Getting Ahead - Summer Exhibition Guide

We want you to enjoy your Holiday, but it would be great if that included some Cultural enrichment, so how about:

Soaking up some Culture and getting enthused by visiting exhibitions and galleries. Below is a selective guide to exhibitions in London this Summer.

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY: 
St Martin's Place, London WC2H 0HE
https://www.npg.org.uk/

Michael Jackson: On the Wall
A landmark exhibition that explores the influence of Michael Jackson on some of the leading names in contemporary art. 
28 June - 21 October 2018
Tickets with donation from: £17.50 - £22 

BP Portrait Award 2018: 

The BP Portrait Award is the most prestigious portrait painting competition in the world and represents the very best in contemporary portrait painting.
14 June – 23 September 2018 
Admission Free

TATE MODERN Bankside, London SE1 9TG: 
https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

The Shape of Light: Tells the intertwined stories of photography and abstract art. 
2 May – 14 October 2018. 
£18 / FREE for Members

Admission £18 (Advance booking £16) 
Concession £17 (Advance booking £15)

Family child 12–18 years £5 

Are you aged 16–25? Register for Tate Collective and get tickets for only £5

Picasso 1932 - Love, Fame, Tragedy: 1932 was an intensely creative period in the life of the 20th century’s most influential artist. This is the first ever solo Pablo Picasso exhibition at Tate Modern. It will bring you face-to-face with more than 100 paintings, sculptures and drawings, mixed with family photographs and rare glimpses into his personal life. 

8 March – 9 September 2018

£22 / FREE for Members

Concession £20 (£22 with donation) 

Family child 12–18 years £5

Are you aged 16–25? Register for Tate Collective and get tickets for only £5

TATE BRITAIN Millbank, London SW1P 4RG:

https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain

All Too Human: Bacon, Freud and a century of painting life. All Too Human celebrates the painters in Britain who strove to represent human figures, their relationships and surroundings in the most intimate of ways.
28 February – 27 August 2018

£19.50 (Advance booking £17.00)
Concession £18.50 (Advance booking £16)
FREE for Members

Family child 12–18 years £5

Are you aged 16–25? Register for Tate Collective and get tickets for only £5

Aftermath: Art in the wake of World War I. Marking the 100 years since the end of World War One, Aftermath looks at how artists responded to the physical and psychological scars left on Europe.

5 June – 23 September 2018

£18 / FREE for Members (Advance booking £16)

Concession £17 (Advance booking £15)

Family child 12–18 years £5

Are you aged 16–25? Register for Tate Collective and get tickets for only £5

SAATCHI GALLERY: King's Road, London SW3 4RY
https://www.saatchigallery.com/

Known Unknowns: Selection of work by 17 rising contemporary Fine Artists.
21 MARCH – 12 AUGUST 2018  
Admission Free

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ART: Piccadilly,London, W1J 0BD
https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/

 

250th Summer Exhibition: This summer, Grayson Perry RA coordinates the biggest, brightest and most colourful Summer Exhibition yet, in our 250th annual celebration of “art made now”.
12 June - 19 August
Admission £14/£9 Students and 16-18 year olds with iD

FASHION & TEXTILES MUSEUM: 
83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
http://www.ftmlondon.org/

Orla Kiely, A Life in Pattern: Featuring over 150 patterns and products, as well as collaborations with photographers, film directors and architects, Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern emphasises the role of ornament and colour in our everyday lives. 
25May - 23 September 2018
Admission £9.90/£7 Students with iD

V & A MUSEUM: Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
https://www.vam.ac.uk/

Fashioned From Nature: The first UK exhibition to explore the complex relationship between fashion and nature from 1600 to the present day.
21 April 2018 - 27 January 2019
Admission £12/£10 12-17 years or Students with iD

The Future Starts Here: Showcasing 100 Design Projects shaping the world of tomorrow.
12 May - 4 November 2018
Admission £16/£12 12-17 years or Students with iD

Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up: Experience a fresh perspective on Kahlo's compelling life story through her most intimate personal belongings.
Until 4 November 2018
Admission £15/£11 12-17 years or Students with iD

HAYWARD GALLERY: Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery

Lee Bul, Crashing: Brings together more than 100 works from the late 1980s to the present day, including a new sculptural work and a site-specific commission.
1 June - 19 August 2018
Admission £13/£10.50 Students with iD

BARBICAN CENTRE: Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS
https://www.barbican.org.uk/

Dorothea Lange, Vanessa Winship: A double bill of exhibitions featuring pioneering documentary photographer and visual activist, Dorothea Lange, and award-winning contemporary photographer, Vanessa Winship.
22 Jun—2 Sep 2018


