News

National Portrait Gallery

Year 9 Art students visited the National Portrait Gallery on Friday 14^th March 2025 as part of a reward trip organised by the Abbs Cross Art Department. Students completed a ‘portrait hunt’ activity in groups focusing on the immigrant experience of artist Raqib Shaw in his painting ‘Raqib Shaw (‘The Final Submission in Fire on Ice’). They were also asked to locate Jerry Barrett’s oil painting ‘The Mission of Mercy: Florence Nightingale receiving the Wounded at Scutari’ as part of a worksheet focus on iconic women as the visit coincided with International Women’s Day. Additionally, students sought out portrait works in media other than painting such as embroidery, sculpture, drawing, mixed media and printmaking. The day culminated with a Q&A and discussion of the worksheet back in the Art room.

‘I found the art trip very interesting and liked completing the worksheet, because it drew our attention and focus towards specific portraits that we had to analyse. The trip allowed me to discover different, varied forms of art and mixed media which will inspire me in the future. There were many types of art that exposed me to a new way of viewing art.’