Here are some talking points to get students thinking and talking about Picasso’s Weeping Woman painting. They’re from Lyn Dawes’ book Talking Points, reproduced with her kind permission.
Talking Points: Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso
Organise students into small groups. Ask them to look at the painting and discuss the statements. Do they agree or disagree with them? Why?
Her face tells the story.
She is dressed to go out.
She has just heard some terrible news.
She bites her nails, showing that she is often worried.
People who cry are just feeling sorry for themselves.
She can’t be very upset or she wouldn’t be wearing a red hat.
It’s hard to feel sorry for someone you don’t actually know.
The bright colours are very cheerful.
Encourage students to listen carefully to everyone in their group and find out what they think.
Exploratory talk
Exploratory talk can be used to enhance learning across the curriculum. Talking points, such as the ones above, are a brilliant way of doing this, and easy to plan. They are particularly effective when students have good groupwork skills, so take the time to establish or review ground rules.
Student art inspired by Picasso’s Weeping Woman
