This year the A level art trip was to the historic and culturally significant city of Madrid. We stayed at the Hostel Agular, close to the Via del Arte, the area packed with art galleries, interesting streets and bustling squares.

Day 1 - Students enjoyed artworks mainly dedicated to Spanish art at the Musee Reina Sophia. It houses an amazing collection of artworks, the most famous being Picasso’s Guernica created in response to the bombing of Guernica a country village in northern Spain by Nazi and Facist warplanes. Students made studies of work by other Spanish artists such as Salvador Dali, Juan Gris, Joan Miro as well as a studying a fantastic collection of work by international artists.

After a busy time sketching in the gallery we spent the afternoon in the Real Jardin Botanico. Located at the centre of Madrid, the gardens provided a tranquil setting in which to draw and photograph a wide variety of plant species some dating back more than two centuries. We were extremely lucky to meet an exhibiting artist who had a display of her interpretations of the Botanical Garden.

Day 2 - After an early breakfast we set off to visit the largest outdoor market in Madrid, El Rastro which is the most popular flea market in Spain. The students were challenged to photograph this busy market and to capture the hustle and bustle.

From the market we headed to El Museo De Arte Thyssen Bornemisa. The gallery houses works by international artists including Holbein, Edward Hopper and Lucien Freud. The relaxed atmosphere of the museum enabled students to contemplate works that they had studied in school and make the most of sketching from primary sources to support the development of their current project.

Day 3 - Students were eagerly awaiting the visit to the Museo Del Prado, the Spanish national art museum, to see first-hand some of the masterpieces we had studied back in school. It features one of the world’s finest collections of European art and unquestionably the best single collection of Spanish art. The students in the main focused on and made drawings from the works we had already studied such as Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez and The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch.

The students dug deep and found the energy for another exhibition at 5.00 at the Caxia Forum. The gallery began its life as an old electrical station and still contains many unique features which the students studied on a guided tour. On show in the gallery were some key works of impressionist art as well as more challenging pieces form the twentieth century.

Day 4 - On our last morning we walked to Fundacion Mapfre to see a retrospective exhibition by the photographer Bruce Davidson. This was a highlight for many of the students and his themes have been starting points for further explorations in the students’ coursework.

The students have been really inspired by this trip and are busy preparing their personal response for the sixth form art exhibition. Students’ artwork in response to the Madrid trip can be seen on the new art department website: www.chalfontsartdepartment.weebly.com

Kevin Mathieson, Acting Leader of Art