‘Artists of our time 1’ – Tabitha Saunders
In the first of a new, half-termly series, Tabitha Saunders is your guide to some of the awe-inspiring work being produced in the Art Department.
Hello and welcome to the page where we celebrate the amazing art that the students of RHS have
produced recently. There are 4 departments to explore and, as all of which are open to all year
groups, there is a wide diversity of art. (All of this art was made at the end of last year, which is why
there are pieces from people who are no longer at RHS)
Fine art
This piece was done by Freya Harris (left school last year). It’s quite obvious why this was picked, as the
attention to detail given in this painting is just incredible. This image is so well created and so powerful that you
can feel the passion and hard work that went into making it. To the eye, one may simply see a girl covered
in water, but I believe this is so much more. The sense of clarity the attention to detail brings suggests the feeling
of drowning; not in real water but by the things going on in ones head. Therefore Freya’s painting visually shows
you the effect of how everything going on around you mentally affects you. However, the painting also might
give the viewer a sense of compassion towards the girl; we can’t help her in her mental struggles, only watch on
as she tries to deal with it. Of course, this may not be what Freya meant with this piece. This viewpoint is
simply one way to look at it, but this painting is still extraordinary no matter how you interpret it.
Ceramics
These are the exam pieces of Lewis Browning in year 12. His general themes here are stags along with other such pieces along the same lines. All of these pieces present skill through the way the heads have been shaped, and by using the different types of clay to portray different meanings. For example, as the title of the exam was ‘Past, Present and Future’, the materials used (clay and porcelain) have a very prominent effect on the way you look at the three deer. The one made out of porcelain is white, and white symbolising purity suggests the young, past self. The middle one is fired in a way where the colour is between that of the deer either side of it, suggesting the present. The last, a metallicglazed deer, is symbolic of the future, as it is indicative of the strength of the ideas yet to come. The rest of the pieces are very much to do with the past, and are so well crafted they do indeed look as if they were from the past. These pieces are filled with meaning and symbolism that it would be a shame not to consider when observing them. (This is a very small part of his exhibition, which won him the art prize at speech day last year).
Textiles
These are by Genevieve Pringle in year 10, the first is a
paper cut, created by folding and cutting paper. The
intricate design clearly shows the level of detail and the
hard work Genevieve put into it in order to design this
immaculate and yet simplistic piece. The geometric
shapes and the familiar animals suggest a clear
familiarity and personal response to a task. The second
is a zentangle style piece which she free drew on the
iPad before colouring with sharpies. The fact that
Genevieve free drew this intricate design is
further indicative of her attention to detail and
her skill regarding these types of design. In
addition to this, the patterns that she has
created complement her technique due to the
vibrant colours and general style of the piece.
To top things off, both of these pieces have
been used on a dress which Genevieve made
for a young girl living in a less fortunate country.
Photography
Finally, here we have a photograph taken by Kirill Konstantinov (also left last year) as part of his exam course work. This was made by setting alight some steel wool and using a camera on long exposure. These create some pretty unique and interesting images. He had to wait until dark to take the picture, and it can easily be said that his patience was rewarded. The sparks from the wool contrast with the blackness of the night sky to create an almost empowering feeling within the viewer due to the brightness of the fire. The spirals at the centre of the photo could almost be indicative of the many emotions going on inside the mind and the sparks flying outwards of the inability to withhold the emotions any longer. Again, this is only one interpretation of this photo, but one thing we can all agree on is that it’s an amazing image.
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