In the mid- to late-1700s, silhouette portraiture became a popular, cheaper, faster alternative to the traditional portrait paintings that could only be afforded by the wealthy. Our Year 2 students recently explored this art form with great enthusiasm. There’s nothing quite like pulling down the blinds and blacking out the classroom to excite a group of seven-year-olds!
Students worked in teams of three, taking turns at drawing, holding a torch, or standing very still to have their shadow outlined. We had to be very respectful of other groups, taking care not to flash our torch lights around the room. We needed to steady our hands so that the shadow did not dance around and our drawings were accurate. We needed to keep our bodies as still as statues so our friend wielding the pencil could do a decent job. Lastly, we took great care with our scissor work to capture our likenesses in profile. Our patience and persistence paid off with these wonderful black-and-white images.
Mrs Ann McDermott
Junior School Specialist Teacher (Visual Arts)
