Primary Teacher Resource for Teaching Key Stages 1–2 Stories from the RA Collection Copy of the Last Supper (Detail), C
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Primary Teacher Resource For teaching key stages 1–2 Stories from the RA Collection Copy of The Last Supper (detail), c. 1515–1520, Attributed to Giampietrino (fl. 1508–1549) and to Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio (1467–1516) Contents Introduction Illustrated key works with information, quotes, key words, questions, useful links and art activities for the classroom Glossary Further reading To book your visit Email studentgroups@ royalacademy.org.uk or call 020 7300 5995 roy.ac/teachers The Council of the Royal Academy selecting Pictures for the Exhibition, 1875, Russel Cope RA (1876). Photo: John Hammond Introduction What is the Royal Academy of Arts? The Royal Academy (RA) was Every newly-elected Royal set up in 1768, and 2018 was Academician donates a work of art, its 250th anniversary. A group of known as a ‘Diploma Work’, to the artists and architects called Royal RA Collection and in return receives Academicians (or RAs) have been in a Diploma signed by the Queen. The charge ever since. artist is now an Academician, an important new voice for the future of There are a maximum of 80 RAs at the Academy. any one time, and spaces for new Members only come up when an In 1769, the RA Schools was existing RA reaches the age of 75, founded as a school of fine art. It still and becomes a Senior Academician, exists today and offers around 17 or on the death of an RA. artists each year the opportunity to participate in an intense three-year postgraduate programme. Learn more about the RA www.royalacademy.org.uk/about- the-ra#video What is in the RA Collection? Artists putting finishing touches to a painting on Varnishing Day, before the 1934 Summer Exhibition. The RA Collection is unusual compared to those of other museums or galleries because most works in it were chosen by artists rather than by curators or collectors. The Collection was formed for two main reasons: 1 2 To help teach artists, and to provide To represent the Royal examples of great art of the Academicians – the RA has past. When the RA was founded thousands of drawings and prints there were very few museums by the Academicians, as well as or galleries, no photography, no Diploma Works in the form of Internet and international travel was paintings, sculpture, architectural very difficult, so the RA collected drawings and models, and film. source materials such as prints of artworks, plaster casts from antique sculpture and architecture, copies of important paintings such as The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, and a few original old-masters, like Michelangelo’s The Virgin and Child with the Infant St John. The RA also established a library, which is now the oldest institutional fine arts library in the UK, including many books on art and other subjects such as anatomy and costume. The RA Collection exists only because it is an artists’ academy and, since every work in the Collection is there for a reason, there is an interesting story attached to each one. Stories in the RA Collection This teachers resource focuses on stories from the RA Collection. The stories told by the artworks featured are mythological, Biblical and personal narratives. A story is... ‘An account of imaginary or real people and events told for entertainment.’ English Oxford Living Dictionaries Aims of this resource Nudity in the RA Collection To introduce the RA Collection to your students Please note that some works in this resource contain nudity, as some of the artworks in the RA Collection To explore five key artworks feature nude characters, often from the RA Collection, providing from Ancient Greek and Roman key information about the artworks mythology. There is a tendency and questions to ask your students, towards nudity in Greek and Roman focusing on ‘What’s the story?’, sculpture which is not so in any referring to: other cultures. To some, it was seen as shameful, but to the Greeks Background: the story of how the nudity was the mark of a hero, which work was made represented the mythologised world rather than the real one. In these What you can see: unearthing the sculptures we can see emotion, story of the artwork by looking at it action and narrative. and describing its content Journey to the RA Collection: the story of how each work came to the Royal Academy To support a visit to the Royal Academy of Arts to see the real artworks (where possible) To link these artworks to other related artworks using the online Collection Explorer resource and other useful links To carry out art