Art at Hampton School is renowned for its quality and diversity. We are a vibrant department with teachers who offer a broad range of expertise: from 3D, Ceramics, Printmaking, Painting, Drawing to Photography and IT (Graphics).
Pupils studying Art at Hampton regularly produce exceptional work and are encouraged to enter local and national competitions. Artwork by Hampton boys is often recognised in the Fourth Plinth Schools Competition and the Never Such Innocence Art & Poetry Competitions that commemorate the First World War. There has been success with the Young Artist Show at the Royal Academy over recent years. Sixth Form artists have also been invited to publicly display their work, with recent pupils’ work being featured in the Saatchi Gallery and National Portrait Gallery.
AIMS OF ART DEPARTMENT
- To encourages critical thinking, imagination and self-expression
- Creating and making develops the confidence to take risks, the ability to solve problems, self-belief, autonomy of thought and a sense of identity
- To develop visual literacy and communication, which is an understanding of visual culture and practice
- To provide a channel of communication beyond text and the ability to excel without words
- It promotes enjoyment and engagement for all pupils
Hampton pupils wishing to continue their studies in Art progress to a range of colleges from Central Saint Martins (University of the Arts London), the Bartlett School of Architecture, the Royal College of Art and Goldsmiths, to Art Foundation Courses at Kingston University, CCW (Chelsea, Camberwell and Wimbledon – University of the Arts London) and The University for the Creative Arts (Farnham or Epsom).
The Art Department also encourages recent alumni who’ve studied at prestigious art institutions to visit and inspire current pupils with talks and creative workshops.
FACILITIES
Hampton offers superb, purpose-built Art facilities, including two spacious and well-lit main studios, a History of Art studio, a ceramics kiln, a darkroom and iMac computers in dedicated spaces throughout the studios. The Department also offers a Sixth Form Studio and a beautiful gallery space for displaying pupil work. Print-making facilities include an etching press and four relief printing presses. The School has recently received a donation of a Victorian Type and Letterpress, which will enable pupils to explore typography.
CURRICULUM
In the Lower School, pupils enjoy a highly varied curriculum, encompassing different themes each term. First Years focus on ‘The Natural World’ and learn how to create vibrant lino-cuts, as well as Portraiture, Identity and Architecture. Second Years explore different approaches to Still Life and go on to study ‘Art from Other Cultures. They also focus on the depiction of Movement and Animation.
The Third Year course develops skills in the use of media and self-expression through the themes ‘Public Art’ which focuses on sculpture and pupils visit the Roche Court New Art Centre for further inspiration. There is also an introduction to the History of Art with the ‘Discover Articulation Competition’ and pupils look at ‘Narrative Art’ and explore ‘Design Styles’ using Graphic Design and Typography skills.
At GCSE we follow the AQA Fine Art syllabus, allowing boys to specialise in a range of approaches including Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Photography, Textiles and Computer Graphics. This gives pupils with different interests and skillsets, the opportunity to develop their personal approach to the development of their Coursework Portfolio.
At A Level, we follow the OCR syllabus in Fine Art, which allows boys to further develop the foundation of skills initially established at GCSE. They also follow a full programme of Life Drawing which builds confidence and a sense of proportion in their drawing. This is an invaluable activity that helps with the building of the Coursework portfolio and portfolios for Higher Education applications. Work in the Lower Sixth is structured around the study of the Formal Elements and a thematic study inspired by a visit to Tate Modern and the Bankside area of London. In the Upper Sixth work becomes much more pupil-led as they develop personal responses to the theme and create a body of work for a final exhibition in the School Art Gallery. The publication below gives a flavour of some of the art work produced by our A Level pupils in 2023.
We also offer a History of Art & Architecture option as a one-year course in the Sixth Form, which encompasses the study of Anatomy and Architecture as key themes. Within those themes, pupils study Identity, Ethnicity, Body Image, and the Language of Architecture. By using different approaches (both essay-writing and practical tasks) pupils curate exhibitions, explore casting techniques, make scale models and use photography as part of their studies.
Pupils have the option to continue this course to a full A Level at the end of Lower Sixth.
ART GALLERIES
Take a look at some of the fantastic pieces of art work our pupils have produced:
Lower School Gallery GCSE Gallery Sixth Form Gallery
Take a look at the video below from our Lower School Art Gallery 2022: