Studying under a Master
For as long as I can remember I’ve been intrigued by the ability to follow in the footsteps of a master in field I wish to learn more about. apprenticeship is a lost art that we all can gain so much knowledge from. Whether you are a business person, in the construction field, or an artist like me, learning from a mentor is the most efficient way to grow in knowledge.
Now, after many years of “secondary” mentorship (secondary meaning mentoring via books and videos produced my masters in their perspective field) I am finally under “primary” mentorship again! (primary meaning that I am learning and growing under the direct instruction of a master) Why is this important in the field of art? Well despite what we’ve been told for the last 100-150 years, art is not merely talent. There needs to be great instruction of technique in both application of different mediums, and in drawing, without it we are blind to our on limits. Historically (150+ years ago) all artists had some form of apprenticeship to pass down the knowledge that had been taught to them. This practice is how for thousands of years art progressed. Without mentorship each artist has to go through the painful process of re-discovering “lost” techniques that should be completely unnecessary.
How did we get here? Why are we at a place where we have to relearn these techniques many of which have truly been lost to time? In light of the many events in the world took place in the beginning of the 20th century the art field (predominantly French artist) pushed the “limits” of what art “is”. Why is this so important? Well to look at a time of revolutionary change many “old cannons” were villanized and thrown out by the modernist, especially the art critiques. The art scene applauds men like Pablo Piccaso for breaking the mold of art. However what most don’t consider is that even Pablo Picasso studied at the ‘Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando’ in Madrid, Spain learning the technique and principles of art alongside many other famous Spanish artist of the 20th century. What are the implications? While Picasso can look back at his exemplary foundation (by todays standards) in art and art history, the next generation threw out the the teaching of techniques, and history and created “inspired” modern art. The following generation creating postmodern art many of whom had very little instruction of what we now consider “old master” technique. The result is that art 150 years so much of the knowledge of technique, methods of painting and even paint recipes which were passed down master to apprentice for millennia has gone to the grave of so many incredible artists. Today the teaching of art in the liberal art colleges are esteemed as the “best” education for a young artist. However the mode of teaching historically was a passing of knowledge from a master to apprentice from an earlier age than we typically do today, now art is taught typically by “accredited” teachers who may have gone through school to be teachers but very rarely have more than a high school proficiency in drawing or painting. In a skill such as art however I argue that there is importance to having someone teach from a place of mastery than just someone who has merely been taught to teach.
Are you learning from a master in your field or someone who only knows theory. I challenge you to search for mentors who’ve been where you want to go.
