LEAVING CERT ART:BONO, IKEA and graffiti artist Banksy all featured on yesterday's Leaving Certificate higher level art paper, which was welcomed by students and teachers for its breadth and structure.
“This was a fair paper overall, in the sense that there was plenty of choice but not too much,” said teacher Jane Campbell of St Joseph’s Secondary School in Navan. “There were no convoluted questions and it hit all the major artists.”
The art paper has been criticised in the past for relying on obscure terminology.
“The question on Louis le Brocquy’s portrait of Bono was accessible and topical,” said Ms Campbell.
Students were asked to discuss the work with reference to subject matter, composition, style and the materials used.
Angela Griffith of the Institute of Education was unhappy with the question about “Visiting a Gallery”. The question specified “Local, small-scale art galleries”, and required students to compare a visit to this type of gallery with “named national museum or gallery”.
To respond to this question students would have had to visit two galleries during the year.
“Most students would have prepared for a visit to a local or national gallery. Compared to previous years in this section, question choice was limited,” she said.
Almost 10,000 students sat yesterday’s Leaving Certificate art exam, a portion of which is completed through course work.
Questions on Francis Bacon on the higher level paper, and Edvard Münch on the ordinary level paper, were especially welcome because major exhibitions by both artists visited Ireland this year. Many schools would have attended one or both.
Some students were thrown by a question on René Magritte, which asked for a reference to another surrealist artist. Some students said they had not expected to need another artist for the period.
“There was also a twist on the appreciation section. Students were asked to compare a local gallery with a major gallery. That was new,” said Ms Campbell.
Other artists that came up on yesterday’s higher level paper included Harry Clarke, the stained glass artist, and French painter Paul Cèzanne. A question on flat-pack furniture asked students to appraise the artistic merit of Ikea’s wares and to design their own living space.
“This was a very nice paper and my students were very happy with it. It’s not every year that I can say that,” said Ms Campbell.
The ordinary level paper also pleased for its clarity and choice. About 2,600 students sit the paper at ordinary level.
