Self-portrait task

Naturally every artist is inclined to paint himself for one reason or another. History of art points at so many examples of self-portraits that it is almost impossible to tell if there is an artist who hasn't actually made one. Just look at Van Gogh's dozens of versions of himself. Or think of Frida Khalo's numerous paintings of her own image. No matter what the function or purpose of the self-depiction might be, the self-portrait is an important part of the artist's growth. 

The self-portrait task my students undertook was based on series of researches on the human body as a structure of geometrical shapes. The second stage involved a great deal of looking at cubist works and trying to interpret the link between the simplistic initial sketches and the simplified human figure recreated by the Cubists. The final stage of the task was to create a self-portrait using the language of Cubism and the geometrical structure. Leaving realism behind was a challenge for them, but the results were pretty inspiring. 

Sketch by Polina Nikova

Self-portrait by Ivan Maslyankov

Annual plein-air

The plein- air is an artistic event I have been trying to establish as a tradition in our institution for a few years now. Having in mind that our school is language orientated and Arts are not a priority subject, the idea itself was slightly radical when I first introduced it, but the plein-air is also great opportunity for CAS activities so gradually it became well accepted and popular among the students. For years I have worked to put emphasis on the importance of creating art and doing so outside of school, and the last plein-air is what I consider the best plein-air we've done so far- it was the smoothest blend of students I have worked with in this type of artistic activity. Not only my VA students but all 11th IB grade and students from the National Programme participated in various art exercises, worked as a team, enjoyed the art-making process, discussed their results and generally had fun. 

We tried out many inspiring techniques such as basic drawing, clay sculpture, papier-mache, photography, land art. All in all the results were a beautiful mixture of ideas, visions and skills, put together in a nice end-of-term exhibition. 

Scribble Project

I have been a fan of The Scribble Project for ages. It turns out my students enjoy it quite as much as I do- it's a fun way to express yourself, to get to know one another, to share interests and demonstrate artistic skills. This blog is intended to reflect on the progress of my IB VA students as well as the Art Club members, BUT I will make a small exception of the rule. The Scribble sheets below are drawn mostly by my 8-th graders- it's a task I give at the beginning of the academic year, when it's hard to remember all the new names and faces. It's a fun, fun way to know what my students enjoy, like, dislike, etc. 

A special thanks to Lisa Currie, the creator of The Scribble project for inspiring me. Visit her website here: http://www.lisacurrie.com/