Be an Art Detective at the Getty Villa Museum!

K–12 Resource: Field Trip Activities

Pre-Visit Activity: Practice looking at art like a detective by looking for clues and making discoveries

Title

Caeretan Hydria

Artist/Maker

Attributed to Eagle Painter (Greek (Caeretan), active 530 - 500 B.C.)

Date

520–510 B.C.

Medium

Terracotta

Dimensions

Object: 44.6 × 38 × 33.4 cm (17 9/16 × 14 15/16 × 13 1/8 in.) Object (Rim): 22.9 cm (9 in.)

Place

Caere (?), Etruria

Object Type

Hydria Vessel

Credit Line

The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California, 83.AE.346

Learning Objectives

In this activity, you will:

  • explore how questions can help you see more in an artwork
  • use what you see to explain what you think is happening in an artwork

Materials Needed

  • Timer

Assignment

Be an Art Detective!

Detectives look carefully, ask questions, and search for clues to solve mysteries. Today, you'll be an art detective! You'll go on three art missions to find clues and figure out what's happening in an artwork.

Your First Mission: Look

Look at the artwork quietly. Your teacher will show it to you for one minute. What do you see? Share one thing you saw with a partner.

Your Second Mission: Find Clues

Now look at the image again. This time you’ll look at it longer. Use the questions below to help you find clues about the artwork. Answer the questions with a partner.

Art Detective Questions

  • Are there people, animals, or objects in the artwork?
  • What colors or shapes do you see?
  • What details stand out to you?
  • What questions do you have about the artwork?
  • What do you notice this time that you didn't notice before?

Your Third Mission: Solve the Mystery

Detectives use details as clues to help them figure things out. Think about a detail you noticed during your second mission as an art detective. What does it tell you about the artwork? Here are some examples of how a detail can be a clue about what’s happening: I noticed the sun in the sky, so I think it’s daytime. I noticed snow falling, so I think it’s very cold. What does a detail you noticed tell you about the artwork?

Use this sentence to share your thinking with a partner.
“I noticed __________, so I think __________.”

Art Detective Tips to Remember

When looking at art:

  • ask questions about what you see
  • look again to find new details
  • use clues to help you figure out what's happening

Every artwork is full of clues waiting to be found!