History of Art in London
On Tuesday, the Lower Sixth History of Art pupils eagerly set off to London for a day filled reviewing works of art. After a long journey, we finally arrived at our first destination, the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. The aim of this visit was to review some Renaissance paintings that we had studied in class and to hone our visual analysis skills.
On arrival, we split into small groups and assigned each group a specific painting to examine. As expected, looking at a painting on a computer screen in class is nothing like seeing it in the flesh. We were asked to search in detail for any aspects of the work that we may have missed in the classroom. I was assigned to examine The Baptism of Christ by Piero della Francesca. Not only was I shocked by the incredible craftsmanship of the painting, but seeing the work in real life enabled me to pick out smaller details and really dive into the glorious nature of the painting. Having thoroughly analysed each work, we then talked to the whole group about our observations. We also recreated the iconic scenes with a modern twist with our own ‘spin offs’ of each work.
After the skies began to clear and the rain finally stopped, we all headed off for some much-needed lunch. This fueled us for our next destination, the Courtauld Gallery. Here, we were treated to a guided tour and discussion led by a highly experienced art historian who worked and studied at the Courtauld. We saw works from both the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras, discussing the use of colour and perspective in various different paintings. It was also very exciting to see Manet’s Bar at the Folies-Bergère, which was one of the many images we have studied this term. Following the tour we were able to look round the galley of our own accord, giving us the chance to explore more of the artwork, which we found captivating.
Overall, it was a highly successful and useful day. Thank you to Mrs Bond and Mr Goad for arranging and overseeing the trip.
Grace (M)
