Hello, my name is Bethan and I'm an Educator at the National Gallery.
In today's 'make and create' video we're going to explore the idea of
collaboration and looking at how you can create artwork together. We'll start off
by looking at some paintings from the National Gallery's collection and using
these as inspiration to inspire our own making activities at home.
So get ready to start your own family studio and find new ways of working.
Materials you'll need for today's session can be anything you have around the house.
I'm going to be working using coloured paper,
tape, glue and paint but feel free to switch these
out for anything else you have such as newspaper, cardboard or coloured pencils.
Remember, there's no wrong or right way of working. All of our activities are about
having fun and trying something new.
The word 'studio' describes the workplace of
an artist but can also refer to the location or school in which an artist is
trained. Throughout history, artists have often begun as assistants in the studio,
collaborating on artworks for more established artists as a way of learning a craft.
This painting, titled 'The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane', is by the Greek
artist El Greco but it's actually labeled 'By the studio of El Greco', meaning he did
not work on this painting alone. As a very successful painter his artworks
were in high demand and as a way of making lots of artworks he employed
assistants to help him. I love this way this painting uses such vivid colours to
create a sense of drama and contrast between the light and dark.
The word 'collective' is another art term used to describe artists working together.
These could be fellow artists, friends or family with a common idea that work
together to make it happen. Remember you don't have to be physically with someone
to collaborate. Even sharing a picture or talking on the phone can be a great way
of sharing ideas with other members of your family.
One of my favorite works in the National Galery is this large-scale wall painting
by the artist Bridget Riley.
It spans right across the walls of the Annenberg Court
in a series of coloured discs. Bridget Riley will often begin
designing her works by collaging or drawing onto paper.
The final paintings will then be installed by studio assistants that will
collaborate and paint directly onto the walls of galleries or other buildings.
Is this the type of painting you'd have expected to see when visiting the
National Gallery? Many people would say it wasn't but if we take a closer look
at Bridget Riley's process and what inspires her we can see many links with the
National Gallery's collection, just like many artists before her.
The French artist Georges Seurat would inspire her with his use of colour, contrast and tone.
Early in her career she would even create some of her own versions of his paintings.
Similarly the British artist John Constable
would inspire her title, 'Messengers', with a phrase used to
describe clouds.
During these 'make and create' activities we'll use Bridget Riley's
'Messengers' for inspiration. With its bold shapes and scale as well as the idea of
working together. We can also think back to El Greco's wonderful use of colour.
Our first activity is a bit like playing a game. Make sure everyone has some
paper and things to collage with and begin by working onto your sheet of
paper. When everything is stuck down, pass your work on someone else to add to.
Continue to pass around your work until everyone has added to each piece.
You can then try sticking up your work onto a wall to create your own exhibition and
talk about which ones you like best.
Our second activity still uses paper but this time we're going to be working in 3D.
Turning our flat sheets into structures. Using scissors or rolling,
folding or scrunching with your hand, create different shapes and structures.
You can then combine your shapes and structures with someone else's,
by stacking them, folding them or slotting them together.
When you finish think about where your sculpture might go if it was life-size.
How might people interact with it? You could even try making some
observational sketches.
Our final making activity is about working on large-scale.
Using sheets or a roll of paper cover a table or section of a wall so you can
scale up a painting or drawing.
You can begin by sketching the design or just
jump straight in and experiment with different colours and designs.
Hopefully this video has given you some ideas about ways of working at home together.
We would love to see what you've made so share your collaborations
online by tagging us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.