Life imitates art and these incredible photos are proof.
Year 4 students at St Declan’s Catholic Primary School Penshurst were given the task to research a famous artist and then recreate one of their works at home with their families while in lockdown … and the results are stunning.
Drawing on inspiration from some of the great works including The Scream by Edvard Munch, The Study of Vermeer by Fernando Botero, Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory, Claude Monet’s Paintings of Ladies in the Garden, The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, The Son of Man by Renee Magritte and an incredible copy of Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s Two Women at a Window, the results are truly beautiful.
There’s also a clever copy of Roy Lichtenstein’s Through the Looking Glass, a piece which explores the complex gender politics behind the iconic pop artist’s deceptively simple work.
And to add an Australian edge, a reflective recreation of Sydney artist Paul Newton’s portrait of Our Lady of the Southern Cross, Help of Christians which hangs in St Mary’s Cathedral.
Principal Peter Cranney said the results by the students was completely “mind-blowing”.
“We were amazed by the creativity and family collaboration that many students engaged with in developing their recreations,” he said.
“Whilst we’ve done art appreciation units before, this was the first time we’ve been able to ask kids and their families to recreate their favourite pieces which was inspired by remote learning.
“One of the benefits of remote learning is that it has allowed the students to explore their homes and translate their learnings and inspirations to their familiar environments.
“Remote learning has challenged the teachers to engage with students in new ways.
“And due to the incredible results, we’ll not only continue the program but look to scale out these type of engagements in other subjects and with other grades.”
