Year 6 pupils aged 10 - 11 were tasked with creating a stop-motion animated short video inspired by Henri Rousseau’s 1891 painting “Surprised!”, which depicts a tiger lurking in the jungle undergrowth and currently hangs in the National Gallery in London.

Pupils used their creativity to develop a work of art that imagined the scene before or after the painting’s setting. Scenes ranged from dramatic action sequences of a tiger fighting hunters in the jungle, to a playful interpretation depicting a tiger rolling through the undergrowth playing with the sun, moon and stars as if they were balls of yarn.

Amira Mitchell-Karam, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths (STEAM) Lead at Dame Bradbury’s Junior School said: “It is incredible to see the creativity and the different interpretations that our pupils have come up with from viewing just one picture. Stop-motion animation is a notoriously difficult art form to master, and we are very proud of the videos that our pupils have produced and the hard work that they put into making them. To have their work selected to be exhibited in the National Gallery is a massive achievement and the pupils are wonderful representatives of themselves and the school.”

Take One Picture is a national programme for primary schools, which encourages students to develop an artistic response to a chosen painting, aiming to inspire a lifelong love of art and learning. A selection of clips from the project will be exhibited via a digital display at the National Gallery’s exhibition from 1 August – 1 September 2024. 

Dame Bradbury’s pupil Florence B., comments of her short film, “Day and Night” : “The Tiger shadow leapt into my mind as soon as I saw the sheets of paper on the classroom table. I wanted to tell a story about the Tiger's shadow playing with the Sun, Moon and Stars. My Tiger is strong, playful and inquisitive. He is constantly challenging himself and doesn't take no for an answer.”