Grade 10 students are nearing the end of a very in-depth exploration of portraiture and human facial proportions. Everyone is hard at work on their compositions, using the materials and expressive elements of their choice.
It is rewarding to see 12 different students each working toward the same goal but with complete freedom in their creative decision-making. Students have the added challenge of finding inspiration from a real-world artist but without copying their style; for example, Moaaz is using vivid, non-naturalistic colors after studying Basquiat, but is trying to figure out how to apply that learning to a more realistic face shape. Hassan is taking a similar approach to that of Frida Kahlo, using symbolism to communicate something about Armaan, but with his own pencil rendering technique. Hoor studied Sargent’s A Dinner Table at Night and may choose to use similar red hues, or the same strong indoor lighting, or it may be something else about Sargent’s work that she wants to explore.
