Artistic Training Methods
Read this text to learn how people learned to become artists in the past and how artists are trained today. What similarities do you see when comparing past and present forms of art education?
For centuries, craftsmen have formed associations that preserve and
teach the "secrets" of their trade to apprentices to perpetuate
the knowledge and skill of their craft. In general, the training of
artists has historically meant working as
an apprentice with an established artist. The Middle Ages in Europe
saw the formation of guilds that included goldsmiths, glassmakers,
stonemasons, medical practitioners, and artists, and were generally
supported by a king or the state, with local
representatives overseeing the quality of their production. In many
traditional cultures, apprenticeship is still how the artist learns
their craft, skills, and expressions specific to that culture. Some
nations actually choose which artists have learned
their skill to such a degree that they are allowed and encouraged to
teach others.
An example would be artists considered National Treasures
in Japan. Art schools have developed in countries where education is more available
and considered
more important than experience. The
French Royal Academy, founded by Louis XIV
in 1648, is a model for these schools. During the 19th century, the Victorians introduced art to its grade schools, thinking that
teaching the work of the masters would increase morality and that
teaching hand-eye coordination would make better employees for the
Industrial Revolution.
These ideas still resonate and are one of the
reasons art is considered important to children's
education. A 2009 New York Times article, "New Programs Aim to Lure Young Into Digital Jobs,"
by Steve Lohr, explains
how this notion has carried into the realm of high technology and
the digital arts. A woman quoted in the article says that proficiency
in digital animation is an asset less for technical skills than for what
she learned about analytic thinking.
Like most skilled professions and trades, artists spend many years
learning and applying their knowledge, techniques, and creativity. Art
schools are found in most colleges and universities, with degree
programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Independent art schools offer two and four-year
programs in traditional studio arts, graphic arts, and design. The degree students earn usually ends with a culminating exhibition and
directs them toward becoming exhibiting artists,
graphic designers, or teachers. Such degrees also consider the
marketing and sales practices of art in contemporary culture.
Many artists learn their craft independently through practice, study,
and experimentation. Whether they come from art schools or not, it takes
a strong desire to practice and become an artist today. There are no
longer historical opportunities to work
under church, state, or cultural sponsorships. Instead, the artist is
driven to sell their work in some other venue, from a craft fair to a
big New York City gallery (New York City is the official center of art
and culture in the United States). There
are very few communities that can support the selling of art on a
large scale, as it is generally considered a luxury item often linked to
wealth and power. This is a modern reflection of the original role of
the art gallery.
What is required to become an artist? Skill is one of the hallmarks
that we often value in a work of art. Becoming skilled means continually repeating a craft or procedure until it becomes second nature.
Talent is certainly another consideration,
but talent alone does not necessarily produce good art. Like any
endeavor, becoming an artist takes determination, patience, skill, a
strong mental attitude, and years of practice.
Creativity is another element necessary to become an artist. What
exactly is creativity? It's linked to imagination and the ability to
transcend traditional ways of thinking, with exaggerated use of
alternatives, ideas, and techniques to invent new
forms and avenues of expression. The music composer Leo Ornstein described creativity this way:
"Once you've heard what you've created, you can't explain how it's done. But you look at it and say 'there's the evidence.'"
Traditional and more innovative art forms use creativity. It is what an artist uses to take something ordinary and
make it extraordinary. Creativity can be a double-edged sword in that
it is one thing that artists are most criticized
for, especially in the arena of buying and selling art. In general,
the buying public tends to want things they recognize rather than
artwork that challenges or requires thinking. This dichotomy is
illustrated by a poem by English writer Robert Graves,
"Epitaph on an Unfortunate Artist":
He found a formula for drawing comic rabbits
This formula for drawing comic rabbits paid,
So, in the end, he could not change his tragic habits
This formula for drawing comic rabbits made.
The ability to give visual expression is really what art is all about. It can range from creating pieces for beauty's sake (aesthetics) to social, political, or spiritual meaning. To fully appreciate the artist and their voice, we need to consider that if we value expression, we must value a multitude of voices, some of which contradict our own values and ideas. The artistic process culminates in a form of human expression that reaches all of us at some level.
Saylor Academy Knowledge Check
Source: Christopher Gildow, http://opencourselibrary.org/art-100-art-appreciation/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.