A Trip to The National Gallery

Is your child interested in art? And if asked about their love of the subject, can they talk about it with confidence?

Sabine Casparie is an expert in art history who offers bespoke 11+ tours in the Tate and the National Gallery. With more than a decade of experience as a contemporary art teacher, she has spent the past 4 years leading art history enrichment sessions at a North London School. This week, I went on one of her tours to find out more. 

We met at the National Gallery in London with a plan to look at 10 paintings in detail. Sabine's goal is to help you to confidently interpret and articulate your thoughts about art. She is very encouraging and she manages to remove any feelings of worry you might have that you won't get it right.  

Below are a few of the paintings we looked at with a selection of the types of questions she asks.

The Ambassadors - Hans Holbein: Where do you think the painting was displayed? Who do you think these people are? What do you think the various objects on the table, such as the globe and the music score symbolise?… And have you noticed the loose string on the lute? 

The Virgin of The Rocks - Leonardo da Vinci: What do you notice about the way the subjects are positioned? Do you know what an altarpiece is? What is unique about the background in this painting? Have you heard of a technique called sfumato?

The Skiff  - Renoir: How do you feel when you look at this painting? What colours do you notice most? Where is the horizon and what is the effect of placing it so high? 

We also talked about impressionism and pointillism and compared Seurat’s Bathers at Asnières with The Channel of Gravelines, Grand Fort-Phillipe. And we looked at works by Turner, often referred to as the first modern artist: Dido building Carthage, The Fighting Temeraire (above) and Rain, Steam, and Speed. We discussed the reflections, the light, and how the paintings make you feel. 

Without a doubt, this is a great way to get over the awkwardness of having to express your thoughts about an artwork out loud and the worry that you might be getting it wrong! 

If your child is asked about their love of art in a school interview, this fun, stealth-learning outing will definitely help them to express themselves with confidence.

Sabine teaches both on Zoom and in person and is happy to teach a group. Contact her here to make an enquiry.