Prompting Perspectives: Ways of Looking Differently at Artworks

Esme Boggis

A group of people stand in a darkened space looking at photographs on the wall and taking notes in their sketchbooks

Visiting a gallery or museum can be an exciting and enriching experience, but it can also be intimidating and alienating, especially for students who might be unfamiliar with these spaces and when there are so many artworks to look at.

The prompts below aim to help students engage with collections in galleries, museums and cultural spaces, in unique and meaningful ways, making the process of looking at and responding to artworks a less daunting and enjoyable experience.

How can I use these prompts?

The great thing about these prompts is that they can be used both during a class group visit and as a solo homework task, where students can visit their local gallery or museum and view artworks at their own pace. Whilst these prompts work best when viewing artworks in person, the Choosing an Artwork prompts can be used whilst looking at artworks online or in a book.

They can also be used at any time during the school year, whether that’s starting a new project, needing some new inspiration for an existing project or perhaps to just get a student out of rut and excited about art again.

The Choosing an Artwork prompts can be especially helpful for students who are overwhelmed by choice, to take away the pressure and go with what feels interesting and exciting to them.

These prompts can also be used alongside the Writing Haikus from Artworks resource which invites students to respond to artworks by writing a short form poem. However, if students don’t feel comfortable writing their responses, they could instead draw a picture, record themselves speaking about the artwork or even take photos on their phone which illustrate their response – whatever feels most suitable to them.

Here are some fun ways to offer the prompts to students:

Print the prompts out on colourful paper, cut them up and ask students to pick one at random from an envelope
Provide a list of the prompts, either on the board or on a sheet of paper, and students can select which one speaks to them most
Allocate prompts to students if you see one which will particularly lend itself to their learning style or interests
Ask students to swap their prompts with each other once they have responded to the prompt
Ask students to get into pairs and pick prompts for each other
If you’re in a space which allows this, ask students to throw a handful of prompts up in air and whichever they catch is theirs!
Give groups of students the same prompt and then ask them to see how their responses differ – a great way for them to see that everyone sees things differently!

Choosing an Artwork

These prompts are purposely emotive to encourage students to choose an artwork which they feel drawn too, whether they love it, loathe it or are indifferent to it.

Which artwork would be your best friend?  
Which artwork talks back?  
Which artwork is angry?
Which artwork do you hate?  
Which artwork would you want to enlarge to the size of a building?  
Which artwork would you bury?  
Which artwork would you love for ever? 
Which artwork confuses you? 
Which artwork makes you go ‘ew!’? 
Which artwork shakes you to your core? 
Which artwork would you want to shrink to the size of a mouse?
Which artwork makes you want to cry? 
Which artwork would you like to take home? 
Which artwork feels alive? 
Which artwork would you take on a long walk? 
Which artwork is impatient? 
Which artwork would you save from the waves? 
Which artwork misses someone? 
Which artwork is trying its best? 
Which artwork is whispering? 
Which artwork is joyful?
Which artwork is shouting? 
Which artwork is day? 
Which artwork is night? 
Which artwork is your favourite song?

Looking Closely

These prompts encourage students to look closer, more slowly and carefully, using all of their senses to describe the experience of being with the artwork.

What can you see if you stand an inch away? 
What shapes can you see in the artwork? 
What texture does the artwork have?
What living beings can you see in the artwork? 
What can you see if you walk very slowly past the artwork? 
What objects can you see in the artwork?
Stare at the artwork for 2 minutes. What new things did you notice? 
What colours can you see in the artwork?
What patterns can you see in the artwork?
What can you see if you look up and down five times?
What can you see if you look left to right five times?
What one question would you ask the artist who has made the artwork?

Looking Differently

These prompts encourage students to experience the artwork in a different, unique and fun way, using physical movement and their imagination to challenge their original perceptions.

What can you see if you stand far away? 
What can you see if you lie down in front of the artwork? 
Spin on the spot in front of the artwork. What can you see when you stop?
What might the artwork sound like if it could make a noise?
What alternative name would you give the artwork? 
What stories might the objects tell you if they could speak?
What might the living beings be saying if they could speak?
Leave the artwork for 2 minutes. What do you remember?
Cover one eye. What do you see now?
If this artwork was a person, what kind of person would they be?
If this artwork was an animal, what kind of animal would it be?
What would it feel like if you could step into this artwork?

Tips and Tricks

Choose one room of a gallery or museum for students to choose an artwork from so it’s less overwhelming
Use the prompts in order to scaffold the experience
If you are in a gallery or museum, after students have chosen their artwork using a Choosing an Artwork prompt, you could walk around the space offering them a Looking Closer and then Looking Differently prompt, so they don’t have to leave the artwork
It’s best for students to choose their prompts at random or for you to choose the prompt for them – this takes the pressure out of it

These prompts can also be a fun way for your students to produce initial ideas for Write on Art – Paul Mellon Centre’s and Art UK’s annual national writing programme for young people (14 – 19 years old) designed to explore personal, creative and critical responses to art, and how they can be shared through writing.

If one of your students wants to submit to Write on Art, then you will just need to ensure that the artwork they choose within a gallery, museum or cultural space is also available on Art UK to align with our criteria.

If you have any questions about Write on Art, please contact Rachel Prosser [email protected] or Esme Boggis [email protected].