Paper sculpture relief

Southam Primary School

An artist-in-residence at Southam Primary School in Warwickshire was given the brief to use Rubens's painting as a starting point for a project to involve every child from Reception (three- to four-year-olds) to Year 6 (10- to 11-year-olds).

Before the artist arrived at the school, he asked the children to make sketches for a modern View of Het Steen. After discussion in class-sized groups, the children's ideas were used to design the final piece.

When making the collage relief, the children learnt new artistic processes, including paper sculpture, and how to use equipment, such as glue guns and heavy-duty scissors. The youngest children were mainly involved in the final decoration of the collage using torn coloured paper.

© Southam Primary School. Photo: The National Gallery, London.