.….What’s that thing on your head?
…..Where are you sitting?
…..Are you happy?
…..Why are you dressed in those clothes? Is that your wedding dress?
If you had the chance to speak to Mlle Fanny Claus, what would you ask?
The young people at The Highfields Unit had that exact chance! During our Thursday visit, an actress, violinist and hospital school teacher (so many talents) gave the young people the unique opportunity to ask Fanny Claus questions to understand who she was /her relationship with Manet and his wife, 19th Century Paris, fashion, sitting for such a long time, and so much more! She was fantastic and the young people were so interested in her: studying her, asking her questions and even having a go on her violin.
Below is a video one of the young people took during the session: Fanny Claus has the use of modern technology to talk about her friends Monsieur and Madame Edouard Manet (Madame Suzanne Leenhoff).
We used a variety of skills to gain more insight into the sitter, artist, fashion, style and music. We sketched using graphite and lead pencils, photographed the sitter using macro settings a
nd getting interesting perspectives on her clothes and position. We printed our photos straight away to sketch from our images.
We also had the pleasure of hearing Fanny Claus played some violin music, prompting 2 of the young people in the session having a go with the violin: a difficult skill which they approached with fun and laughter – maybe just a little more practice needed ;-). What a fun way to learn!