For our final week of our Artists topic we explored the work of Albrecht Durer. We learned about his life and found out that he was a German printmaker, engraver and mathematician. We looked at a range of his different works and discussed the techniques he used.
We took inspiration from his printing techniques by adapting print making to the children’s ability. To start with, the children created print making boards by sticking different sized strings onto cardboard. Once the boards had dried the children applied different coloured paint and placed a white piece of paper on top of it to create their own prints. This activity encouraged the children to refine their fine motor skills and to think about the process of making art and not just the end result. The children had a lot of fun creating their individual artworks and it was lovely to see the children exploring their creativity. During Free Play the cutting with stencils and collaging activities were extremely popular with the children who used their creativity to create shapes and cards for their peers and teachers! This activity also strengthened their hand muscles and supports them in refining their fine motor skills. The highlight of the week however was on Friday where the Fledgings went on a coach trip to the Dulwich Picture Gallery! When we arrived, we were met by a tour guide who took us on a very special story telling session. Our guide paused by two paintings which they explained in detail to us, including information about its history, the techniques used and the artist. We discovered that one of the paintings was by the French artist Claude Lorrain and the other was by the Dutch artist Willem Van De Velde the Younger. The children had a lovely time singing along with our guide and they were entranced by both stories about the paintings.