Ongoing debate discussing the direction of art education in Great Britain
In recent years, there has been an ongoing debate about the direction of art education in Great Britain. Partly in response to that dialogue, and to our own experience of learning, the London Atelier of Representation Art was established to teach the fundamentals of grammar in drawing, painting and sculpture. We have started this blog in the hope of stimulating discussion about the future direction of art in this country and for users of this website to share their experiences, knowledge and to comment on developments.
Please feel free to add your comments below.
4 Comments
Hi,
Being an appreciator of realism, namely the Dutch Baroque period, it’s with joy that I ascertain a seek for this style during the recent years.
I wish great success for your project, it seems to be happening in the right time.
Take care,
José
I note that your website is keen on the artistic legacy of the sculptor Edouard Lanteri. I therefore thought it worthwhile sharing with your readership the contents of the foreword to the 1965 edition of his book ‘Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure’ written by Nathan Cabot Hale: “The task of learning these skills is difficult enough in itself, but the modern figurative artist must bear the additional onus of those words “conservative” or “academic” which have been attached to the realist tradition. Yet most serious artists of today would probably agree that such hard-won aspects of this tradition as the technical skills of sculpture and painting, the anatomical knowledge given us by such men of genius as Leonardo and Michelangelo, and the great psychological insights of Rembrandt, Goya or Daumier should not be denigrated by being thus labelled. It would be far better for artists and art writers finally to acknowledge that the meaning of these words has been partially obscured by their application to persons or groups with rigid, dense, arrogant or pretentious character structures – persons or groups who use the professional organisation, the press, the museum, or personal political power to repress valid art expressions.”
Kinda apt huh?
Regards
Miranda Williams
it’s hard to believe that in a country as diverse and England, with such a rich artistic history, students of art cannot learn how to draw and paint.
I started a foundation course at a south london art college in September, life drawing is rarely on offer… and when it is, the classes fill up so quickly it is impossible to get a place, and no proper tuition is on offer.
I searched for three years looking for a government recognised university which would teach the practical, traditional skills of art and came up with nothing. Many fine art courses (which one would assume would be the best place to start)actually actively discourage realism within art and those who choose to pursue it anyway see the evidence in their poor grades. I found that realism was only really accepted in a few rare illustration courses, yet even within these few it was not actually taught but simply allowed.
I have a theory that this is a result of a natural urge within all artists to rebel against what they were taught in an effort to create a sense of individual originality in their work. You just need to look back from the expressionists onwards to see this shunning-of-the-old pattern.
I love the fact that independent schools such as yourselves have opened up but as you are not government backed I cant get a loan to cover the costs of learning with you, which means it will take me probably another two years to save the funds to do so. Which I shall do, but I am a terribly impatient young lad.