ART SET BY: Michael Clark, Visual arts Teacher St Mary's Cathedral College
ARTMAKING, CRITICAL AND HISTORICAL STUDIES UNIT OF WORK
Portraiture: furthering the figure
DURATION: 6-8 weeks, 6 x 60 minute lessons per 10 day cycle per term
Context
This unit investigates the genre of portraiture and will take a historical journey through this evolving genre via the context of Australia’s largest, oldest and most contested portraiture prize competition, the Archibald Prize. Australian artist Brett Whiteley will be investigated for his personal response to the genre of portraiture. In addition, contemporary Australian artist Todd Fuller will be studied for his innovative artmaking practice in furthering preconceived practices of portraiture.
Art-making
Students will:
• Explore portraits as communication to express ideas, feelings, personalities and psychology of themselves and others.
• Use drawing and painting skills, techniques & processes
• Explore how artists use signs, symbols and mark making to communicate and develop meaning
• Respond to Whiteley’s gestural mark-making and painterly techniques.
• Focus on representing their own metaphysical aspects of their personality and psyche
• Discover and create detailed personal codes for psychological and emotional aspects of themselves in combination with individual physical traits.
• Further their understanding of portraiture via digital media, creating a stop motion animation through two-dimensional mixed media
• Develop collaborative practice working in pairs and small groups across multiple expressive forms.
Critical and historical studies
Students will:
• Investigate the artmaking practices of Australian artists Brett Whiteley and Todd Fuller
• Identify ways in which portraits are interpreted and explained historically
• Study the Archibald Prize as a historical and ongoing exhibition, rooted in the Australian artworld.