Can Art Be Taught?

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Comment by Mrs.Rizwana A. Mundewadi on September 11, 2009 at 3:22pm

Feelings are expressed much better when you are free from bondages of set knowledge. As i started learning about colours and compositions no doubt my works may improve in visual impact but the thrill and happiness making it is something i don't know whether it will come back. The innocence of playing with colour. I wish i could undo the knowledge and go back to raw art.

Comment by Lance Dooley on August 28, 2009 at 3:03pm

We must be careful categorizing people in to "self taught" and "trained" categories. What if someone is self taught for many years and is very creative and then decides to go get some serious training (I'm not talking about a workshop, but rather a 2 or 3 year program)? The "trained" artist then mixes with various social circles and is cast into ... "oh, he/she is skilled but has no creativity".

Comment by Mrs.Rizwana A. Mundewadi on August 28, 2009 at 8:15am

self taught artists are more creative but the learned ones already know the tricks of the trade which is very important nowadays.

Comment by Lance Dooley on August 25, 2009 at 8:41pm

I like what the previous person said about "unlearning and experimenting". I went to a high end European art school and it was 3 years of suppression. Now with the training in place, I can continue what I feel was my original art vision.

Those who have serious training will likely go much further, having learned the abc's of their craft. Without the training, it will be a lot of guess work, but if the person is honest with his/herself and learns to see well (I'm speaking mainly for representational visual artists), then anything is possible given enough time and experimentation.

Comment by Lisa on June 7, 2009 at 7:11pm

Hi All-
I agree with Shirley, who incidently is my mother, that artistic talent is basically innate. However, self expression can be carried much further along by encouragement and thoughtful discussion with older artists. I believe the best instruction is old school - work with an established artist to develop technical skills. Then spend the rest of your life unlearning and experimenting - letting the subconconscious wander about.

Comment by Shirley on June 4, 2009 at 7:21pm

I believe that an innate sensibility is necessary to express feelings about a subject to oneself and to others by producing an object or fleeting image that can be close to reproducing the original deliberate thought. Of course, education makes for acceptable presentation. A caveman could do this by arranging pebbles; a modern photographer could also find a beautiful rocky beach artistic. An artist must have an innate sense of beauty first in order for education to hone and sharpen.

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