Key stage 1: Look at ceramic Pew Groups and produce clay models of seated loving couples
KS2: Show pupils early teenage romantic comic strips alongside the work of Roy Lichtenstein “Girl at piano” 1963, and turn their self-portrait into an enlarged comic strip using “Ben Day” dots. Pupils can add a caption of their own choice exaggerating the drama of first love. KS3-4: Look at artists who have depicted their relationships in their work such as Dali and his wife Gala and Stanley Spencer and his wife; pupils produce studies and a final double portrait piece depicting a loving relationship between parents, siblings or friends.
Explore the theme of two figures intertwined in a kiss. Compare Brancusi - “The kiss” 1909, Klimt - “The kiss” 1907, and Rodin - “The Kiss” 1898.
Produce a study of two figures in an embrace. Expand by looking at “the kiss” theme as a form of dramatic betrayal (see the Kiss of Judas - Naumberg Cathedral and Beardsley - “Salome” 1892).