Art
“Creativity takes courage”
Henri Matisse
Throughout Year 7, students explore a variety of media including print making, drawing, painting, sculpture and their areas of study are Mini Beasts, Our Ocean, and studying the artist Yellena James.
Year 8 students will explore stencilling, working in oil pastels, and mixed media which all stems from their study of observational drawing, and their two areas of study, Fantastic Food where we explore Pop Art and the work of Andy Warhol and Wayne Thiebaud, and Brilliant Birds where we explore collaborative working and scale.
Year 9 then sees the accumulation of these skills through lino and colour reduction printing, clay, and observational drawing, and their areas of study are portraiture, where they study the work of Picasso and the style of Cubism, followed by architecture, where students explore the work of Jasper Johns and Camille Walala.
This journey through Key Stage 3 gives students the tools they need in preparation for being GCSE Art ready. We believe all students should start with developing drawing skills; the foundations of any artist, therefore we encourage the use of this skill throughout each of the projects we study. Some examples include portraiture into painting, architecture into print making and observational drawing of natural forms into clay.
If students wish to study GCSE art, they are given the independence to explore their preferred working method and to be inspired by artists of their choice. The projects are tailored around them as individuals so that their responses become for personalised. They do this through two areas of coursework study; Natural Forms and Identity. The externally set exam follows on from these two units, where we guide and support students through their chosen set question.
Extra-curricular clubs and visits support our curriculum delivery as well as nurtures students’ passion for the subject. Workshops with visiting artists, visits to galleries, sculpture parks and exhibitions give the students the opportunity to see art beyond their time at Cantell. Students engagement in art at Cantell School can be seen in our very own gallery; The Cantell Community Wall, where recent art work has been displayed showing our pride and creativity as a school.