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Who was Vanessa Bell?

Remember, when you see this icon stop & look closely! Room 1: Among Friends Vanessa Bell was part of the Bloomsbury Group. This group included all sorts of people: painters, writers, thinkers and critics. They would all meet at Bell’s house to discuss their work, inspiring each other and even exhibiting work together. You will find lots of them in this room.

Can you find Virginia Woolf, Saxon Sydney-Turner, Duncan Grant or Lytton Strachey? Can you guess what each of them did?

What is the name of this Think about a group group? that you’re part of... It could be: a group of friends, your …………………...... family, your school, your local community or a club! What brings all of you together as members of this group? …………………......

Take inspiration from the paintings in this room and draw portraits of members of your group in the frames below. Maybe draw them in their favourite clothes? Or draw them doing something they enjoy, like writing or reading? Room 2: Design and Experimentation The Bloomsbury Group believed Fine Art* and Decorative Art* are equally valuble. In this room you will see that Vanessa Bell created many different kinds of artworks: paintings, fabric designs and book cover illustrations. Along with Roger Fry and Duncan Grant, Bell set up the Omega Workshops. They were a design group that created furniture, textiles and other household products.

Take a look at the glass case in this room. Inside are the illustrations Vanessa created for her sister Virginia’s books. They are very stylised*.

What do you think makes her designs so unique? ......

Have a go at designing the cover for your favourite book! Remember to think about the style of your title and picture! Room 3: Still Life You may have noticed, Bell has a very unusual painting style. Her style is considered to be abstract*. This room is full of still life* paintings.

Normally, artists use still lifes to practice drawing or painting objects accurately. Going against tradition, Bell made abstract still lifes.

Find the painting Oranges and Lemons (1914).

Do you think these oranges and lemons look like they do in real life? What colours has Bell painted them?…………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………….... Do they look three dimensional or flat? ………………………………………………………………………………… How would you describe the paint brushstrokes she’s used? …………………………………......

Look at this photograph of a still life... Try drawing an abstract version in this box. Think particularly about how to use colours and shapes.

*Abstract: A style that does not show the world accurately as it is. It is simplified and focuses on shape and colour. *Still Life: An arrangement of objects, like fruit or flowers. Room 4: At Home A very important place for Bell was her country home Charleston farmhouse. As you can see in the photographs, Charleston was a lively place filled with family and friends. It is also a very creatively decorated house. Bell and Grant decorated it themselves: they painted every surface available including their fireplace, the walls and doors!

Imagine if you could paint your designs all over your house! Draw your own design on the fireplace below: Room 5: Landscape Vanessa Bell also created landscape paintings*, she not only painted pictures of the Sussex countryside in England, she also travelled in Europe and painted a lot of landscapes there.

Look at the paintings in this room: which ones do you think are of Sussex and which do you think are of Europe? What do you think makes them different ? …………………………………...... ………………………………………………......

Have a look at View of the Pond at Charleston (c.1919). This is a painting of a view from her house. Do the colours look real? Are her brushstrokes clear and neat?

Think of a view out of a window in your home. Try drawing it in an abstract style below:

*Landscape painting: A picture of natural scenery like the countryside, mountains, rivers and forests. Room 6: Pictures of Women The 20th century was a time of change for women in Britain.Women over 30 got the right to vote in 1918. Traditionally, women were expected to stay at home and raise children, but more of them were starting to do the same things as men. Have a look at the people in these paintings. What makes them similar? …………………………………......

Why do you think Bell chose to create these paintings of only women? …………………………………......

Look at A Conversation (c.1913). How have these women been painted? Circle the words you think would be best to describe them:

Strong Delicate Large Shy Active Small Powerful

Write down other words that you would use to describe them here: …………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………......

Think of a woman or group of women that you know. Draw a powerful picture of them, in the style of Vanessa Bell, in the box below: Gallery 11: Legacy: Photographs by Vanessa Bell and Patti Smith

Go back in to the Permanent Collection and head to Gallery 11.

Vanessa Bell has influenced lots of women artists, including the artist in this room: Patti Smith. Like Vanessa, Patti creates lots of different types of art: photographs, songs, and poems.

Patti Smith is best known for her songs. Now it’s your turn to write one! Use the space below to write a song inspired by Vanessa Bell and her art!

Song Title: ...... Lyrics: ......