On Wednesday 22 May, the GCSE, AS and A2 art groups (from Years 10, 12 and 13) travelled by coach to London on 
a trip to visit the Tate Modern and Lichtenstein Exhibition.
Once welcomed at the Tate, the groups were split into the Year 10 and A-level students to see both the Tate’s permanent collection and the retrospective exhibition of the paintings of Roy Lichtenstein.
Admiring the Tate’s collection of paintings, pastels, and oversized sculptures, students were left surprised by the vast number of famous works (from the likes of Rene Magritte and Monet) they could admire, close-up.
However, some of the contemporary work was quite challenging and intended to be thought-provoking. Eyebrows were raised at some of the more abstract works and films, including a house-sized hanging piece of metal!
The main event, however, was to see the great works of Roy Lichtenstein, a central figure of American Pop Art in the 20th century. Everyone was surprised to see the amount and variety of his work, from his first paintings, such as ‘Look Mickey’, to his ever-growing canvases influenced by war, Chinese landscapes and cartoon strips. His interpretations of well-known works by Matisse, Picasso and from classical art were fascinating.
At the end of the day, everyone retired to the coach and relaxed our eyes from the ‘benday’ dots that characterise Lichtenstein’s paintings.