Dunhurst pupil recognised in international art competition

A pupil from Bedales Prep, Dunhurst has been named runner-up in the Independent Association of Prep Schools’ (IAPS) international art competition, iArt 2021.

Block 2 (Year 8) pupil Wulfie Smith Pink’s inspirational depiction of paintings of Venice was one of 168 entries, with this year’s submissions ranging from pets to wild animals, landscapes and portraits, as entrants embraced techniques from sculpting to impressionist art.

This year saw a record-breaking number of entries as schools encouraged pupils to use creativity as an outlet for emotion when other extra-curricular activities were made impossible by COVID restrictions.

As well as recognition in the iArt 2021 brochure alongside the other finalists, Wulfie will receive Amazon vouchers for his efforts.

Wulfie said: “In planning my piece, I wanted to contrast the solid, rigid architecture of Venice’s ancient palazzos with the loose wavy water. I decided to use a limited palette, this gave the painting the soft muted colours that are so distinctive of Venice. I chose this scene because the arch frames the boat focusing the viewer’s eye. For reference, I looked at the paintings of Egon Schiele and his use of line, particularly his painting in the port of Trieste, which is just a few miles from Venice. I based this piece on a photograph I had taken when I visited Venice. During the painting of this piece I was taken back to Venice, somewhere very special to my family, at a time when we can’t travel.”

Dunhurst’s Head of Art and Design Susan McFarlane added: “I am thrilled that Wulfie’s outstanding painting has been chosen, he is a wonderful pupil and role model to our younger years.”

The IAPS iArt competition has been running since 2013 and is renowned for the high standard of its entries from pupils aged six to 13 from across the world’s leading prep schools. Judged by IAPS Chief Executive Christopher King, the initiative aims to showcase the innovative and inspiring artwork pupils in member schools produce.

Christopher commented: “Each year we are blown away by the quality of entries we receive, and this year was no exception. The artwork received opened our eyes to the student’s experiences over the past year and it was truly inspirational. The competition is a brilliant way to recognise the creativity and innovation our students have, and to emphasise the value that we place on these skills. My warmest congratulations and huge thanks to every student that participated.”