History of Art Applicants 2015/16!!

Hi,
It's great that there's finally a thread for us HoA applicants
I was wondering what you guys have done in terms of extra curricular stuff? And also what books you've read?

Im applying for UCl, Courtuald, Warwick, York and Sussex. In terms of going to the Courtuald, I went to the summer school there and I recommend it completely. It's totally unique and has a great atmosphere, we didn't have any student lectures but I guess depends on the modules you do.

Hey everyone,
So glad i found this thread- it's lonely out there!
Im applying for Oxford, Courtauld, York, UCL and St Andrews with A*A*A predictions
So far have an offer from York!
How did people find the UCL written work questions? I am worried as no reply and sent them so long ago! Waiting for offers is so stressful! I literally check my emails every minute- help!

Woo! Got an offer from York too might see you there then!!

Ooh, you've got nearly all of my choices! We could be going to the same uni and extra curriculur wise, I've done a Heritage Camp at Winchester Cathedral, curated an art exhibition, and work experience at an antiques shop. Books wise, I've read loads of books about the Pre Raphaelites and Renaissance art, and also some books about art in general like Gombrich's the story of art. Hope that helps

Hi,
It's great that there's finally a thread for us HoA applicants
I was wondering what you guys have done in terms of extra curricular stuff? And also what books you've read?

Im applying for UCl, Courtuald, Warwick, York and Sussex. In terms of going to the Courtuald, I went to the summer school there and I recommend it completely. It's totally unique and has a great atmosphere, we didn't have any student lectures but I guess depends on the modules you do.

Sounds like you've done similar things as me . I've worked at Petworth House as a Conservation assistant, attended the Courtauld summer school and I work in a small gallery in south London helping curate exhibitions and sell art. I'm also taking an extra AS level in Art History and an EPQ about the impact of technology on 19th-century art. I'm only predicted A*AB so I'm hoping my extracurricular will make up for it. I also read some books on Art Theory, Conservation and Visari's Live's of the Artist and then Gombrich and Ways of Seeing, but they didn't seem too impressed by them at open days so I left them out of my personal statement. Honestly, I'm quite intimidated by all the people on this thread you all have high predicted grades.

Hi! I'm applying to Cambridge, Courtauld, St. Andrews, UCL, and Warwick. I 've got an offer from Warwick and I am waiting for UCL decision since I have sent my answers to their questionnaire

Just got offered an interview at Oxford! Sooo happy!!!!! (only issue being they dont give you much notification!!)

Gonville & Caius. I am still waiting for their decision. What about you?

Just got offered an interview at Oxford! Sooo happy!!!!! (only issue being they dont give you much notification!!)

Got an offer from UCL and interview for Oxford- ahhhhhh! Scary!

In terms of extra curricular stuff, my school offers nothing, so I don't really know. I just visit as many galleries, museums and exhibitions as possible, either when I'm on holiday or whenever something crops up locally. Another thing that you could try out would be experimenting with different art media and sketching; you could even try and find a live modelling class or pottery class or something, or just go around galleries sketching. Gallery sketching is HILARIOUS. Everything I've ever tried to draw is very awful and dodgy, but it can be fun, and I think it helps you remember the composition of pieces better. Although I don't believe you require any artistic skill or talent to study (God knows, my own artistic talent is very, very limited!) HoA, I think experimenting can make you appreciate the sheer depth of the talent and technique of art better. For example, I'm obsessed with impasto atm. I've tried mixing paint with plaster and using different types of plaster based paint to try and build up texture, and I simply don't understand how people are able to create such detailed masterpieces (Like Rembrandt's self portraits, basically everything by Van Gogh) with impasto and thick paint; it's so clumsy, it's impossible! That's basically all I do as extra-curricular (Lol, does that even count as extra curricular?). It would be fabulous to go to lectures, student taught or otherwise, but I literally only know one other art history lover, and there's honestly NOTHING like that available to me in my home town. Most people don't even know what HoA is when I tell them it's what I intend to study.
In regards to extra reading, I've been trudging through Gombrich, "The Story of Art". It's fairly good in just giving you a solid grounding. Everything else I've read is basically junk my dad and I have plundered from charity shops; I don't even know if there's much I could recommend to you that's of actual academic merit. Listening to podcasts can be quite useful and also really relaxing. BBC "In Our Time" is phenomenal, I'm obsessed. There was a good one on Frida Kahlo released last July! I'd also recommend just searching for stuff you're interested in on YouTube, and watching whatever pops up. That can be fun; it's like Bertie's Every Flavour Jelly Beans, you never quite know what you're going to get! I'm also reading a book called "Thinking About Art" by Penny Huntsman. It was originally written as a companion for the AQA HoA A Level, but I've never had the opportunity to study HoA and feel quite disadvantaged, so I'm finding it useful in gaining a basic guide for analysing works of art. Huntsman provides a "toolbox" for what questions you should ask when looking at sculpture, architecture and paintings for the first time, which I've found to be immensely helpful. Generally, my "analysis" of Art is 100% personal opinion and interpretation, I have no idea what I'm doing and tend to say a lot of ridiculous and incorrect things.
I hope my rambling has been of some use to you! I'm very jealous of your experience with the summer school at the Courtauld; that would have been incredible! I visited during the summer and fell in love with everything there. Even Somerset House itself has such a strong historical presence; I think Cromwell possibly even died there? Idk. Good luck, hope I've been of some help! X