In the German department we have been thrilled that in the last couple of years there have been three exhibitions in London which have introduced German art and architecture to the British public. Tate Modern’s fabulous exhibition, EXPRESSIONISTS: Kandinsky, Münter and the Blue Rider, exactly coincides with the German A Level specification we follow at school. The Blue Rider was a loose association of artists based in Munich at the beginning of the twentieth century. This was an exciting and useful opportunity to see at first-hand how these artists experimented with colour, abstraction and modern subjects, and to appreciate the emotional impact of their art. The exhibition emphasises the role of women such as Gabriele Münter and Marianne Werefkin, and we particularly liked the images of children by Maria Franck-Marc, wife of the more famous painter Franz Marc, who died in the First World War. Our A Level students completed a worksheet on the exhibition and then wrote up some first-rate analyses of three of their favourite paintings. This is the first time in over sixty years that so many German Expressionist paintings have come to London, and the exhibition is on all summer – well worth a visit!
Ms Fillingham
