O n 30 March, seven Lower School students competed in the second incarnation of our internal ARTiculate com- petition, modelled on the national ARTiculation award. This competition offers students the opportunity to pick an art- work or building that they find fascinating, and give a short verbal and visual presentation on its context and their interpretation. The standard of entries this year was outstanding; we were amazed by the variety of artistic styles covered by the cohort. Alfred Godfrey (Year 8) kicked the competition off with a well- researched presentation on Gustav Klimt’s Woman in Gold. He was followed by Nicholas Gregan (Year 7) who gave an immensely personal account of anime artist Toriyama’s work, linking it to his own drawing practice. Nibishanth Arulsanthakumar (Year 7) explored the much loved Van Gogh painting Starry Night in great depth, and William Beresford (Year 7) delved into the complex arguments surrounding ‘white paintings’, using Rauschenberg’s work as the locus of his wider question ‘but… is it art?’. Thomas Callaghan (Year 7) gave a very well-researched and structured talk on Christopher Wren’s architecture, focusing on St Paul’s Cathedral. The judges found the deliberation process incredibly challenging, with such a strong selection of entries to choose from. Solomon Eames (Year 8) was awarded second prize for his personal and well-researched presentation on Banksy’s Smiling Coppers, which has triggered a lasting interest in graffiti art . Niccolo Miserocchi Choudhury (Year 7) was awarded first prize for his thoughtful visual analysis of Salvador Dali’s The Elephants, which raised lots of questions about the mysterious symbolism and visual metaphors contained within the painting. All seven competitors gave amazingly impressive presentations, demonstrating excellent independent research skills and superb public-speaking abilities. We were really pleased that Dr Spence was able to join us and award the prizes. Well done to all involved! ◎ ARTICULATE 2023 Ruth Spencer Jolly was impressed by the excellent research and public-speaking skills displayed in this year’s competition
Art Review 2023
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THE ALLEYNIAN 711
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