News Sixth Form History of Art students visit the V&A 24.01.2025

On Thursday afternoon, Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth History of Art students visited the Victoria and Albert Museum for an in-depth tour of paintings and sculptures there, with a focus on the technical analysis of materials and techniques.

Together they looked closely at the varied brushwork of Turner, discussed the impact of lost-wax casting on Renaissance bronzes, analysed chisel marks left by Rodin and his assistants, and considered how the relief sculptures of Donatello and others might have been enhanced by sunlight and other factors in their original settings.

Students in both years expressed perceptive ideas and made copious notes, getting the most they possibly could from the V&A’s astounding collection.