Art questions work well because students can talk about personal taste without needing specialized knowledge. These cover everything from favorite styles to how art fits into daily life.
Questions are organized by level from beginner to advanced. A printable PDF of all the questions is available at the bottom of the page.
Beginner (A1-A2)
- How often do you go to art museums? What do you like to look at when you go?
- Do you consider yourself to be artistic? Why or why not?
- How many forms of art can you name? What is your favorite form of art?
- What is the most famous statue in your country? What does it look like?
- What is the most famous painting in your country? What is it about?
- What country do you think is the most creative? Why?
- Do you have any artistic friends? What kinds of art do they create?
- What kind of art do you like? What’s a good example?
- Do you like colorful art or simple art? What’s good about each?
- Have you ever been to an art gallery? Tell me about it.
- What colors do artists use a lot in your country?
- Have you ever been to a place with a lot of street art? What did it look like?
- Do you ever listen to music while you look at art or create something? What kind of music?
- What kinds of art do children usually make in school in your country? (Painting, clay, crafts, etc.)
- Have you ever seen art that made you feel emotional? What was it?
- Have you ever bought art? What did you buy and where?
Elementary (A2)
- Who is your favorite artist? Why do you like them so much?
- Have you ever tried drawing, painting, sculpting, or something else artistic? How did it go?
- What is traditional art like in your culture?
- What kind of art do you have in your home? How did you choose it?
- What is the most beautiful piece of art you have ever seen? What made it so special?
- Have you ever made art as a gift for someone? What did you make?
- What kind of art don’t you like? Why?
- What kind of art confuses you? Why?
- What is a type of art you have never tried but want to? Why does it interest you?
- What is the strangest piece of art you have ever seen? What was strange about it?
- Do you follow any artists on social media? Why do you like them?
- What holiday traditions in your country involve some kind of art or decoration? What makes them special?
Intermediate (B1)
- What do you think about modern art paintings?
- Is graffiti art? Why or why not?
- Do you think that art is important to society? Why?
- Why is art so expensive? Do you think it should be more, or less, expensive?
- Do you prefer art of people or art of nature? Why?
- What kind of art do you think is the hardest to make? Why?
- Do you prefer art that looks real or art that looks abstract? Why?
- Should art classes be required in every school? Why or why not?
- What makes a piece of art valuable? Give me some examples.
- Do you think copying another artist’s style is okay? Why or why not?
- Do you think digital art is just as valuable as traditional art? Why or why not?
- If you could own any famous painting in the world, which one would you choose and why?
- Some people say that anyone can be an artist. Do you agree? Why or why not?
- How has technology changed the way people create art? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
- If you could learn any art skill perfectly overnight, what would you pick and why?
Upper-Intermediate (B2)
- Do you think art museums should be free or should they charge money? What are the downsides of each?
- How has social media changed the way artists share and sell their work? What do you think about those changes?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of buying art online versus in person?
- How does the art world decide what is considered great art and what is not? Who has the most influence?
- What are the challenges of making a living as an artist today? How much do economic factors affect creative choices?
- What is the difference between art that is popular and art that is considered high quality? What factors determine each?
- How is the way people value art different across cultures? Can you think of some examples?
- Some people believe that art created by artificial intelligence is not real art. What are the strongest arguments on both sides?
- Why do some types of art become popular worldwide while others stay local? What factors play a role?
- What are the upsides and downsides of art being used in advertising and marketing?
- Some people use art to deal with stress or difficult emotions. Have you ever done this, or do you know someone who has? Why do you think creating art can help people feel better?
Advanced (C1)
- How do economic downturns and political instability shape the kind of art that gets created? Can great art come from comfortable times, or does it need struggle?
- How does the commodification of art simultaneously preserve and undermine artistic value? What tensions exist between art as cultural expression and art as investment?
- How might the growing market for AI-generated art simultaneously democratize creative expression and devalue the work of human artists?
- Why have authoritarian governments throughout history both censored art and used it as propaganda? What does that tension tell us about the power of art?
- How does the commercialization of street art change its meaning? Can art that started as rebellion still be authentic when it hangs in a gallery?
- In what ways does preserving traditional art forms protect cultural identity, and when might that preservation hold a culture back from evolving?
- How do museums shape our understanding of which cultures and perspectives matter in art history? What voices tend to get left out, and why?
- Why do certain works of art provoke outrage in one era and admiration in another? What does that shift reveal about how societies define acceptable expression?
- What does the concept of ‘cultural appropriation’ in art reveal about the tensions between artistic freedom, cultural ownership, and power dynamics in global society?
- How has the shift from patronage to market-driven art economics changed what kinds of art get created and valued? What are the implications for artistic innovation?