Take One Picture 2021

Explore the exhibition

See how children were inspired by Uccello's 'The Battle of San Romano'

Every year, as part of our Take One Picture programme, we invite primary schools nationwide to focus on one of our paintings and respond creatively to its themes and subject matter, historical context, or composition.

For the 2021 exhibition, schools responded to Uccello's 'The Battle of San Romano'.

Image: Paolo Uccello, 'The Battle of San Romano', probably about 1438-40

The Battle of San Romano

The painting shows a key moment in the Florentine victory at San Romano in 1432, with the commander Niccolò da Tolentino leading a cavalry charge and wearing a magnificent red and gold hat. Uccello’s painting was chosen for the cross-curricular themes and subjects which can be explored: from conflict and battles, to pattern, perspective and Renaissance Italy.

See some of the children from Hill Top CE Primary School's first impressions of the painting when they saw it in the Gallery for the very first time:

Inside the exhibition

Children's works

Featuring works by children from 30 different primary schools, the exhibition showcased the richness of children's creative responses – from armoured beasts and shining shields to plumed helmets and printed flowers.

Download the PDF of works in the exhibition including full descriptions about each work.

'Waress'

Gordon Primary School, Essex, 7–8 year-olds

The battle scene reminded Year 3 of a chessboard, with a square pattern on the floor and black and white horses. They called their project ‘Waress’ as a composite of ‘war’ and ‘chess’.

The Fruits of San Romano

Bromley High School GDST, Kent, 4–5 year-olds

Reception Class explored the background of the painting, leading them to focus on the fruits growing in the hedgerows.

3D Battle

Sellincourt Primary School, London, 4–11 year-olds

After experimenting with photography, Sellincourt Primary School made blue and red 3D drawings that look as if they are running towards you!

Armoured Beasts

Beaver’s Community Primary School, London, 7–8 year-olds

The armour in the painting reminded the children of different animals, such as woodlice, armadillos and dragons, so they decided to make their own armoured beasts.

Abstractions

Eton End School, Berkshire, 10–11 year-olds

Inspired by the work of Robert Reed, Year 6 made abstract responses to the painting. They focused on perspective, colour and movement.

Collected Impressions

Grundisburgh Primary School, Suffolk, 5–6 year-olds

Investigating the pattern on Niccolò da Tolentino’s grand hat led Year 1 to printing their own hat fabric.

Perspective Drawings

Hartwell Primary School, Northamptonshire, 8–9 year-olds

Children took photographs with the theme ‘winning and losing.’ They then replaced most of their photograph with drawing to practise accurately representing perspective.

Embossed Breastplates

Hill Top CE Primary School and Nursery, Bradford, 9–10 year-olds

Year 5 decided to make their own ornamental breastplates for the horses, creating them with embossing tools and foil.

The Battle of Our Time

Gordon Primary School, Essex, 4–5 year-olds

Reception Class made a link between the armour worn in the painting and the masks we wear to protect ourselves and others from Coronavirus.

Our Community: A Coat of Arms

Trinity Primary Academy, London, 10–11 year-olds

Inspired by the shields in the painting, students decided to make their own versions. Each shield represents something about themselves.

The Daily Pomegranate

Two Mile Ash School, Buckinghamshire, 10–11 year-olds

Year 6 talked about whether they could trust the scene shown in the painting and decided to write newspaper articles to report the events of the battle.

Fruit Printing

Hyde Park Junior School, Plymouth, 7–8 year-olds

Students used their detailed observational drawings to make polystyrene printing blocks. They then used a variety of inks to create their final pieces.

Renaissance Helmet Decorations

St Benedict’s Junior School, London, 8–9 year-olds

Inspired by the helmets in the painting, children drew their designs before creating colourful and eye-catching plumes.

The San Romano Honours

Mab’s Cross Community Primary School, Lancashire, 7–8 year-olds

One child asked ‘What happened after the battle was over?’ This led to discussions around celebration and rewarding soldiers with medals.

