Art: 01 May 2017

Students in Year 8 have been looking at the work of Cubist artists and creating beautiful still life drawings inspired by its fascinating and fragmented style.

Showcasing Contextual Studies in Key Stage 3 Art

In the High School Art department we support practical work with the study of the work of artists, craftspeople and designers from a variety of cultures and times. Students research and analyze art works, forming their own interpretations of the meanings and ideas communicated by the artist. They build up an understanding of the intentions of the artist and how their cultural environment and history may have influenced the creation of their work. This is a vital factor in helping our students understand the purpose and value of their own art work. By placing their work in context students feel inspired and become motivated to experiment with media, processes and ideas.

Our year 8 artists have been looking at the work of the Cubist artists, Pablo Picasso, George Braque and Juan Gris. It is surprising that such a famous and important art movement was at its peak for a relatively short period of time. Although the main work of the Cubists was made in the seven years between 1907 and 1914, the timing is very significant. The distortion and fragmentation of Cubist art reflects European anxiety, as the world moved ever closer to the start of World War 1. Safal, in year 8S, interpreted the cubist style as being about “how thoughts are like objects being viewed from different places, but in the same room”. It is wonderful to see how our young artists interpret ideas in such varied and personal ways. Here is just a small selection of the cubist influenced drawings from year 8.