Standard Ticket £13.50
Students with ID and 14-17 year olds: £9.00

DESIGN MUSEUM:  
Kensington High Street, London W8 6AG
http://designmuseum.org/

Azzadine Alaia, The Couturier: Celebrate ‘couture’s rebellious outsider’ in the first UK solo exhibition of his work.
Until 7 October 2018 
Admission £14.50/£10.75 Students with iD

Hope to Nope, Graphics and Politics 2008 - 2018: Discover how graphic design has played a pivotal role in dictating and reacting to the major political moments of our times.
Until 12 August 2018
Admission £10.90/£8.20 Students with iD
Combined Student ticket (Alaia + Hope to Nope) £17.50

SERPENTINE GALLERY: 
Kensington Gardens, London W2 3XA
http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The London Mastaba. New floating installation by the veteran large scale practitioner. Plus retrospective of works in the gallery.
18 Jun 2018 to 23 Sep 2018

Admission Free

A Level Art - Portrait Project

"Grandad" by Martha Dobson (Former Alton College student)

Project Outline

Over the remainder of this term you will start work on your A2 Coursework Unit. Starting this Unit now gives you the maximum time and opportunity to produce a really strong set of work.

As our starting point we will be looking at the common theme of Portraiture, although there will be a chance to explore alternative subject matter later in this Unit.

Our focus over the next few weeks will be to complete initial studies from direct observation, generate source imagery through photography and drawing and complement this with thoughtfully selected research.

To enrich your understanding you should all make a study visit to the BP portrait award at the National Portrait Gallery before we return in September.

Observational Drawing

We will all complete some self-portrait studies from direct observation in sketchbooks. You will be given instruction and guidance from your Tutors to help you, but remember that good observational drawing is dependent on you sustaining a focussed approach.

Photography

Your final portrait will be a representation of yourself or another subject, you could even choose to deal with more than one figure. When taking your Photographs you should consider the following:

• Composition/cropping (how much of the figure/s you include in the frame).
• Viewpoint. Unusual Viewpoints (e.g. high or low camera angle) can add interest.
• Lighting (specific lighting can add drama).
• Background: the setting and space around the figure/s.
• Props (these can add meaning or tell the audience more about the subject)
• Gesture and facial expression.
• Formal or informal pose?

Research

Before you start work on your outcome you will benefit from looking at how some other Artists have approached the theme of Portraiture. You should look at a minimum of 6 portraits by 6 different Artists, try to identify some historical and contemporary examples.

Two examples from each of the following lists would be appropriate (but there are countless other possibilities):

Rembrandt - Self Portrait

Historical (pre 1870)

El Greco, Diego Velazquez, Caravaggio, Leonardo Da Vinci, Titian, Jan Van Eyck, Jan Vermeer, Theodore Gericault, Jacques-Louis David, Francisco Goya, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, Joseph Wright of Derby, Hans Holbein, Bellini.

Edvard Munch - The Artist and his Model

Modern (1870 – 1970)

Edgar Degas, Stanley Spencer, Chaim Soutine, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Edvard Munch, Egon Schiele, Francis Bacon, Oscar Kokoschka, Max Beckmann, Henri Matisse, Otto Dix, Amedeo Modigliani.

David Cobley - Blues, Beer and Rock & Roll

Contemporary (post 1970)

David Hockney, Lucian Freud, Frank Auerbach, Chuck Close, Tai-Shan Schierenberg, Alison Lambert, Jenny Saville, Tim Okamura, Eric Fischl, Paula Rego, David Hancock, Robert Bechtle, Franz Gertsch, Jason Brooks, Stuart Pearson Wright, David Cobley.

After you have selected your 6 portraits analyse each one in detail and make visual responses to at least one portrait in each category. Aspects of each portrait you should discuss include:

·         Use of colour.

·         Technique.

·         Scale.

·         Lighting.

·         Composition.

·         Atmosphere/mood.

·         Formal or informal portrait?

·         Was the painting commissioned by the sitter?

·         Any story behind the image?

You should also find out a little about the Artist and identify when the portrait was made. Make a sustained visual response to one Artist in each category in appropriate media.

Development

From your photographs use your sketchbook to produce a series of drawn studies that enable you to plan your final piece. You should pay particular attention to devising an effective composition, if your photographs were successful you will already be well along the path towards this, use your drawings to experiment, crop and refine your final image.

You should move onto experiments with printmaking and then explore colour and technique through a range of media as you develop your responses to your source photography.

