artists of the week!

Huge, huge congratulations to Year 13 A Level Art students Julia Zhou and Victoria Dennis, who have been selected by the Art, Design and Photography department as their Artists of the Week!

They more than deserve this accolade, as you will see from the lead montage of their fantastic work, and their individually displayed pieces below.

As Head of Art Mrs Nanvadazeh explains, the students have been working on:

Component 1: Personal investigation

The A-Level Personal Investigation in Art, Craft & Design is a practical investigation supported by written material.

Students are required to conduct a practical investigation into an idea, issue, concept, or theme, supported by written material. The focus of the investigation must be identified independently by the student and must lead to a finished outcome.

The investigation should be a coherent, in-depth study that demonstrates the student’s ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning from an initial starting point to a final realisation.

The investigation must show clear development from initial intentions to the final outcome. It must include evidence of the student’s ability to research and develop ideas and relate their work in meaningful ways to relevant critical/contextual materials.

The investigation must be informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists, photographers, designers, or craftspeople.

Here Julia shares the conceptual and personal inspiration behind her investigation and project, and the work that she has produced:

INVESTIGATING THE ART OF LANDSCAPES by Julia Zhou 

Landscapes have an immense range, from coastal plains to mountains to the sea. Each of these different biomes contains specific landforms that highlight the wondrous variety of the natural world, and is further illuminated by the constant sky which displays an immense variety of colours, all different levels of saturation and hues, as well as different weather patterns and times of day.

I have chosen to investigate the art of landscapes, as its diversity lends itself to open interpretations that I can freely explore, whilst centrally creating pieces that showcase nature.  

As I live in England and am ethnically Chinese, the landscapes and cityscapes of both England and China distinctly represent the two places that I feel at home, evoking feelings of familiarity and warmth.

I also enjoy spending time outdoors, and places such as Chinese mountains, English beaches and the Lake District hold fond, nostalgic memories of outings with my family.

I would like to explore ways in which these emotions can be expressed through art using formal techniques, such as colour and composition. Furthermore, as England and China are vastly different countries in terms of geographical location, culture, architecture and more, investigating these two countries would provide a great range of subject matter to explore in my project.  

Investigating the landscapes of these two countries stems from my identity. Whilst intrinsically they are simply landforms, the land and cityscapes of these countries have been given their own character by human interaction with them, such as by inhabiting and urbanising the locations.

I intend to deeply explore this interaction for both of its positive and negative effects on the natural world. For example, as previously mentioned, the landscapes of different countries reflect the way of life of the local inhabitants, and showcase differences in culture, the individual beauty of which can be shared and appreciated. On the other hand, however, humans have also had drastically harmful effects on the environment, such as through deforestation, climate change and pollution. The contrast between the beauty of the landscape and the destruction that is being wreaked upon it could be an interesting subject to visually portray and research in my written element; and artistically, it has great potential to present an emotive message.

Victoria details the conceptualisation of her investigation and project:

INVESTIGATING THE CONCEPT OF BEAUTY THROUGH PORTRAITURE by Victoria Dennis

In this project I will be investigating identity through portraiture through this written element. I have always had an interest in art and how expressive it is, and can be. Portraiture is packed with so many emotions and meaning behind it and I thought it was best that I investigated this style of art and the range that there is. 

Portraiture is an incredibly old art form going all the way back to Ancient Egypt. During this time, portraiture was the only way to document someone’s appearance, thus it was susceptible to change and manipulation, and is quite subjective, creating a caricature of someone depending on who is painting.

Portraiture could range from hyperrealistic to abstract, and I am planning to explore both opposite styles in a quest to identify the significance and beauty of them equally. In this written element I want to explore the subjective idea of beauty and what society's standards of beauty are currently. (Hahn 2019 The toxicity of beauty standards, The Catalyst). 

Also, as portraiture could also be the absence of a person, I want to investigate people, the meaning behind certain paintings, and the misconceptions that may follow because of this; and how storylines and tails are intricately placed using a singular brush and a canvas. 

Beauty is subjective, which works hand in hand with art. The media of oil paint is an important aspect of this painting too. This media rose to popularity in the Victorian era, and as there was an absence of cameras, oils were used as a way of capturing someone's face. However, due to this, many were depicted far from reality.

From this alone, you can see the effect that societal beauty standards had on many, especially women, and although they evolve, they go from one extreme to the other, and faces and bodies of those that were once human become mere trends.

With thanks to Julia and Victoria for sharing their work for us to enjoy and appreciate, and for giving an insight into the sources of inspiration for their projects, and the process of work.

Really well done on these superb, inspired and beautifully crafted creations. We are in awe of your craft and so proud of all that you have achieved!

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