different interpretation of a single work.
DO: ASK OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS
If VTS is not enough to get the child talking and analyzing, you can direct their thinking by asking open ended questions such as:
How do you think the artist made this?
What is going on in this image?
If you could give an award to this piece of art, what would it be?
Where would you put this masterpiece if you owned it and why?
DON'T: AVOID TALKING ABOUT ART BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT AN EXPERT YOURSELF
Art is meant to appeal to everyone, and no one needs to be an expert to connect to it. Part of the fun about discovering and discussing art with children is that they will think of things that you never would have imagined. There is no right or wrong way to interpret a masterpiece, so whatever you and your child say - whether it matches the label on the wall or not - is a valuable addition to the conversation.