This e-book is meant to be a practical guide for the enthusiastic EFL / ELT professional who loves the Arts and wants their students to experiment them through the four-macro skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) from an appealing and enjoyable perspective.

All the masterpieces included were carefully selected to work with certain themes that may result of great interest to your students as most topics dealt with are inherent in human beings; thus, any person can feel identified with them as they transcend time, space, and cultural boundaries, inviting inner thought and introspection.

Moreover, the proposed tasks developed are graded into three different levels of proficiency (elementary, intermediate, and advanced) and take into consideration students’ multiple intelligences and learning styles, catering for students’ needs. All the lessons are intuitive and user- friendly for both the teacher and the students. They are organized according to the lesson aims and include all the resources needed, from links to complementary websites with videos, songs and poetry to ready-made worksheets and the actual paintings included in the Appendix section. Moreover, the tasks also contain a key with suggested answers to save time and make the lesson flow. All the lessons follow a certain structure to facilitate their delivery. Although there is a tentative allotted time, they can also be taught into different lessons as a learning unit or didactic sequence. In each lesson, there is a warm-up section that introduces the topic to deal with; then, the lesson is developed in stages, with a wide variety of activities to work on the selected skill; and finally, there are two follow-up tasks: one offline to be carried out in the classroom and another online, if the school has a laboratory or if the students have internet access at home. The online tasks invite students to work independently and discover with new eyes online galleries or museums from around the world while they fulfill engaging assignments. At the end of each lesson, there is a background information section, with key information about the artist, writer, or work of art. This is of great importance to understand the context in which the painting was created and the personal outlook of its artist, as behind every work of art there is a person with feelings, emotions, and a story to be told through the canvas.

This e-book was designed to inspire both teachers and students alike, to create room for creativity and to develop critical thinking in a safe and relaxing atmosphere. There is no right or wrong answer. It is art, and there is not a single interpretation for it as there are as many interpretations of a work of art as people are there in the world.

This is a kind invitation to embark on an amazing journey of learning about art, life, and yourself, as this work appeals mainly to feelings and emotions. It considers the individual from a holistic point of view, aiming at developing not only higher mental thinking skills, but also visual literacy—the ability to read and decode art (colours, textures, shapes, and shadows) chosen, on purpose, by the artist to convey a certain message or tell their personal story through the canvas.

May every single teacher and student experiment the joy of the Arts at least once in life. It will be a wonderful voyage of discovery and an unforgettable long-lasting experience.