Art and Design: Fine Art

Art at this level gives pupils the opportunity to build on their creative and technical skills to a far more sophisticated level than at GCSE. Studying A Level Art develops qualities of self-discipline, independence of thought and the ability to form insights into the world around us. We encourage visual curiosity, experimentation with a wide range of media and, perhaps more importantly, we encourage pupils to question why we produce art and what we are trying to communicate to our audience. A Level Art is a course that aims to teach pupils ‘how to think’ not ‘what to think’.

The first year of the course is predominantly experimental and involves an introduction to the various disciplines taught within the department. This gives pupils the opportunity to see the possibilities inherent in the techniques learnt. Painting, drawing, mixed media, fibre art, print making, ceramics, sculpture, installation and photography are all areas within the Fine Art specialism. Alongside developing skills, pupils come to understand how ideas, feelings and meanings connect to images and artefacts at a personal level, and how they are socially constructed over time through genres, styles and traditions. They improve their aesthetic understanding and critical judgement. An important part of A Level Art, therefore, is an understanding of context and subjective responses to it.

For those with visual curiosity, who enjoy experimentation with a broad range of media and have an open mind, this is a course from which to gain great fulfilment. To encourage and nurture a love of the subject, we organise educational trips to London and abroad in conjunction with History of Art (recent destinations include New York, Paris, and Rome). We hold regular workshops and lifedrawing classes and there are lots of other opportunities to bring out the best in our pupils, whatever their enthusiasms.

The creative industries are some of the fastest- growing contributors to the UK economy and A Level Art is an excellent pathway to a career within this sector. This includes all forms of Art and Design: Illustration, Fine Art, Graphics, Fashion, Film, Animation, Architecture, Spatial Design, Interior Architecture, to name a few. A Level Art is widely accepted by universities for degree courses, but it is often expected that pupils complete an Art and Design Foundation Diploma after A Levels to create specialised portfolios before moving on to the top Fine Art undergraduate degree courses. Sherborne Girls regularly sends pupils to Central St Martins, Camberwell, and other top-ranking art colleges.

Examination board: AQA Specification Code: 7202

Component 1: Personal Investigation (60%) Pupils develop work based on an idea, issue, concept or theme leading to a finished outcome or a series of related finished outcomes. Practical elements should make connections with some aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists, designers, photographers or craftspeople and include written work of between 1,000 and 3,000 words to support the practical work.

Component 2: Externally Set Task (40%) Pupils respond to a stimulus, provided by AQA, to produce work that evidences their ability to work independently within specified time constraints, developing a personal and meaningful response that addresses all the assessment objectives and leads to the production of a finished outcome or series of related finished outcomes.

c.mason@sherborne.com