Exhibition of 400 young artists is a huge hit

Da Vinci, Kadinsky and Picasso were among the inspirations of 400 aspiring young artists who showcased their talents to the public this week.

The students from Gaywood Primary School displayed their artwork at the Beyond the Line Exhibition, which took place in the school hall from 3.15 to 6.15pm on Thursday and Friday and featured pieces in charcoal, acrylic, textiles and oil pastels.

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Gaywood’s Year 6 teacher and head of art, Rachel Rossiter, said: “We wanted to increase the children’s confidence in creating, displaying and speaking about art in its different forms, encouraging them to take pride in their work."

Headteacher Neil Mindham added: “The curriculum that we have in place throughout the school is structured around both the elements of art and artistic periods or movements, such as the Renaissance, Cubism and Impressionism.

“Therefore, we wanted to expand the children’s knowledge of some key artists within these movements as a focal point for the exhibition.”

The Year 6 group drew on Leonardo Da Vinci for inspiration, while Year 4 looked at work by Wassily Kadinsky, Year 3 studied Andy Goldsworthy, and Year 2 were influenced by Pablo Picasso.

The students worked both singly and in groups to create their pieces, Mr Mindham explained, and used a variety of different media, from print making in Reception and oil pastels in Year 1 to ‘natural materials sourced from the school field’ in Year 3 and watercolour in Year 5.

He continued: “Group work included creating symmetrical mandala designs inspired by the sculpture work of Andy Goldsworthy, while Year 1 explored continuous line drawings using oil pastels in the style of Pablo Picasso, and Year 6 created life and anatomical drawings relating to the work of the Renaissance artists and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.”

As well as parents and members of the public, the exhibition was attended by artists and organisers from Norfolk Open Studios, along with the Mayor, and governors and trustees from the West Norfolk Academies Trust, of which the school is a member.