Fine Artists and Photographs in Year 11, 12 and 13 enjoyed a trip to London to visit exhibitions relevant to their independent projects.

David Hockney at the Royal Academy provided a bright start for our Fine Artists. We were overwhelmed by ‘82 portraits and 1 still life’. All of Hockney’s painted portraits were vibrant character studies; the colour sang off the canvas in waves of magenta and neon yellow residing on a turquoise backdrop. The simplicity of his chosen poses gave his characters great poise. For some it was an exercise in how to paint flesh, or what to do with colour, for others how to capture the essence of character.

The photographers were enthralled by the stylish work of Terence Donovan, spread out over two floors, whose work goes from the trendy fashion shoots and edgy portraits of the 60’s through overly glamorous music videos and fashion of the 1980’s to the beautiful, elegant portraits made just before his death for GQ magazine in 1996. The dandy portraits were varied and at times challenging but both exhibitions gave students numerous ideas for future projects.

The newly extended Tate Modern provided a taste of what is to come. The permanent collection runs from Monet’s water lilies, the Seagram murals of Rothko, the surreal work of Dali to contemporary performance. Many were in awe of the new ten storey ‘Switch House’ providing 360 degree vistas of the city skyline.  The newly reopened Tanks provided some with some challenging concepts of performance, film and kinetic sculpture. The collection now housed in both the original ‘Boiler House’ and the new building rehung and provided more of the fabulous collection to confuse and admire alike. The Tate makes people question: What is it? Why is it here? How is it relevant? What can I do? I can do……

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