Week Six Comments

     The topic of week six primarily concerned the origin of Academies. I enjoyed learning of the Renaissance origin of the Academy, evolving from art guilds and workshops. Academies became all male exclusive organizations of not only artsists, but thinkers, philosophers, writers, etc.

    The Ecole des Beaux-Arts was established in Paris with the notion that art could be taught, but not originality. Students copied from engravings, sculpture fragments, and ultimately a live model. Upon graduation a graduate may be admitted to the academy as an apprentice, or optimally compete for the prestigious Prix de Rome.