Triptych Panel

During the Renaissance, over 500 years ago, it was very popular that artists painted on wooden triptych panels, consisting of one main panel and two smaller ones which could be opened and closed upon the bigger one. Usually these triptych panels were opened for special occasions.

One of the artists who has produced several triptych panels is Jan Van Eyck, who was the most famous painter of northern Europe in the 1400's. His oil paintings contain of high fine detail, sometimes said to be painted using a magnifying glass due to its tiny detail.

Younger students worked on a triptych screen based on their home: their home from the outside when the triptych is shut, whilst their home from the inside when open. Their own room was often placed in the major panel, and then the room on its left on the left panel, and the room on the bedroom's right on the right panel.

Older students observed and were inspired by religious themed triptych panels by Van Eyck, and also by Robert Campin.

Dresden Triptych, Van Eyck

Campin

New Baby handmade cards

How cute are these handmade cards celebrating the birth of a new baby? Some are based on blue or pink respectively, whilst others are open. Check out the sweet patterned baby-grows and embellished tiny aprons hung on the washing line!!

Handmade bookmarks with style!

From toothy dragons to cute owls, these bookmarks surely promote reading to be smart!

Durer: Engraved clay print

Albrecht Durer, the great German artist lived in Germany around 500 years ago. His father was a goldsmith, and Durer spent his childhood in his father's workshop making jewelry, engraving metal ornaments and making fine sculpture. He especially liked wood prints, where he used to engrave beautiful and detailed (often tiny) pictures on wood, covering in ink or paint and then reproducing a print of the original engraving.

During the lesson, the children were encouraged to make prints and create pictures on clay, given that this is softer and safer to make prints, yet durable enough. The children observed the marks made by impressing several tiny objects in clay such as nozzles, sticks, wooden pieces, straws, screws and nuts. Then they covered their engraving in paint using a brayer, pressed a paper on it and revealed a print of their engraving. This lesson focused more on the process of experimentation of observing impressions made by different material, and familiarisation with the properties of clay, rather than the result itself, which proved to be very beneficial and stimulating for the young students.