Secondary Art

The Gallery has a permanent collection (from the 16th century to the present day) and temporary exhibitions. We collect portraits according to historic rather than aesthetic criteria and therefore the artists represented range from the merely competent to the exceptional.

This means that the NPG is an excellent venue for studying the relative merits of the works on display. It is therefore a popular venue for exam work focussing on critical and contextual studies.

Our Gallery Sessions and Slide Lectures are FREE. Talks are given by art experts with a personal approach to the complex variety of original portraits in all media on display in the Gallery. We provide FREE materials for drawing in the Gallery.

Gallery Sessions
For groups of 10 to 20 students*

Look and Talk: 1 hour Sessions

Look, Talk and Draw: 2 hour Sessions

These sessions take place in front of the Gallery's portraits and are aimed at encouraging students to engage in different ways with the art of portraiture.

We provide a FREE tutor, and materials if you wish to draw. Prior liaison together with some preparation produces the most successful visits. Drawings done whilst in the Gallery are often used as part of course work for exams.

If you are working on a particular project of your own and would like us to fit in with your approach, we welcome the opportunity to 'tailor-make' a session with you.

*We can work with larger groups (up to 30) but the galleries that can accommodate these numbers are limited.

Topics for Gallery Sessions

The Self-Portrait (1 hour or 2 hours)
This session is designed to focus on self-portraits in the collection; reasons for their production, ideas about self-presentation, and the artists' legacy. We provide a "self-portraits questionnaire", and a list of self-portraits currently on display with the artists' names, dates and Gallery location.

What is a portrait? (1 hour or 2 hours)
Here we look at the basic components of a portrait: Form, Size, Pose, Character, Expression, Colour, Composition and Symbols. Please request the contrasting gallery spaces you would prefer - 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th centuries or contemporary portraits.

Slide Lectures
For groups of 20 to 138

1 hour (With an optional drawing session of 1 hour for groups of 20 to 30)
These sessions take place in the Ondaatje Wing Lecture Theatre. Practically, a slide lecture can be advantageous with good viewing conditions for all the group. Our staff will always try and involve students by encouraging discussion of the images shown. Our lecturers are trained artists and art teachers therefore the bias of the talks is artistic rather than historical.

For groups of 20 to 30
After the slide lecture students can be set a drawing task relating to the slides shown. We will provide drawing boards, paper and dry materials for the students to use when in the Gallery. Up to 30 stools can also be provided if requested in advance. Whilst students are drawing our staff member will be on hand to give practical advice and to talk informally about works in the galleries.

For groups of 30 plus
Groups are welcome to book a self-directed visit to view the collection. Students will need to bring their own drawing materials. A ratio of one adult to ten students is required.

The Self-Portrait
A close investigation into the reasons behind making a self-portrait. Why do artists value this type of portrait so highly? What can we learn about individual artists when we study their self-portraits? This set of slides includes examples of work not belonging to the NPG, such as portraits by Rembrandt, Titian and Frieda Kahlo.

The Art of Portraiture
From Holbein to Warhol, via Posh 'n' Becks, this chronological survey introduces the variety of styles and media represented at the gallery. We will consider why and how portraits are made,
and why this remains such a popular genre.

In Close-up: 5 Portraits, 5 Centuries
Zooming in on works by Gheeraerts, Rubens, Kneller, Sargent and Hambling, this talk uses magnified parts of their paintings to expose their personal styles and discover their technical achievements in brushwork, coloured ground and impasto.

The Abstract Portrait
Can an abstract portrait exist or are all portraits abstractions? Is it possible to create the notion or concept of a person without
providing a likeness? Could an 'abstract' portrait render the feeling or presence of a person better than a photo-realist painting?

The Contemporary Portrait
How has photography influenced portrait painting? Why do artists still paint portraits and why do people commission
them? In an era of instant multi-media imaging and DNA sampling, is the painted and sculpted portrait dead?

The Miniature
Small is beautiful, and often we carry small photographs of those we love around with us. The original small portrait is the miniature, and these exquisite watercolours form the basis of this talk. Decoration, shape and detail are the main focus.

Messages, Meanings and Symbols
Artists use visual codes in their portraits to convey aspects of rank, profession and personality. Certain symbols - for example the incorporation of a rose or a skull into a picture - can convey the message of love or death. Some of these have been used in the same way over the centuries.

Self-Portraits by Women Artists
Here we consider only work by women artists in the NPG collection. Slides include images of Dame Laura Knight, Gwen John, Mary Beale and Angelica Kauffmann. The following questions will be considered: How are self-portraits by women different from those of their male counterparts? Do women flatter themselves? What is the point of the self-portrait?

For Gallery Sessions and Slide Lectures advance telephone booking is essential.

We ask our visitors to be ready to start their sessions at the booked time. We expect group leaders to remain with their students during the sessions.
We regret that there are no parking facilities or a groups lunchroom at the Gallery. Eating and drinking are not permitted in the Gallery.

Contact and Booking Information

Education Programme 2008-09 - Secondary (PDF file)

Go to a large print, text-only version of this site

All images and text are subject to copyright protection. 12 October 2008