activities in the classroom to reinforce the processes and themes used by the artists Cast of the Farnese Hercules, c. 1790, by Glycon the Athenian and Lysippus. On display in the Julia and Hans Rausing Hall at the RA. roy.ac/teachers Where to see the RA Collection Explore online Visiting the RA Tours and workshops To look at works in our Collection, The RA Collection is located in If you would like to combine your use the RA Collection Explorer at several different areas within the visit with a free workshop, a free tour roy.ac/searchthecollection Royal Academy of Arts building, as or a visit to an exhibition, please see indicated nearby images of each the Teachers and Schools section on What is the RA Collection work: our website. Explorer? The Dame Jillian Sackler roy.ac/teachers A tool on our website that allows Sculpture Gallery you to make lateral connections Level 2, Burlington House between artworks. The Julia and Hans Rausing Hall Search for an artwork in the Lower ground floor connecting Burlington Collection from this resource, and House and 6 Burlington Gardens scroll down. The RA Collection Gallery Level 1, 6 Burlington Gardens Photo: Roy Matthews There, you will find artworks that link to the one you searched for. The Annenberg Courtyard The links could be thematic, or Outside the Burlington House entrance compositional. Your class can visit the RA Collection at any time. There is no need to book. roy.ac/ searchthecollection What’s the story? Background What you can see Journey to the RA Collection In Greek mythology, Laocoön was In the sculpture Laocoön and his This cast of Laocoön and his Sons a priest who lived in an ancient Sons, Laocoön is placed centrally as in the RA Collection was one of city called Troy. There was a war a large, muscular, nude figure with a group of casts given to the RA between the people of Troy – the his right arm raised. On each side by the Prince Regent in 1816. Trojans – and the Greeks. The are his sons, also nude; smaller in This cast was made in Rome and After Athenodorus of Greeks gave the Trojans a large size they look like miniature adults travelled back by ship to England. The RA previously had another cast, Rhodes (active 10–20 CE), wooden horse. Laocoön was rather than children. Wrapped shown in the painting The Royal Hagesandrus (c. 100 – c. 20 suspicious of this gift and warned his around them are two giant sea fellow Trojans not to bring the horse serpents, with one opening its jaws Academicians in General Assembly, BCE), and Polydoros (c. 50 – into the city. This made Poseidon as if to bite Laocoön. The three 1795, by Henry Singleton. c. 0 BCE) (the god of the sea) angry as he figures look very distressed and wanted the Greeks to win the war. in pain, as they try to fight off the The original statue has had many Laocoön and his Sons (Roman To help them, he sent two giant sea snakes. restorations. When the work was version of a lost Greek original), serpents to attack Laocoön and his found, Laocoön’s right arm was sons. This is a plaster cast of the missing, along with the right hands c. 100 BCE – 50 CE group Laocoön and his Sons by of both his sons. It is unclear as to whether Laocoön’s arm should be Plaster cast. Height 242 cm The Trojan horse was built by the Hagesandrus, Polydorus and Greeks so they could get into the Athenodorus of Rhodes from around bent (as in the Vatican statue) or On display in the city of Troy. Inside the horse there the first century BCE to first century straight (as in the RA statue). RA Collection Gallery were Greek soldiers. Despite CE. It is a copy of an earlier sculpture Laocoön’s warnings, the Trojans took which is highly regarded and held by the horse inside the city walls. That the Vatican Museums in Rome. That night the Greek soldiers emerged statue was found in 1506, buried at from the horse, which was secretly the Esquiline Hill in Rome, Italy. hollow, and opened the gates to let in the Greek army, which then defeated the Trojans. Key words list Questions for students Useful links What is a sculpture? How is it Article father different to a painting or drawing? British Museum explains why Greek ? statues are ‘naked’ son Who do you think all the figures are? What are they doing? What is What other artworks in the Artwork serpent wrapped around them? How do you RA Collection depict ‘Greek The Royal Academicians think the men are feeling? Can you Mythology’? in General Assembly, 1795, by Henry attacking think of some interesting words to Singleton (image below) describe the men, or the serpents Use the RA Collection Explorer Laocoön (giant sea snakes)? Do you think as a research tool to find out Further reading Laocoön was punished for doing more.