Art Enrichment in London

On Tuesday, GCSE artists went to London to explore contemporary and traditional portraiture, as well as photographing the contrasts of modern and ancient architecture. Pupils visited the National Portrait Gallery and were intrigued by the range of works displayed across many eras, especially the Herbert Smith Freehills Portrait Award 2024. This is one of Britain’s most prestigious art prizes, and is the leading showcase for artists throughout the world specialising in portraiture. Barbara Walker, Tom Shakespeare and Russell Tovey are among this year’s judging panel. The competition showcases the very best in contemporary portrait painting and is open to everyone aged 18+. Since its inception over 40 years ago, the competition has attracted over 40,000 entries from more than 100 countries and over 6 million people have seen the exhibition.

Pupils drew inspiration from the different styles, techniques and colour palettes to later explore in their own coursework. They then walked down Whitehall and along the Thames to the Tate Britain, and made their way through galleries and particularly the ‘Now You See Us’ exhibition which explores the work of women artists in Britain from 1520 – 1920. Spanning 400 years, this exhibition follows women on their journeys to becoming professional artists. From Tudor times to the First World War, artists such as Mary Beale, Angelica Kauffman, Elizabeth Butler and Laura Knight paved a new artistic path for generations of women. They challenged what it meant to be a working woman of the time by going against society’s expectations – having commercial careers as artists and taking part in public exhibitions. This exhibition runs until 13 October 2024