“I use drawing to worry through the work. They’re for teasing ideas out, for thinking about composition and colour, without actually making things. They’re playful.”
During their Tate Britain visit, Year 5 discovered the work of Rachel Whiteread. She is one of Britain’s leading contemporary artists. The boys were also introduced to Sir Henry Tate and learnt about his passion for art. It is his wealth, love of art and determination that have set the foundations of Tate Galleries, one of the world’s most impressive art collections. The boys learnt about the nature of Whiteread’s work, the main reason for her having to rely on other art organisations and art patrons to materialise her ideas.
Rachel Whiteread uses industrial materials such as plaster, concrete, resin, rubber and metal to cast everyday objects and architectural space. She is known for her 1993 project ‘House’. The project made her become the very first woman to win the prestigious Turner Prize.
Her work shifts between small and big, positive and negative space, intimate and public. It was wonderful to see our boys engage with her work. They have allowed themselves to experience something so simple yet powerful at the same time.
Categories: School News
