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Inspired by the Masters

Warhol, Banksy, Close, Kandinksy, Basquiat and Lichtenstein were a few of the masters of modern art who inspired our eighth graders' Arco projects this year.

For the final major project in their humanities class, the boys are challenged to create an original piece of work in the spirit of a famous artist.

Under the guidance of their teacher and Art Historian, Nancy Iannicelli, boys research the artist, and write a brief biography as well as a reflection on their process in creating the work which includes challenges that they faced from conception to realization.

Last week, the boys presented their artwork and the rationale behind it, without divulging the identity of the artist they were inspired by, to teachers and art professionals who served as judges. Later that

The boys' works were exceptional and thematically wide ranging. Some referenced the school they will soon be graduated from; others spoke to social or geopolitical issues; while still others focused on personal philosophy and aesthetics.


This is the first class to have engaged in our partnership with the Guggenheim as seventh graders in  "Learning to See through Art"-- an intensive observational drawing unit conducted in the Thannhauser Gallery of the museum. The unit builds the boys' confidence as artists, as they master drawing skills and techniques while closely studying the works of modern masters. This positive effect was most certainly on display last week in this seminal experience that interweaves art, art history, rhetoric and analysis. 

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