Grades 7-12 Gallery 250

Plan on spending time with 8–10 artworks.
Many of these questions are designed to prompt close looking and critical thinking. Read each artwork’s label to find answers to fact-based questions. Artwork not on view? Don’t worry: There are plenty of others to visit!

Start your exploration of Impressionism with an example of academic painting, like The Carpet Merchant. For discussion purposes, this tour also includes examples of American Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. You can explore more works within Mia’s Collections site!

Question Prompts

• Early Impressionism
• • What words would you use to describe this painting?
• • How do you think Monet captured the “feel” of being on the seashore?
• • How does this compare to The Carpet Merchant?
• • Which artwork do you prefer? Why?

Question Prompts

• • What about this painting appears most real?
• • In what ways does it look more real than The Carpet Merchant?
• • Describe the brushstrokes in the sky. How do these differ from the brushstrokes in the leaves?

Question Prompts

• Impressionism
• • What’s going on in this painting?
• • What do you think happened before? What will happen next?
• • What appears impressionistic here?
• • How closely do you think Monet observed these birds? What do you see that makes you think that?

Question Prompts

• • Describe the range of color you see.
• • Some people think this is a realistic painting; others find it more decorative. What do you think? Why?
• • What events do you think led up to this moment?
• • What season do you think this depicts? Why?
• • What do you wonder about?

Question Prompts

• • What do you think is going on here? What do you see that makes you say that?
• • What time of day do you think it is? How do you know?
• • Do you think the painting is finished or unfinished? Why?
• • What impressions do you see?

Question Prompts

• • Where do you think the artist was when he painted this?
• • What time of year do you think it is? What do you see that makes you think that?
• • How has Pissarro presented an “impression” of the weather?
• • Is this a place you’d want to visit? Why or why not?

Question Prompts

• • Describe the range of colors in this young woman’s skin and hair.
• • Where do you see Renoir’s brushstrokes?
• • What do you think she’s thinking? What about her face tells you that?
• • What do you think is going on around her? Why?

Question Prompts

• • What’s going on in this painting?
• • What details did Degas paint to help you see that?
• • Does this painting remind you of a photograph? If so, in what ways?
• • What strikes you as unusual or remarkable about it?

Question Prompts

• American Impressionism
• • What’s going here? What do you see that makes you say that?
• • How did the artist use different-size brushstrokes to show depth?
• • How—-if at all—-does this American painting differ from French Impressionism?

Question Prompts

• • How did the artist show movement in this painting?
• • What did he do to create depth?
• • In what ways did he create a flat surface?
• • Would you consider this ordinary or extraordinary?
  Why?

Question Prompts

• Following Impressionism
• • Describe this painting. What do you notice first?
• • How has the artist expressed his feelings about nature? How would you describe those feelings?
• • How does this compare to Monet’s Grainstack painting?
• • Which do you prefer? Why?