Year 6 at Surbiton High Girls’ Prep enjoyed an inspiring visit during February to Watts Gallery, near Guildford, learning about the Arts and Crafts Movement and Symbolist painters.
We not only learnt about the famous artist, George Watts but also about his wife, Mary Watts, who was also a brilliant artist but was less credited. Limmerslease House was amazing, where they lived, and we gazed at beautiful paintings, sculptures and tiles made by the Watts. Watts Art Gallery is called a village for a reason: there is the house, galleries, exhibitions and the beautiful red stone chapel. Mary Watts and the villagers nearby made the chapel themselves, by moulding patterns to go inside it, painting them and designing the exquisite building.
After learning about the house and the Watts, we spent some time sketching the beautiful tiles, lamps and doors in Limmerslease. We attended a workshop to modrock our own 3D tiles! We tried to use swirly patterns, in the style of Mary Watts, moulding them with tinfoil and taping them down onto card then dipping the modrock into water, and covering the foil and card! It was so fun and messy!
George Watts was probably most famous for his amazing, huge sculpture of a man on a horse, looking up to the heavens. It is called ‘Physical Energy’. We were stunned by its size and beauty. To put its size into perspective, it was as long as one to two cars and as high as a single-decker bus. It took him 20 years to finish the sculpture.
Finally, we visited the exhibition of stereoscopic glasses, by Brian May (from the band, Queen). He first found one in a Weetabix packet and then got very interested in how they worked. Simply, you are just viewing an image through a pair of special lenses that make the image appear 3D. We were fascinated; it was so cool.
Comments from Year 6 included:
“It was an amazing gallery, and I was particularly impressed by the sculptures.” Amara, 6H.
“It was interesting and has inspired me to do some artwork of my own.” Carys, Year 6.
Written by Corinna, Year 6
