Student Art Showcase

If music is the poetry of sound, then art is the poetry of sight. Here is how our students across the school have been creating beautiful poetry.

INFANT ARTISTIC ADDITIONS TO THE INFANT LIBRARY

By Libby Henderson, Head of Infant Art

Over the summer holidays, the Infant Library had a big renovation, and we were very excited to be asked to create some artwork for their empty walls. A few children from each year group worked with Miss Stephanie, the Art STLA, to create a masterpiece linked to a book studied in that year group. There was a mixture of painting, printing, drawing, and collage to create these eye-catching works of art. Here are the books that the children were inspired by:

• Nursery: Shark in The Park by Nick Sharratt • Reception: Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, and Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle • Year 1: Beegu by Alexis Deacon, and Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers • Year 2: Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann You can now check them out at the Infant Library so don’t forget to drop by!

JUNIOR SCULPTURES OF PEACE AND UNITY

By Peter Hinckley, Head of Junior Art & Design

This term, Year 6 students are investigating World War 2. In Art, we focused on the visual symbolic representation in terms of the positive attributes of peace, harmony, unity, and togetherness, as a contrast to the negative aspects of World War 2. Our objective was to nurture a creative and positive response by the students, through providing a design brief that focused on creating a sculpture that was inclusive to all with a shared message of unity and togetherness. The design would be a prototype for a larger sculpture that could be seen in a public area such as a park.

To strengthen the shared meaning, the students created sculptural forms that were abstract in form rather than a high naturalistic approach. For example, some students created doves of peace, however their designs were a representation of a bird not a detailed realistic model. Others focused on calming shapes and forms that suggested togetherness using Barbara Hepworth’s work as an inspiration.

In addition, linking to our school’s focus on diversity and inclusion, we asked the students to try to create a sculpture that could generate a shared response to all people. We investigated a range of sculptures and discussed if they were aimed at a specific gender, race, geography or opinion. For example, statues of historical events that happened in World War 2 in Western Europe or commeration of battles in the Pacific.

The children felt that it was important to try and create a sculpture that would be inclusive to all. Looking at the peace sculptures of the Nagasaki Peace Park and the artwork of Barbara Hepworth, the children sketched their ideas, annotated their thoughts and designed their sculptures.

In ceramics sessions, they learned how to create sculptural forms using techniques to join clay to clay and to make abstract forms. They also explored how to create a finished surface effect to their sculptures through careful use of hand and sponge techniques. After firing in the work in the kiln, the students glazed their sculptures choosing pastels colours. » 11

SENIOR IB DP VISUAL ARTS AT TANGLIN

By Elizabeth Anstiss, Head of Senior Art & Design

As artists, our toolkit is shaped by our experiences. In the Senior Art and Design curriculum we encourage students to draw on their encounters with the world and make meaningful work. Our recent IB cohort was applauded for its authentic work that reflected the personal experiences of our students. IB Visual Arts DP is a fantastic Group 6 subject that allows students to make sense of their world through visual constructions. It offers an opportunity for students to develop the IB learner profile in a genuine way. Visual Arts is not discipline specific, in fact transdisciplinary research is at its core.

Students not only create stunning artwork in the IB course; there is also the opportunity to engage in academic art historical enquiry. It is not just a practical subject but also must be acknowledged as an academically rigorous one. Last year’s art historical essays considered representations of the male figure from classical Greece to contemporary art; how artists have represented notions of restriction, and how artists have used their work to redefine the complexities of intimate relationships.

Representational art is always welcomed in our department, but the outcomes become even more stimulating when work is ambiguous in visual literacy and conceptual in content. Good art should make its audience think, question and reflect. Topics such as transient lifestyles, complexities of the home environment, COVID academic disruptions and the growing popularity in fast fashion were some of the topics that were dealt with. In doing so, our artists used their materials sensitively and creatively to conjure up artwork of an exceptional standard. They curated their own exhibitions that showcased their narratives. Unsurprisingly our Visual Art results were once again outstanding and we are immensely proud of what the students achieved! ■