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Lesson 4 of 4
  • Year 6

Raised portraits: representation through dots and relief

I can create raised and dot portraits that explore how subjects are represented in art.

Lesson 4 of 4
New
New
  • Year 6

Raised portraits: representation through dots and relief

I can create raised and dot portraits that explore how subjects are represented in art.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. There are many ways that artists have used dots to create images.
  2. The Benin bronzes were made to honour the Oba and record the kingdom’s history and culture.
  3. Light and shadow can express status.
  4. Representation matters – images tell stories about inclusion and erasure.

Keywords

  • Oba - in the Kingdom of Benin, the Oba was the spiritual, political, and cultural leader

  • Representation - how people or groups are shown or left out in art/media

  • Relief art - a type of artwork where shapes or images are raised above (or carved into) a flat surface

Common misconception

Western portraits are the artworks where artists represent stauts effectively.

Many artefacts and artworks around the world and throughout history do this.


To help you plan your year 6 art and design lesson on: Raised portraits: representation through dots and relief, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Include a range of examples of art and artefacts that represent different people and their actual or perceived status for discussion.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

Download quiz pdf

6 Questions

Q1.
What do geometric patterns in medieval art often represent?

random decoration
Correct answer: order, harmony, and the infinite
weather and seasons
the artist’s daily life

Q2.
What does the word pattern mean in art?

the colour of paint
Correct answer: a design made by repeating shapes, lines, or images
a mistake in the artwork
a single picture

Q3.
What is a geometric shape?

a natural or uneven shape
Correct answer: a regular shape with clear edges
a pattern made of random lines
a shape with no sides

Q4.
True or False? If shapes in an artwork look abstract, they don’t mean anything.

true
Correct answer: false

Q5.
What can material surfaces and patterns carry in an artwork?

Correct answer: cultural or spiritual meaning
random decoration
only flat colours
unfinished details

Q6.
What does texture mean in art?

the size of the artwork
Correct answer: the way a surface looks or feels
the type of brush used
the thickness of the frame

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What can material and scale do in a portrait?

make the subject look more ordinary
Correct answer: turn an ordinary person into someone heroic
make the artwork smaller and less detailed

Q2.
What does chiaroscuro mean?

Correct answer: the strong contrast between light and dark in art
a type of shiny metallic paint
a pattern made with repeated dots
a kind of string used for texture

Q3.
Light and shadow can help express __________ and focus attention in a portrait.

landscape
Correct answer: emotion
patterns

Q4.
Why does representation matter in art?

Correct answer: It decides who gets seen, remembered, or valued.
It makes artworks more colourful.
It keeps all art the same.