A Level Spanish students have recently taken part in an immersive exploration of Spanish culture, exploring some of Spain’s most famous artists, and the impact and influence they have had on Spain and wider Europe, by creating their own artistic pieces taking inspiration from the style of their favourite Spanish artist.
In A Level Spanish, students not only develop their Spanish language and reading skills, they also explore a wide variety of topics which explore Spanish life, looking at elements such as Spanish history, culture, education and technology. In this hands-on lesson series, Spanish students have discovered more about the Spanish arts. Spanish art has historically been an important contributor to western art, and although influenced by French and Italian artists, has its own distinctive characteristics, driven by the political and cultural climate in Spain. Some of the world’s most famous artists hail from Spain, including Velázquez, Goya and Picasso, known for their baroque, romanticism and surrealist styles respectively.
A Level Spanish students at HNC have recently been studying Spanish art, sharing their opinions and exploring the historical and political context behind the pieces from artists as diverse as Salvador Dali to El Greco, while conversing in Spanish. Following this, each student then chose a Spanish artist to study, and in a follow up lesson, painted their own self portrait using the style of their chosen artist as an influence.
Paul Edge, Teacher of Spanish, comments “Studying a Modern Foreign Language such as Spanish is so much more than learning the lingo – it is truly an exploration of the culture, history and life in another country. The arts are an important part of any country’s culture, and in this series of lesson we have explored a wide range of some of the Spain’s most renowned artists, and the impact they have had not only in Spain but in the wider world too. Bringing the learning to life by creating our own pieces was the perfect way to inspire Spanish conversations in the classroom, as well as creating something beautiful!”