
Critically examining two works of art and finding their similarities and differences does the following:
- Strengthens students’ ability to remember key content
- Improves comprehension by highlighting important details
- Encourages thoughtful analysis and interpretation about the time and place an artwork was made
Overview
Have students watch Guide to Looking at East Asian Landscape Hanging Scrolls and Scenes of Women of the Palace
Following the videos, students will use the worksheet provided below to compare and contrast the two scrolls.

Scrolls
There are two types of scrolls in Chinese painting: the hanging scroll and the handscroll. Hanging scrolls can display an entire painting at one viewing and typically range in height from two to six feet. Handscrolls, on the other hand, are meant to be viewed in sections with only one portion (usually a shoulders’ width) viewed at a time. Handscrolls are typically between nine and fourteen inches in height but may vary greatly in length.
Objectives
- Think critically about why objects were used in the past
- Identify common traits in East Asian scrolls
- Identify different purposes of scrolls
Materials
- Videos: Guide to Looking at East Asian Landscape Hanging Scrolls and Scenes of Women of the Palace (videos located at the bottom of this page)
- Worksheet
- Pen or pencil
Demonstration/Motivation
The teacher will:
- Play Talking About Art – Guide to Looking at East Asian Landscape Hanging Scrolls video
- Play Talking About Art – Scenes of Women of the Palace video
- Help students identify similarities and differences in the two scrolls
Evaluation
Have students share the similarities and differences they found.