Knights in Shining Armour

North Mymms St Mary’s CE Primary School, Hertfordshire, 4–5 year-olds

After noticing the shiny armour in the painting, children decided to make their own knights in shining armour using paper, paints and collage materials.

Battle in Black and White

King Edward’s Junior School, Bath, 9–10 year-olds

Children worked in pairs to make models covered in plaster bandages, before painting them to resemble chess pieces.

Wire Horses

Hyde Park Junior School, Plymouth, 10–11 year-olds

Year 6 made observational drawings of horses, before working in pairs to translate their drawings into wire sculptures.

Celebration Faces

Hartwell Primary School, Northamptonshire, 4–5 year-olds

The children thought about what their faces might look like if they were celebrating winning a battle. They then recreated their own expressions of celebration using collage.

Gold Leaf Shields

John Bunyan Primary School, Essex, 7–8 year-olds

Students spent time looking at traditional Italian shield designs, before making their own versions. They realised that their designs had to be bold and easy to read.

Exploring Fruits and Flowers

Bridgewater Primary School, Northampton, 3–4 year-olds

The children used fresh flowers to create this bright, collaborative print. They also tried tasting different fruits, inspired by those growing on the battlefield.

Modern Battles

Two Mile Ash School, Buckinghamshire, 10–11 year-olds

Students made links between 'The Battle of San Romano' and the important causes they would fight for today.

Running Free

St James CE Primary School, London, 7–8 year-olds

After investigating how to show a horse moving, children decided to show them ‘running free’ instead of in battle.

Hero Medals

Caroline Chisholm School, Northampton, 5–6 year-olds

Children reflected on the everyday heroes in their lives and made medals to award to these special people.

Signs of Hope

Woodford Halse Primary Academy, Northamptonshire, 9–10 year-olds

Year 5 felt that the oranges and roses in the painting represented life, growth and hope. They chose to recreate them using embroidery.

Battle Characters

Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School, London, 7–8 year-olds

Students decided that they would like to add a new figure to the painting. They had to think about what kind of character would be appropriate for the scene.

A Community of Hats

Kingswood Primary School, Gloucestershire, 5–11 year-olds

The children were fascinated by the central figure’s hat. They thought that it must be very special, so they asked local people about their special hats, before making their own.

We Saw Horses!

Gordon Primary School, Essex, 3–4 year-olds

Working in teams, the class made horses out of cardboard boxes, thinking carefully about the size of the body and counting how many legs they would need.

Thematic Plainchants

Laddingford St Mary’s C of E Primary School, Kent, 5–11 year-olds

Students decided to write a song about the battle, inspired by Medieval and Early Renaissance music.

Coding Moving Horses

Kingswood Parks Primary School, Hull, 9–10 year-olds

Year 5 coded buggies to move so they could recreate the horses charging at each other. They also used a green screen to make the painting into a backdrop for their battle.

Vision of the Past

Cleveland Road Primary School, Essex, 7–8 year-olds

Year 4 decided to make a zoetrope to recreate different elements of the battle. As the zoetrope spins, their drawings come to life.

A Visit to the National Gallery

Grafton Primary School, London, 8–9 year-olds

The children decided to animate a visit to the Gallery, where they would learn about the painting from an art historian, and Paolo Uccello himself!

Descriptive Writing and Drama

Exeter Junior School, Exeter, 9–10 year-olds

The children wrote imaginative descriptions of the battle, before stepping into the shoes of Niccolò da Tolentino in a post-battle interview.

Animated Battles

Alderbrook Primary School, London, 10–11 year-olds

Year 6 used animation to show links between 'The Battle of San Romano' and our modern-day battle with Coronavirus.

Niccolò da Tolentino’s Flag

Gateway School, Buckinghamshire, 10–11 year-olds

How big do you think Niccolò’s flag would be in real life? Year 6 decided to find out using their maths skills and made their own.

Let Faith Be My Shield

Hornbill School, British Forces Brunei, 7–11 year-olds

After listening to 'When a Knight Won his Spurs', students decided to create a ‘values battle’ scene, with each soldier shown fighting for their chosen value.