In the first of what will be a series of articles on the recent happenings in our Junior School, Year 9 student Tomide talks Art Gallery visits, war novels and expressionist painting.
Recently, the Year 7-8s here at McGlashan have been going to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery to engage in immersive learning outside the classroom.
The day was split between exploring the professional exhibitions and participating in a hands-on workshop in the gallery’s education space.
For the students in 8LWI, last week Friday offered fantastic opportunities for them to bring their studies to life in a different setting.
Looking back on the experience, Harry H shared some of his thoughts about how the works they were observing connected to their current unit on Michael Monpurgo’s War Horse, a book about a teenage boy trying to reunite with his horse during war-time.
Making these connections allowed the boys to appreciate how the central themes of a book can be expressed through visual means, deepening their understanding about the links between both subjects.
The students then shifted from observation to active creation, taking part in a hands-on workshop.
Gus W described how the class experimented with expressionism, explaining that they were asked to draw inspiration from music playing in the background.
“They wanted us to paint the feelings we got from the music playing.”
By translating the changing rhythms into brushstrokes, stunning artworks with many koru and masking tape being used to make plain lines were born.
This rich experience helped the students further develop skills in sensory expression and connecting different fields to a common ground.
Tomide
Year 9
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