Time Plan

Week beginning Mon. 11^th June.

• Studio: Observational Self Portraits.
• Private Study: Source Photography (complete by Monday 20^th June)

Week beginning Mon. 18^th June.

• Studio: Completion of observational pieces, developmental studies from photographs.
• Private Study: Artist Research (select and analyse images)

Week beginning Mon. 25^th June.

• Studio: Drawings and printmaking based on photographs.
• Private Study: Artist Research (visual responses to sources). Research should be complete by Mon. 5^th July.

Weeks beginning Mon. 2nd & Mon. 9th July. Lessons finish Weds. 11^th July.

• Studio: Mixed media experimentation exploring colour and technique.
• Private Study: Collation and presentation of all work in sketchbooks.

Miriam Escofet - An Angel at my Table
(from 2018 BP Portrait Exhibition)

Make arrangements to visit the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery (just off Trafalgar Square in London). BP Portrait Award 2018

Free entrance, open  14 June to 23 September 2018.

Freedom and/or Limitations expectations and checklist.

There are now just 3 College weeks left of your Exam Preparation time, so important to focus on where you should be at in terms of your development by the time you return from the Easter break. Remember that when the exam concludes the course is complete, there is no further opportunity to revisit sketchbooks, so ensuring you maximise the potential of your work prior to the start of the exam period is essential.

A Level Externally Set Assignment: Freedom and/or Limitations.
AO 1	Research & Develop Ideas
What you should complete: Research into at least 6 Artists associated with the approach you are taking including analysis of individual images in terms of technique, scale, media, composition, use of colour etc. Links to your own studio work should be explained. Present your research alongside the development of your own visual work at relevant points; consider layout and how to include text carefully. Get several good quality reproductions of each Artist’s work. Visual responses should be based on your own imagery, not direct transciptions from the Artist's works.
By Monday 16th April: There should be reference to at least 4 Artists in your sketchbook with analysis of imagery and connections to your work explained, visual relevance to the development of your own project should be apparent.
AO 2	Explore & Select Media
What you should complete: At least 15 pages of experimentation and development of your imagery. Establish a theme and produce a series of related studies …use and combine a range of media (e.g. photomontage, paint, printmaking, collage, PhotoShop).  Your developmental work should show progress from your initial imagery towards your outcome. Use this work to explore technique, colour and composition. Annotation explaining your choice of media and the progression of your ideas. Several larger studies (full page or a more substantial pieces in addition to the sketchbook) that clearly relate to the final piece in terms of technique and composition. Series of developmental sketchbook pages
By Monday 16th April: Make a series of developments from your initial imagery in a range of media (printing, painting, collage, digital etc.) experiments with the media you intend to use in your final piece are essential across a minimum of 8 sketchbook pages.
AO 3	Visual Recording
What you should complete: A wide range of your own primary photographic source imagery (taken specifically for this project). These should be carefully presented in your sketchbook (contact sheets and larger prints of plenty of images). At least 4 high quality pencil drawings based on your photographs (these should each represent at least 3 hours worth of focussed work). Additional drawings exploring more expressive technique and other media (such as fineliner or biro). At least 3 prints developed from your photographic imagery (monoprints and/or gold card).
By Monday 16th April: All the above should be complete.
AO 4	Realise Intentions
What you should complete: A substantial and fully resolved final outcome to your set of work - this piece will be completed in the 15 hour controlled test.
To be produced in the Exam period which runs from  Monday 30th April - Monday 21st May.

Some Recently Completed A Level Coursework Outcomes

Some exciting work has been completed in the last few weeks, here is a selection:

Bridget Lees 1st Year 

Rachel Thorne 1st Year

Emily Reilly 1st Year

Maisy Venn 2nd Year

Jamie Kirkwood 2nd Year

Hannah V Knight 1st Year

Matthew Price 2nd Year

Hannah Barbey 2nd Year

Charli Holland 2nd Year

Exam Unit - Half Term Prep & Some Additional Starting Points

Over half term you need to prepare for the Externally Set Unit - for second years this will be the culmination of your course, for first years this serves as your end of year mock exam and can later be used to contribute towards your coursework submission.

Over the half term week it is essential that you take a good set of photographs specifically to inspire the forthcoming project. These need to be well considered; be prepared to go the extra mile to get imagery that is going to excite and motivate you for the next 3 months. Get a minimum of 40 photographs on a related theme, you can use starting points outlined below, on the exam paper, or of your own.

All elements of Coursework (sketchbooks, outcomes, personal study) or City work (sketchbook, outcome) must be submitted on Monday 19th February when we return to lessons.

