On Saturday 19^th November, ten art historians from both LVI and UVI attended the Association for Art History’s ‘Ways of Seeing’ conference at the National Gallery. Seated in the Sainsbury Wing Lecture Theatre, the students were given a taste of university life, as we listened to an array of superb talks on the theme of ‘Nature in Art and Architecture’. Dr James Fox, whom many of us recognised from his BBC programmes, launched the day-long proceedings with an overview of the way art has reflected humankind’s ever-changing relationship with the natural world. We were shown a series of nature-related works, from a mind-boggling ancient (15,000 year old!) engraving on reindeer bone, some mesmerising early Chinese landscapes, and some much more recent photographic works documenting the all too modern landscapes of what is often termed the Anthropocene. More talks followed on artists such as Barbara Hepworth and Andy Goldsworthy, before a final presentation by Dr Matthew Morgan of Turner’s House on the sublime landscapes of JMW Turner. This ended the day on a real high, as we looked at a series of stupendous works by Turner – from hostile mountainscapes to dramatic renderings of the eruption of Vesuvius, as well as other paintings that students had spotted in the gallery rooms during the more interactive part of the day. We came away feeling inspired by the power of contemporary art to model a more healthy and balanced relationship between humans and nature, and motivated to find out more about the many new artefacts and practitioners introduced.

Mrs Faircliff, Head of History of Art, Head of Year 10