Louvre Museum

Free!

The Louvre’s website provides users with digital access to many of the museum’s features and exhibits. After launching the website, users can preview the museum by choosing the “Plan Your Visit” tab and they will be able to view the museum’s layout, hours & admission, and other information. Next, the “Activities & Tours” tab lets users see different tours they can take while visiting the museum. In addition, users can select the “Visitor Trails” option under this tab and then search for trails other visitors have created by theme, length, visitor type (e.g., families, children, school groups, physical disability, etc.), and days. Once users find a tour, they can view the different stops on it and read details about the pieces of art they are viewing. To progress, users can tap the arrows on the side of the images or they can scroll down the page to view the different stops in order. The “Exhibition & Events” tab lets users preview upcoming happenings at the Louvre, and it includes dates for the events and exhibitions along with images and details about them. The “Collection & Louvre Palace” lets users search for different pieces of artwork by theme, date, or topic. Users can then select a collection that interests them and view the different pieces of art included in that collection. The “Learning about Art” section offers in depth features on different elements that includes video mini-lectures about different pieces of art along with transcriptions of the video.

Instructional Ideas

1. Before teaching about a specific artistic topic, teachers can have students view a specific piece of art that demonstrates a theme or topic related to the upcoming lesson. Next, teachers can ask students what they notice about the piece of art or what about the artwork made it a classic. Teachers can have students journal a response or discuss their thoughts with a classmate. Next, teachers can use this activity as a springboard into a full class discussion.
2. Teachers can allow students to choose a piece of art that speaks to them and is accessible through this website. Next, students can read about that piece of art on the website before searching the Internet for further information about it. The additional information may include biographies of the artist, descriptions of the period when the art was created, and how the art may have influenced other pieces to be created. After retrieving this information, students can use a creation-based website or app to share their findings. Once created, students can post their work to a class website, so their classmates can view it.
3. Students can pretend they are art critics. To do so, students will view the different pieces of art on this website. Next, they can choose three that are their favorite pieces of art and then write a justification that explains why the pieces of art they selected are their favorites. Students can then share the art they selected along with their justification in small groups or by posting it to a class website.
4. Students can choose the “Activities & Tours” tab and select the “Visitor Tours” option. Students can then choose a tour and take it. For each stop on the tour, students can write a one-sentence summary that lists and describes the artwork video.
5. Students can choose a famous painting exhibited at the Louvre and then try to recreate it using a creation-based app or website. Afterwards, students can write a short response that explains the successes and challenges they encountered when working to recreate the artwork.

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