War and peace

Hi everyone! My name is Isabella, and I'm so excited to show you a really cool painting today! It's called War and Peace, and it's super interesting. It's like a story told in pictures! nn

(Pause for children to settle and look at the painting.) nn Does anyone know what war is? What about peace? (Allow children to respond.) This painting shows both of them, together! It's a bit like a hug between two sisters, but one sister is War and the other is Peace. nn

(Point to the figures in the painting.) nn See this lady? She's Peace. She's wearing a beautiful, flowing yellow dress. It's like sunshine! And look, she's holding an olive branch. That's a symbol of peace – it means no fighting! She looks very calm and peaceful, doesn't she? What makes you think she looks peaceful? (Allow children to respond.) nn

(Point to the other figure.) nn And this lady is War. Her dress is darker, more like the color of earth. She's holding a sword, which is a weapon used in war. But even though she has a sword, she's hugging Peace! What do you think that means? (Allow children to respond.) nn

(Point to the background.) nn Look at the background of the painting. It's a little bit dark, isn't it? Maybe that shows what happens when there's war. But even with the dark background, the two ladies are bright and close together. What do you think the artist wanted us to feel when we look at this painting? (Allow children to respond.) nn

The artist who painted this, a long, long time ago, was very clever with colors and light. He used bright colors for Peace and darker colors for War to show us the difference. He also made sure the two ladies are right in the middle, so we look at them first. It's like he's saying that even though war is scary, peace is always important. nn

This painting is a really old painting, much older than your grandparents! It makes us think about important things, like how we can have peace even when there are problems. What are some ways we can make peace with each other? (Allow children to respond.) nn

Thank you for looking at this amazing painting with me today! I hope you enjoyed learning about War and Peace! Remember, art can tell us stories and make us think about big ideas. Now, let's go see some more amazing art!