Open the window – And let’s think about the family!
In week 7 we welcomed the Prep – 2 students back while the 3-6 students continued with their on-line learning.
These final weeks of on-line learning have been wonderful in terms of the students’ responses. The work this week represented a culmination of careful research and demonstrated the depth of student engagement with, response to, and understanding of the work of the Kitchen Sink Artists. Each week students built on the previous week’s learning. The subject matter and composition of the Kitchen Sink Artists’ works provided an interesting range of perspectives for the students to explore. Students were encouraged to explore the range of compositional approaches that John Bratby used in his ‘view from the window’ series of works.
(To understand the depth of the student responses, if you have the time, review the Seesaw Provocations related to the Kitchen Sink Artists, Let’s Look Out the Window. You will see how the students have so thoughtfully responded to the different compositional structures of the works examined.)
Below are a range of these wonderful responses from prep-6
Elspeth has created a beautiful view from her window. The shelf holds her art materials suggesting she is viewing the outside from her home studio. The window frames the inside but the outside world is still a dominant focus and part of her inner world. The bird flies past and the trees dominate the landscape of the outer world that is still within reach. This is a beautiful merging of her outside and inside worlds.
Alexander, in year 1 explored the work of the Kitchen Sink artists carefully and thoughtfully. This work is a wonderful example of how, week by week, he built on his skills and brought together all of his new understandings to create this amazing work.
Marlo in year 1 depicted a difficult composition by capturing both the inside and outside views from the window. He has captured the plants on the window ledge and also the view beyond the window, while framing the work with the window frame and panes of glass, showing how carefully he has examined and studied John Bratby’s work.
River in year 2 has tackled a difficult compositional structure by focusing on both the detail of the window in the foreground and also the detail of the view from the window outside. He has highlighted the outside view through strong line work and darker tones which has also created depth in the background of the picture. The eye of the viewer moves straight to the outside while the slats of the window frame inform the viewer that there is a barrier between inside and outside.
Sebastian in year 3 has created an extraordinary work. The detail in this work takes the viewer outside, and the clever rendition of the lamp in the foreground of the outside scene gives the work depth. The window frames the picture and the remote on the window ledge serves as a reminder that the artist is inside looking out.
Mateo in year 4 has created a wonderful view from his window looking down from above. The window carefully frames the view below and we get a wonderful view of the tree lined street, busy with cars, below. There is an extraordinary amount of detail and perspective in this drawing. The garden below, the street next to the garden, the green nature strip and people walking, and the road and buildings in the distance are cleverly layered and depicted.
This is an interesting work from Grace in year 5/6. I love the way Grace has simplified her view to include the plants on the inside framed by the window with the backdrop of the sky outside. It is a bold and clever interpretation of the view from her window.
Angus in year 5/6, has created an amazing drawing from the view from his window. The positioning of the ladder inside breaks the view to the outside, it divides the work in half and gives equal weight to the both views. There is no clear frame to the work and the outside world, with its detailed brick work, plant life and service meter sits comfortably with the inside, suggesting an equal importance.
The view of the outside world has a complexity and detail that demands the attention of the viewer. This outside view is framed by the window frame. The depth of the outside view is wonderful; the front garden, the fence and the world beyond are detailed and interesting. The inside space is contrasted with the outside by the dominance and detail of the lamp. This is a wonderful study that highlights the care and attention to detail that Ben (year 5/6) has given to the compositional structure of the work.
In week 7 the prep- 2 students returned to on-site learning. They reflected on the work they had done at home and the work of the Kitchen Sink Artists. They spent so much time in the home with their families over the past few months. We created a picture of our lives in the home and what it meant to us to be together as a family over this time.
Here are some of the Prep – 2 responses to this reflective drawing:
As artists, we use our art to express our way of seeing the world around us. Over the coming weeks we will develop pictures of our lives in the home and what it meant to us to be together as a family over this time.