Hi, Alan, (and list),
Depends how far you want to go back. Pevsner's 'Academies of Art, Past and
Present'(chapter 2) gets you back to the first Academies in Renaissance
Italy, in which life-drawing was first used to raise the perceived social
status of artists over that of the craft guilds. More recently, Goldstein's
1996 'Teaching Art: Academies and Schools from Vasari to Albers' would also
be very useful to your research.
We at Swansea have maintained the teaching of life-drawing, not for any
outmoded attempt to maintain a discipline of academic representationalism,
but because research has shown it is one of the most efficient (and
economic) ways of developing in students an 'intelligence of seeing',
especially when integrated with other drawing activities based upon a sound
understanding of the two theoretical bases which underpin all visual art
practice: those of perception theory and communication theory. Perhaps you'd
like to see my article "Mapping the Domain of Drawing' in 'International
Journal of Art&Design Education' Vol21 No.3 pp258-272.
Dr Howard Riley PhD MA(RCA)
Head, School of Research & Postgraduate Studies
Dynevor Centre for Arts, Design and Media
Swansea Institute, University of Wales
De La Beche Street
Swansea SA1 3EU
Wales, UK
Pennaith, Ymchwil ac Astudiaethau Olgradd
Canolfan Gelf, Dylunio ac y Cyfryngau Dynefwr
Athrofa Abertawe, Prifysgol Cymru
Stryd De La Beche
Abertawe SA1 3EU
Cymru, y DU
Phone/Ffon +44 (0)1792 481285
Fax/Ffacs +44 (0)1792 470385
Email/Ebost [log in to unmask]
Cyswllt yn Unig
> From: Alan McGowan <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: The UK drawing research network mailing list
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 12:24:52 +0100
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Historical life drawing studios
>
> I'm trying to do a bit of research on the history of
> life drawing and am interested in places/ studios
> where it would have been practised and/or taught,
> especially ones which are still operational. The most
> obvious example would be the Royal Academy Schools in
> London.
>
> Could anyone recommend others of historical interest
> especially in Europe or North America? And does anyone
> have experience of working in them?
>
> Thanks
> Alan McGowan
>
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