Page 63 - The Gonzaga Record 1994
P. 63
Art in Gonzaga
Art has always been something of an enigma in Gonzaga. Only on Sports Day does it
seem to get the recognition it deserves. This year’s Sports Day provided a platform for
one of the most diverse exhibitions to date. The standard and variety of the exhibits -
the products of a solid year’s work by every class - was unanimously praised by all who
saw it. The day-to-day aspect of art in Gonzaga is one rarely recognised and yet is
fundamental to the quality of the work produced.
The classroom itself is set apart from the rest of the school. It becomes a sanctuary
from the mundane aspects of school life. Every student works on a project for a number
of days (or weeks) culminating in a finished product. The project includes preparatory
studies - sketches, copies, photographs - and support studies such as magazine cutouts
and posters. These projects are seen in their purest form in the Junior Certificate Art
exam where the preparatory and support studies are shown with the finished piece.
The variety of work produced this year is also astounding. Almost every craft
imaginable: clay figures, pottery, architectural balsa-wood models, calligraphy, life
drawings, compositions, still-life, portraits, stage sets - the list goes on.
For Leaving Cert art students, life-drawing is generally the most popular of all the
activities. Every Friday, after vain efforts to find a volunteer, a student is chosen to
model. He is forced to pose motionless for forty minutes as the rest of the class draw
him. Everyone can see the contortions and grimaces as the model gets cramps in places
he never knew existed. As long as you’re not picked to model, life-drawing is good fun.
Much the same is clay-modelling. Despite the best efforts of every student - staring at
the ground, feigned conversation, maybe even a little cleaning and tidying-someone is
chosen to pose again. More cramps, more pins-and-needles. Clay work requires
different skills to life drawing. Good proportion is harder to achieve because the model
must be viewed from more than one angle. Clay work also requires special techniques
for the addition and subtraction of the clay, such as undercutting. This involves a plastic
implement that looks like a cross between a spoon and a craft knife. It is used to scoop
away the clay in the awkward areas of the model, under the legs, between the arms and
the body.
Lino cuts are the most under-rated of the crafts. It is very difficult to make a visually
impressive print, due to a number of factors. It requires a lot of concentration to
remember which parts of the lino to cut away. The medium itself has a great textural
potential. When this potential is exploited the results are impressive. Finally the lino is
inked up - the moment of truth. A steady hand and a bit of luck are essential. If the ink
transfers well, all the work was worth it.
Another important aspect of art in Gonzaga takes place outside the classroom: the
annual design and construction of the sets for both school opera and play. From mid-
October to mid-January art students from Fifth and Sixth Years work frantically (in their
spare time) to build sometimes the most elaborate sets. All who saw the set for Billy
Budd were very impressed with its complexity and quality. To have the full deck of the
ship as well as the under-deck all on stage was a daunting task for the designers.
Perhaps more daunting was the task for the stage crew - to build it. For two solid
months anyone passing the stage would have seen Mark O'Brien or some other Sixth
Year, hammering away at this creation. The finished product resembled a professional
55
Art has always been something of an enigma in Gonzaga. Only on Sports Day does it
seem to get the recognition it deserves. This year’s Sports Day provided a platform for
one of the most diverse exhibitions to date. The standard and variety of the exhibits -
the products of a solid year’s work by every class - was unanimously praised by all who
saw it. The day-to-day aspect of art in Gonzaga is one rarely recognised and yet is
fundamental to the quality of the work produced.
The classroom itself is set apart from the rest of the school. It becomes a sanctuary
from the mundane aspects of school life. Every student works on a project for a number
of days (or weeks) culminating in a finished product. The project includes preparatory
studies - sketches, copies, photographs - and support studies such as magazine cutouts
and posters. These projects are seen in their purest form in the Junior Certificate Art
exam where the preparatory and support studies are shown with the finished piece.
The variety of work produced this year is also astounding. Almost every craft
imaginable: clay figures, pottery, architectural balsa-wood models, calligraphy, life
drawings, compositions, still-life, portraits, stage sets - the list goes on.
For Leaving Cert art students, life-drawing is generally the most popular of all the
activities. Every Friday, after vain efforts to find a volunteer, a student is chosen to
model. He is forced to pose motionless for forty minutes as the rest of the class draw
him. Everyone can see the contortions and grimaces as the model gets cramps in places
he never knew existed. As long as you’re not picked to model, life-drawing is good fun.
Much the same is clay-modelling. Despite the best efforts of every student - staring at
the ground, feigned conversation, maybe even a little cleaning and tidying-someone is
chosen to pose again. More cramps, more pins-and-needles. Clay work requires
different skills to life drawing. Good proportion is harder to achieve because the model
must be viewed from more than one angle. Clay work also requires special techniques
for the addition and subtraction of the clay, such as undercutting. This involves a plastic
implement that looks like a cross between a spoon and a craft knife. It is used to scoop
away the clay in the awkward areas of the model, under the legs, between the arms and
the body.
Lino cuts are the most under-rated of the crafts. It is very difficult to make a visually
impressive print, due to a number of factors. It requires a lot of concentration to
remember which parts of the lino to cut away. The medium itself has a great textural
potential. When this potential is exploited the results are impressive. Finally the lino is
inked up - the moment of truth. A steady hand and a bit of luck are essential. If the ink
transfers well, all the work was worth it.
Another important aspect of art in Gonzaga takes place outside the classroom: the
annual design and construction of the sets for both school opera and play. From mid-
October to mid-January art students from Fifth and Sixth Years work frantically (in their
spare time) to build sometimes the most elaborate sets. All who saw the set for Billy
Budd were very impressed with its complexity and quality. To have the full deck of the
ship as well as the under-deck all on stage was a daunting task for the designers.
Perhaps more daunting was the task for the stage crew - to build it. For two solid
months anyone passing the stage would have seen Mark O'Brien or some other Sixth
Year, hammering away at this creation. The finished product resembled a professional
55
