Lecture Eight - The Art School

The Art School.


Q.What is the main purpose of an art school?
Giving those who are talented and interested in art a chance to express themselves; to receive guidance and knowledge from those already working in the creative field.

*Vis com= socially motivated style. Content over style.

*LCAD quotes prioritise certain concepts-
1.Innovation (Creating new stuff)
2.Experiementation (process involved in order to create new stuff)
4.Creative genius (to bring out a hidden creative depth held deep inside the student)
Free to question these!

*Every course challenging students to be unconventional- but doesn't that make it conventional?!

Ancient Art Schools
*Art was cultivated as a shared knowledge.

*The first university as we now know it was formed n Medieval times.
Art was not taught there. It was thought of as a craft or a skill.
The way you learnt that 'craft or skill' was to assign yourself as an apprentice to a master. You copied his work over and over again, until you matched his style exactly. Then you did some of his work for him- he then finished it, signed and sold it!
After those few years you were free to go and do your own work.

*Originality was set by artists. 'The Academy'. There was a certain style that was passed on.

*Artists were also always upper class.

*In late 1800's new ideas about artists began to form- romantic ideas about creativity and individuality of the artist/poet emerged.

*Henry Wallis, 'The Death of Chatterton', 1856
This painting was about a poet who kills himself at a young age as no one understands him and his work.

*This romantic idea of the artists as a hero, living outside the norm is still the 'sexy' idea we have today!

Contestations to the Academy.

• Salon de Refuses 1863.

-The art had to be a particular style and had to be exhibited in the Salon to be a success.
-They created an exhibition for those who did not 'make it' to the salon- this was the 'reject salon'. However these were more experimental pieces and led to artists creating their own exhibitions in Paris in order to show their work. Thus, the Salon started to lose it's power over influencing art.

• 1871, Ruskin establishes School of Drawing and Fine Art in Oxford.
• Arts and Crafts Movement/William Morris

Design for "Tulip and Willow" indigo-discharge wood-block printed fabric, 1873


-Rise of Arts and crafts movement was 1860-1910

-William Morris 'Art and Socialism' 1884
-Arts and crafts movement changed opinion on art.

• Glasgow School of Art 1907

- An avant garde school, built to challenge how art is taught to students.

• Establishment of Art Workers Guild 1884

-Artists working together to have control of art- away from upper class society.

*Bauhaus 1919-33 Weimar/ Dessau/ Berlin

-Unfortunately the Nazi's shut it down but it was very forward thinking for its time.

-New art consistent with modern production and cheap and accessible to all.

*Vkhutemas 1920-1930 Moscow

-Accelerated Russian modern art.

*Artists are only as radical as politics and the society that surrounds them allows.

*Black Mountain College, North Carolina USA 1933-57

-Based on educational principles of John Dewey Interdisciplinary.

-Produced many influential artists, critics, teacher etc.

*Harry Thubron 

-Head of Leeds College of Art 1955-65

-Basic Design Course- Radical educational programme. Influenced by the Bauhaus/ Paul Klee.

-Leeds College pf Art has been radical and produced some well known alumni.

- No.1 Art College in the 50's.

*In the 1990's art school changed- taken over by managers, principals who had no background in Art. Money making and profit became a bigger goal.

*The Atelier Populaire, Paris 1968

L'ecole des beaux arts

-Wave of strikes in Paris. Artists at this art school made posters and helped fuel a revolution.

Art as a weapon

*Conceptual Art

-Developing a form of art that could be sold or comfortably exhibited in galleries.

-Joseph Beuys, 7000 Oaks, Documenta 7, 1982

*Cranbrook Academy Est. 1932

-Apprenticeship system

-Influential in the 1980's/90's

-Give birth to Deconstructionist Design

*Then came the YBA's

-All the people form 'Sensationalism' came from Goldsmiths University of Art

-Created 'Freeze' 1988- Curated by Damien Hirst

He emerged in the Thatcher era and blagged his way to the top. A good business man?

Is art now about marketing and business minds?

*The incorporation of Uk Art Schools.

_First degrees 1976, previously Dip AD

-Upgrading of Polytechnics 1992

-Implementation of tuitions fees, to be increased in 2012 to 9k p.a.

-Marketisation and commodification

-Instrumental approach to Arts and Humanities by government.

*Jeffrey Williams

'The Pedagogy of Debt'