Art is taught in an integrated way and as a separate subject. Artistic work is an integral part of the Main Lesson and is used in a wide variety of contexts. Pupils have opportunities to learn a wide range of art techniques in weekly art lessons. Care is taken to introduce good foundational skills. Top quality materials are used so that the children develop an intuitive sense of beauty, harmony and aesthetics. In classes 1-5 the children work with colour, developing their sense of colour through watercolour painting, crayon and pencil drawing. In drawing outlines are avoided, instead, the children learn to work in planes of colour. Some drawings and paintings are guided, at other times the children work from their imagination often drawing the images from story content. In classes 1 and 2 paintings explore colour in its pure form without any figurative content. From class 3 paintings gradually become more figurative. Through this extended work with pure colour, the children develop an intuitive understanding of colour that they can bring to their own creations later on. In class 6 light and dark is studied in parallel with the physics block. Black and white drawing explores how form arises out of the interplay between light and dark, first through formal exercises and then through life study of simple geometric forms. In class 7, the children study the laws of perspective within the context of the renaissance, once mastered these laws can be applied to create elaborate and complex compositions. In class 8 life drawing now includes organic forms and objects. Layered painting is introduced. Modelling is also an important part of the art curriculum as it helps develop a sense of form. In classes 1-3 the children model coloured beeswax figures and animals from stories. From class 3 clay work is introduced. From class 6 lino printing is also explored.
