Instructions

1. Explore all the images by clicking on the picture or title to see a larger version.

2. Look for the pictures that you like the best. This will show what you think makes up or defines a good work of art.

3. You can either pick the one you like the best or choose a collection that all together shows what you like. The way you "choose" an artwork is by clicking in the "choose it" checkbox .

4. When you have chosen the artworks you'd like to hang in your own museum, fill in the boxes at the bottom of the page and then click the "Make My Museum" button.

5. The artworks you chose and your explanation will then pop open in a new browser window. You can either print out this page, use it to show other people or make a presentation explaning your feelings about what makes something a good work of art.

6. Remember, your new pop-up page isn't saved anywhere.
   
   

Given that you have read the © Copyright Agreement and agree to it, you may temporarily use the images for a similar activity without needing a Javascript-enabled browser.

1. Find the painting(s) that you like the best.

2. Click on the title or the picture itself to go to a larger version.

3. Once the larger image is loaded, click and hold down on the mouse button. A window will pop up.

4. Slide the mouse to "Save this Image as..." or "Download Image to Disk."

5. Save the image onto a diskette or hard drive.

6. To create your own Monitor Museum, launch software like JPEGView (Mac) or Lview Pro (Windows).

7. Do a "File - Open" on the menubar.

8. Use "View Full Screen" (JPEGView) or "Option Full Screen" (Lview Pro). This shows the artwork you downloaded as a large image on the computer screen.

9. Now you can tour your class's Monitor Museum and breathe in the beauty.

10. To generate discussion share your ideas about why your choice is such a great work or art.

Note: You might want to load several images at once and then do a slide show. Experiment! Have fun!

Other Ideas

Here are two other activities that are fun to do after you've toured your class's Monitor Museum. These help you take the artistic experience even farther.

Level 1: Imitating the Masters
1. Get a sheet of thin tracing paper.

2. Place it against the monitor (the static electricity may do this by itself, but you might want to use some light tape so that the paper won't move around).

3. Use a light pencil to trace as much of the painting as is clear to see.

4. Take your new "Masterpiece" back to your seat and finish the artwork.

5. Use whatever color media you have available: watercolors, colored pencils, and chalks work the best.

6. See how close you can get to the original.

7. Post your finished Monitor Masterpieces around the classroom, throughout the school, or in the community.

Level 2: Swapping Styles
1. Here, instead of trying to copy the original, your job is to try out different style. For example, if the original artist used very clean, precise lines, try using more expressive "brushstrokes."

2. You can go even farther by choosing to do opposites. For example, if your original uses bright colors, use a "smaller palette." If your original has lots of shadows, turn up the lights! If your original is pretty balanced in its layout, move things around! Look at the subject of your original. If it's a rabbit, make it a turtle, etc.

   Use the original as a springboard for your own creativity. Have fun! Get inspired! Be creative!

Software that makes it happen

Below are download sites on the Internet. Have the software installed on your computers before beginning this activity.

Macintosh: JPEGView

Windows: Lview Pro