You will need the imagery to begin work on your Exam Unit in your first lesson back.

A LEVEL ART UNIT 2 (EXTERNALLY SET ASSIGNMENT)

“Freedom and/or Limitations”

In addressing any of the starting points outlined below the same things will be looked for when your work is assessed:

• A substantial body of visually interesting primary source material, including your own photographs taken specifically for this unit and a series of high quality observational drawings and prints.
• A broad range of research sources, thoughtfully presented alongside your own analysis of specific images. Research should be complemented by visual responses to the Artists and Designers you have selected. It is important that your sources are relevant to your own work and the links between the two are explained.
• Meaningful visual development of your ideas, this should explore elements such as materials/technique, composition, colour, tone and scale. Developmental studies should be annotated explaining decisions taken and progress made.
• A well realised final outcome produced in the final exam time (15 hours).

Starting Points:

Peter Doig - Concrete Cabin

San Francisco from Alcatraz Cell

  

Boundaries: Within the Landscape boundaries both natural and man-made frequently occur. These areas provide visually interesting combinations: wild and managed, sea and shore, town and country.

Many Artists have responded to the visual tension created on the margins where one type of landscape meets another, sometimes these boundaries capture elements of both freedom and limitations, such as the image of San Francisco seen from an Alcatraz prison cell above. Look at some Artists whose work explores this theme and take a range of your own photographs to develop a body of work from.

References: Bill Jacklin (Central Park paintings), Claude Monet, Peter Doig, John Keane.

Henri deToulouse-Lautrec 

Andreas Gursky

 

Social Interaction: Social events are an expression of the freedom and choices available to us in modern society, the options for how to spend our precious leisure time are wider than ever. Pubs, cafes, parties and nightclubs provide rich imagery that has inspired Artists across the generations from Toulouse-Lautrec’s paintings of the dancers at the Moulin Rouge to Andreas Gursky’s composite photographs of Madonna concerts.

Gather your own imagery from places where people gather to socialise, you could explore more intimate moments between individuals or look at the visual impact of a mass of people crowded together.

References: Bill Jacklin, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Eduoard Manet, Andreas Gursky.

Cy Twombly

Gerhard Richter

   

Abstraction : In the years that followed the invention of the camera Artists found new ways of depicting their experiences visually, this “reinvention” of what painting sought to address provided freedom for Artists to look internally for inspiration and make purely abstract work.

Abstraction brought the visual Arts closer to other creative fields such as music. Just as composers or jazz musicians make instinctive “free” choices about what sounds to combine or sequence, so abstract painters make intuitive decisions about colour, shape and composition.

Look at a variety of Abstract Artist’s work and take a range of photos that possess abstract qualities (zoom in or choose unusual angles so subject matter becomes unrecognisable, experiment with long exposures and blurred imagery), use these sources to develop abstractions that explore colour, mark making and composition.

References: Hans Hofmann, Wassily Kandinsky, Gerhard Richter, Willem de Kooning, Howard Hodgkin, Cy Twombly.

Eduardo Recife

David Salle

Combining Images: The advent of Collage as an Artform in the 20^th Century has allowed Artists and Illustrators the freedom to juxtapose imagery from different sources within single Artworks. Often this can create contrasts between apparently unrelated material. Visual tensions are often produced by this marrying of imagery. Collage Artists are often like magpies, collecting material from diverse sources.

Look at a range of works by the Artists in the reference section and then collect a broad spectrum of your own material to work with, this should include some photographic material that gives you scope for producing some sustained initial drawings and prints.

References: Eduardo Recife, Robert Rauschenberg, David Salle, James Rosenquist, Peter Blake, Kurt Schwitters, John Keane, Ben Allen, Joseph Cornell.

Ben Johnson

Teh Chankerk

Architectural Forms: Towns and Cities are rarely built and planned over a short period of time, they evolve and new buildings jostle for space with classical architecture. Each generation of buildings accesses new materials and construction techniques, which has allowed Architects increasing freedom to explore inventive and ambitious projects.

Many Artists have been inspired by Architecture, both old and new, buildings give structure to a composition and imagery from Architectural sources can lead to work in 2 or 3 dimensions of either a figurative or an abstract nature.

Look at a range of Artists who use the built environment as their visual stimulus, and take a range of photos that explore Architectural contrasts, look for unusual viewpoints and reflections to create strong compositions.

References: Architects Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava, Frank Gehry, Richard Rogers Artists Ben Johnson, Richard Galpin, Dennis Creffield, John Virtue, Brendan Neiland, Frank Auerbach, David Hepher.