VISUAL ARTS AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASSROOM: CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION

By using the visual arts in the language classroom, a teacher acquaints the learners with the culture of the target language because of the qualities inherent in the works of art. When the students see (literally and figuratively) the culture, they are able to comprehend more clearly the language of that culture. They have a deeper understanding of it and the people who speak it. They gain a surer command of the language. This paper will demonstrate, through iconographical interpretation of paintings by American artists, that a work of art's content, or meaning conveyed through form and subject matter, communicates cultural values and exposes cultural assumptions. These in turn provide an interpretive key to language learners, better equipping them for meaningful communication in English. This study shows the benefit of the inclusion of more works of art by native-speaking artists in language teaching materials for more effective communication in English.