This year the children responded to ‘A Regatta on the Grand Canal’ by Canaletto, during our Take One Picture event. The pupils were involved in Art activities all day on Friday 17th October. Each year group chose the activities they wanted to do with their pupils, closely linking the painting with their thematic curriculum. Projects like these ensure pupils gain not only technical skills but also a deeper appreciation for creativity as an essential part of their academic and personal growth.
The painting depicts a floating city. Here we see a regatta, traditionally Venetian, in full swing. A festive day 2nd February, enjoyed by crowds of onlookers. The gondolas line up and then race for 3 miles, and the winner is awarded prizes, flags, cash and glory. The painting illustrates Venice as a fairy tale experience for Grand Tour travellers. Such paintings of Venice were a lucrative business for Canaletto.
During the day the pupils were engrossed in their activities and there was an immersive atmosphere around school. Each Year group had fun whist learning new skills and meeting challenge. In Year 6 the pupils visit the National Gallery and see in person the paintings that we have studied over the years in our Take One Picture events.
In Preschool the pupils painted their own flags to wave at the regatta.
In Reception, the children enjoyed a visit to the beach, building boats from natural materials and using them to create their very own regatta scenes.
In Years One and Two, the children experimented with printing, designing and cutting out their own boats, and using tubes and blocks to print Venetian buildings. By layering painted backgrounds with detailed foregrounds of boats and buildings, the children also created beautiful regatta scenes full of colour, texture, and depth.
Year Three had a visit from local artist Jacqui Mair and looked at the adornments on the bissone. They created these shapes using collage on a background created with jelly plates.
Year Four looked at the hidden depths of the Grand Canal and used sgraffito and monoprinting techniques to reveal lost treasure in the water.
Year Five studied the iron prow on the gondolas and made their own 3D models of these, adding the 6 Cs of our curriculum to the prongs.
Year Six looked at the conflict Venice is facing and the one-point perspective within the painting and used warm, cool and complementary colours to create their own depiction of the painting.
By reinterpreting this work pupils developed their artistic techniques and deepened their understanding of Art history making it both exciting and academically enriching.
