The Art History department had a wonderful sunny visit to Venice in the second week of the half term.
9 Art History pupils from lower and upper 6th were accompanied by Miss Williams and Mr Mulligan around the Veneto, giving their own presentations on paintings, sculptures, palaces, villas and churches in situ, and immersing themselves in Venetian art and culture over the 6 days of the trip.
Highlights included a full day at the Venice Biennale contemporary art fair – visiting national pavilions from all around the world; and a day trip to Vicenza to see Palladio’s Villa Rotonda and experience its mathematical harmony first hand.
There were some great experiences for those who went:
“The Art History trip to Venice was a great opportunity to both experience a cultural capital that is central to the world of art and see some fantastic art that I had only studied from a textbook before. The Biennale exhibition was a particular highlight due to its amazing curation of the best modern art the world has to offer. We had many enjoyable moments on the trip, including the sharing of Italian food and coffee, discussing our favourite moments from the day and also multiple vaporetto trips along the grand canal and the freedom to discover parts of Venice in the evenings all culminated to make a brilliant and memorable week away.”
- Jemima Fennell, U6
“In October half term, we travelled to Venice for our Art History trip. We started our week off by visiting the well-known St Mark's Square and the Doges Palace. We continued to visit many of the amazing landmarks in Venice throughout the week, such as the Villa Rotonda. Whilst also seeing some of the more modern art exhibitions like the Biennale Arte. At each of our destinations, one member of the group had been selected in advance to prepare a presentation to teach the rest of us about the history and importance of that place. This was a great experience as it meant we all had a prior understanding of at least one of the places we visited. The trip really helped us all to understand the culture and atmosphere of Venice which we wouldn't get from over a screen. We used the vaporetto multiple times on the trip, which is the way many Venetians have to travel on an everyday basis. Seeing all of the artwork in situ, rather than in our text books, really brought them to life and made us aware of why Venice has the fame it has today. It was an unforgettable trip and I hope that younger years will be able to experience it too at some point.”
- Madeleine Clements, L6
“In the October half term, nine pupils and two teachers travelled to Venice to spend a week exploring the famous city; admiring beautiful art spanning centuries from Gothic to modern day, studying the decadent architecture filling the city and sampling excessive amounts of Italian cuisine. Some particular highlights of the trip included visiting the Venice Biennale, taking a boat trip to see the famous glass making island Murano, touring St Mark’s square with the inclusion of the Doge’s palace and seeing the candlelit interior of the Frari. It was an amazing opportunity to see so much of the historic art and architecture studied in the classroom in situ and get first-hand experience of the places upon which we will be examined at the end of our course.”
- Eloise Hipper, L6
