Peeling off the paint: For these student artists, it's personal

Titled “El Núcleo Sagrado,” Alyssa’s acrylic painting depicts a family dinner, placing an emphasis on hands. Inspired in her composition by French impressionist Edgar Degas, she says she’s “trying to convey what our hands reveal about our social interactions.” She utilizes a bright color scheme to create a lively atmosphere, a stylistic choice inspired by Italian painter Gino Severini. 

For Alyssa, the piece is personal, explaining that in her family, “we greet each other or when we say goodbye we always hug everyone,” and that whenever “someone’s really quiet at the dinner table, [we will] put a hand on their shoulder and ask them a question to try to include them and make sure they’re okay.”

Alyssa’s IB art teacher, Mr. Phelps, says she “has a gift for color and composition,” adding that “the diversity of shape and color [in her painting] is unified by interlocking circular drawings except for the subject's hands. The work presented is the result of the type of in-depth artist analysis we do in IB Art.” 

In all of Mr. Phelp’s art classes, among other electives such as pottery, photography, and graphic design, student artists also had a chance this week to show off their favorite works. Sophomore artist Nataline Debesay says she feels that “a lot of students haven’t had the opportunity to show their artwork.”