February
5th,
2025
Upper Secondary Arts: "Portrait of a Stranger"
Yesterday a very special gathering took place in Parc Güell as part of the "Portrait of a Stranger" project, an artistic initiative which has been running for some years now and has become a traditional event. This year, the project has involved Year 1 Upper Secondary Artistic Drawing students from Sant Ignasi, El Clot and Kostka.
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At the event, the students were split into teams of 6 to 8 people which included pupils from different schools. Each participant was assigned a partner to work with over the course of the morning. Across various activities including the game "Dicciopinta" and quick line drawings, the students began to sketch portraits of their "stranger" partners. They did interviews to learn more about each other so they could better capture the spirit of their model.
The students also made the most of the setting at Parc Güell to practise drawing the human figure by portraying people strolling around the site. Finally, they produced a joint drawing of the landscape and the park's iconic architecture using the pastel technique.
The project doesn't end here: throughout the year, each student will continue to work on the portrait of the person they have been asked to draw, further refining their technique and artistic interpretation. These pieces will be on display during the first fortnight of May at Gràcia Town Hall, thus maintaining the tradition of the final exhibition.
In this project students not only develop their artistic skills but also gain personal and cultural rewards through interaction with peers from other schools in a setting as inspiring as Parc Güell.
