The Art of Language - Introduction

The Art of Language aims to demonstrate how the process of looking at, describing and analysing art presents outstanding creative opportunities for teaching and learning literacy.

Students develop the skills of imagining, expressing, listening, interacting, writing, debating and performing in the domains of English, Communication and Thinking.

The Art of language resource comprises:

• Connecting with Art - fun, warm-up activities for in the Gallery
• Literacy Activities exploring NGV Collection artworks that include:
• Language Starter activities
• Responding to Art writing projects
• Presenting and Performing projects.

1. Connecting with art

These are simple, accessible games that encourage students to make immediate connections with artworks through looking, thinking, discussing and responding. They are designed to help build confidence and encourage creative thinking and responding to artworks in the Gallery.  No prior knowledge is needed. Go to Connecting with Art activities

2. Literacy Activities exploring NGV Collection artworks

These seven activities each look at different artworks in the Collection and comprise of

a. Language Starters

Activities that explore:

• literary devices and parts of speech – including simile, metaphor, symbol and adjectives, adverbs, collective nouns
• developing vocabulary - with synonyms, enticing titles, alliteration
• using the senses and emotion - smell, hear, touch, feel, onomatopoeia, personification.

b. Responding to Art writing projects

Writing inspired by art has a long tradition. Using ideas and the descriptions developed in the Language Starters activities, these projects ask students to write in a variety of genres, including poetry, and creative, analytical and persuasive writing.

c. Presenting and Performing Projects

These projects present ideas for performing and presenting the work created in the Responding to Art writing projects in a range of modes such as filmed or aural interviews, monologues and poetry readings.

Literacy Activities

Connecting with Art Activities
The Weeping Woman, 1937, Pablo Picasso
Collins Street, 5pm, 1955, John Brack
Pine with cranes dancing in the snow, dance in motion, 2000, Kim Hoa Tram
Opening, 1961, Bridget Riley
Night and Day, 1997–1999, Howard Hodgkin
Anguish, 1880, August Frederich Schenck
Glossary of Language Terms