Before the half-term break, the Art Department took pupils in Year 11, 12 and 13 on a trip to visit the National Portrait Gallery, as well as the National Gallery in London, which was a great opportunity to explore different artworks and artists that could inspire their work in the future.
Sophie Reed, a Year 12 Art Scholar, writes:
‘Our first stop was the National Portrait Gallery in the morning; we first looked around the Herbert Smith Kramer Portrait Award Exhibition within the gallery. This is a competition that celebrates the best contemporary portraiture artists, and it is an important platform for painters today. Here, there was a range of different pieces and styles of art that was fascinating, including abstract symbolic pieces, as well as detailed realism.
We also explored the wider gallery where there were multiple displays, such as the ‘Lines of Feeling: Portrait Drawing Now’ and ‘Artists’ First: Contemporary Perspectives on Portraiture’ displays, which were very interesting as there were so many different mediums and techniques used to create the captivating works. We were most drawn to the diverse array of expressions and stories captured in the portraits, developing discussions about the artists' intentions and the emotions conveyed, which we the integrated into our mini sketchbooks.’
Will Smith, another one of our Year 12 Art Scholars, adds:
‘We also visited the National Gallery, one of the most famous art galleries in the world featuring over 2,600 works. After our pleasant visit to the National Portrait Gallery, we enjoyed a packed lunch in Trafalgar Square. Shortly afterwards, we moved onto the National Gallery, entering through the Sainsbury Wing.
During our visit, we saw a large variety of very famous artworks by many different artists which were all very inspiring. Some of the famous work we saw included ‘The Ambassadors’, by Hans Holbein, ‘Whistle Jacket’, by George Stubbs and one of my personal favourites, ‘Wheat Field with Cypresses’, by Van Gogh. It was a great experience to see so many incredible pieces of art up close and in so many different styles. I think it was also a great opportunity to truly appreciate how much skill and effort it must take to produce such incredible pieces. Overall, I really enjoyed the trip; it was great to see so many different works and it has been really helpful for all of us in our bookwork and also for inspiration for future projects.’
