  Art appreciation is vital in nurturing critical thinking and emotional
intelligence among learners. However, traditional art appreciation education
has often been hindered by limited access to art resources, especially for
disadvantaged students, and an imbalanced emphasis on STEM subjects in
mainstream education. In response to these challenges, recent technological
advancements have paved the way for innovative solutions. This study explores
the application of multi-modal large language models (MLLMs) in art
appreciation education, focusing on developing LLaVA-Docent, a model that
leverages these advancements. Our approach involved a comprehensive literature
review and consultations with experts in the field, leading to developing a
robust data framework. Utilizing this framework, we generated a virtual
dialogue dataset that was leveraged by GPT-4. This dataset was instrumental in
training the MLLM, named LLaVA-Docent. Six researchers conducted quantitative
and qualitative evaluations of LLaVA-Docent to assess its effectiveness,
benchmarking it against the GPT-4 model in a few-shot setting. The evaluation
process revealed distinct strengths and weaknesses of the LLaVA-Docent model.
Our findings highlight the efficacy of LLaVA-Docent in enhancing the
accessibility and engagement of art appreciation education. By harnessing the
potential of MLLMs, this study makes a significant contribution to the field of
art education, proposing a novel methodology that reimagines the way art
appreciation is taught and experienced.
