INFO for YEAR 5 STUDENTS

What can you ACTIVELY do between now and the Leaving Cert to improve on your mock results? 

Doing plenty of drawing will be hugely beneficial for ALL your practicals! Set up still lifes in a location where you can leave them for a period of time so you can come back to your drawing or painting. Work in different media including a variety of soft pencils. Really look at what’s in front of you, especially in terms of tones. Look for objects that have an interesting and strong texture. How can you render/draw these? Great are reflective objects made of metal such as shiny teapots. Can you see interesting reflections, may be of yourself?

A Scrapbook! If you do not already have one, start it now. Anytime you look through magazines and newspapers you will watch out for anything that’s visually interesting, tear or cut it out and stick it into your scrapbook. This will be an invaluable resource of support studies for your  Leaving Cert Craft.

Revision plan for Section 1 – Irish Art

PREHISTORY/ PRECHRISTIAN

STONE AGE: Portal Dolmens, CourtCairns, Passage Graves (Knowth and Dowth, in detail Newgrange including its decorations)

BRONZE AGE: know some general info about the BronzeAge (sourcing of raw materials, Beaker people), the style of their decorations, emphasis is on METALWORK (Gold Disc, Lunulae, Torcs, Clones Dressfastener, Gleninsheen Gorget, Lock rings, Castlederg Cauldron). You need to be able to discuss the above objects under the 4 headings of FORM, FUNCTION, DECORATIONS, METALWORKING TECHNIQUES.

IRON AGE:  know some general info about the IronAge especially the meaning and definition of ‘La Tene’, the style of their decorations, emphasis is primarily on METALWORK (Loughnashade Trumpet, Petrie Crown, Broighter Collar) again under the 4 above headings. You also need to know about the Turoe Stone. as for the BronzeAge objects you need to be able to discuss the above objects under the 4 headings of FORM, FUNCTION, DECORATIONS, METALWORKING TECHNIQUES.

EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIOD

STONECARVING/ CROSSES: Early crosses including Fahan Mura Slab and Carndonagh, Ahenny, Moone, Muiredach, crosses West of the Shannon

MANUSCRIPTS: Cathach, Book of Durrow, Book of Kells

METALWORK: Ballinderry Brooch, Rinnagan Crucifixion Plaque, Ardagh Chalice, Tara Brooch, Derrynaflan Patten, Silver Thistle Brooches, Shrines (Clonmacnoise Crozier, St. Patrick’s Bell Shrine)

If you want to make Metalwork your specialist area you also have to know about House Shrines, the Moylough Belt Shrine, Derrinaflan Patten and Chalice, Lismore Crozier, St. Lachtan’s Arm, Cross of Cong

ARCHITECTURE: Round Towers, Monasteries, The South West (Gallarus Oratory, Beehive huts, Mac Dara’s Church off Roundstone, Co. Galway)

GENERAL POINTS:

You have to study the Prehistory AND the Early Christian Period as prehistory questions often refer to the ECP also, for example the IronAge and its influence on the ECP, or the building techniques of the StoneAge and Early Christian Period (corbelling technique).

Revision plan for Section 2 – European Art

19th and 20th century

IMPRESSIONISM

Monet - THE major Impressionist artist- plus Renoir/ Degas. If Renoir is your second artist you should also have some information about Degas and vice versa. Know also that other Impressionist artists exist such as Pissarro, Sisley and renowned women artists, Berthe Morriseau and Mary Cassatt.

POST-IMPRESSIONISM

Main emphasis is on Van Gogh AND for HL particularly Cezanne. Know a little about Gauguin and Pointillism also, as these are part of Post-Impressionism.

CUBISM

Emphasis is on Picasso;  know that Braque was very much part of this movement

PICASSO

SURREALISM

We have looked at Dali and Magritte. Major in one of them but know also about the other one/ be able to draw, name and write about a painting.

Answering a Question for SECTION 2

What should you know and able to do?

• Know a minimum of two paintings very well. Be able to name, describe, discuss and draw these from memory.
• Know basic info about the artist, when he lived, which country.
• Was the artist part of a movement?
• What was the artist’s early work like? Think of van Gogh whose early works were dark with a lot of earth colours and little bright colours.
• Was there a development in the artist’s work?
• What is the style of this artist? (Subject matter, colour, composition, paint application, brushstrokes, and pictorial depth).
• What was the preferred medium of the artist? Degas did mostly sculptures in his old age as he went blind.
• Do you know a quote from or about the artist that illustrates his work? Cezanne said about Monet ‘he is just an eye but what an eye’.
• What concepts and ideas underlie the artist’s work? Van Gogh wanted to express feelings and emotions through colour, the Surrealists wanted to make visible dreams and the world of the subconscious.
• What were influences on the artist?
• Who or what movement did the artist influence? Impressionist artists influenced Post Impressionists such as Cezanne, van Gogh, Gauguin and Pointillism.
• What is your response to the artist’s work?

For Art History you MUST DO HOMEWORK ESSAYS! The questions your teacher gives you are mostly taken from past papers and will come up in a very similar form in the Leaving Cert. You need to practise writing essays.

This applies also to Ordinary level students!

For very useful WEBSITES for Leaving Cert students please visit the RESOURCES page

Textbook

As you are aware the text book for Art History and Art Appreciation has changed. To avoid you having to purchase a new book at this stage, yet to allow you to benefit from the new publication, I suggest that you download the 1-year digital version for the price of € 11.99. It is the most cost-effective solution.

To download APPRECIATING ART  by author Aine Ni Charthaigh please go to the Gill&MacMillan website http://www.gillmacmillan.ie/teachers/online-flipbooks-for-teachers/appreciating-art-flipbook—online?highlight=art

You are advised to first register with the company (top right of the publisher’s homepage)

Examples of previous Leaving Cert work