ACADEMIES AND EUROPEAN ART

Role of Academies in the Development of European Art in Eighteenth Century

Role of Academies in the Development of European Art in Eighteenth Century

During the eighteenth century, some groups in England found several academies to promote European art on school, college and university levels. The art galleries and academies display an amazing mixture of brilliant programming and an extensive research. The elite academies in England formed the basis for artistic activities and European art of professional level during the period of sixteenth century. The art academies started to grow with a fast pace and the guild system in arts was abolished. The new system was established in the area of arts that promoted exhibitions and trainings. These trainings and exhibits of arts dominated the artistic production after the sixteenth century and it developed in the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (Hutchison, 1986).

The academies were constantly shifting to different forms during the period of Italian renaissance. Sometimes these art academies provided the functions of informal forums to discuss the issues or considerations in the area of literature and philosophy. These discussions turned into a modified form promoting the scope of the art galleries and academies in England. The academies and art galleries became large and more formal in nature. They were usually supported by powerful and wealthy people of England who wanted to promote arts in the region. They also wanted to be associated and involved in the cultivation of literature and arts in England. In the beginning, several academies were found in different regions of Europe. They design of these academies consider the promotion of the establishment and development of informal training for artists. These academies also placed membership for potential users of the art galleries and academies (Pevsner, 1967).

The art academy system formalized during the seventeenth century. Some of them opened several training branches to promote formal training of arts for the students and potential users. They enable the standard theoretical system of writing. The initial academies found in England include the English Royal Academy which was founded in 1768. The English royal academy substituted the academic ideal of historical paintings by the landscape and portrait paintings. The academies in England and other parts of Europe faced several challenges during the early seventeenth century (Altick, 1987).

The European artistic centre initially formed in Paris but it was later shared with the Royal Academy of London. The focus of these academies was to offer art education, promote exhibitions and incorporate professionalism in the field of arts. The English and French models of academies inspired the people of other countries and they formed the art academies keeping in view the English and French models of art academies. Some art schools formed on the regional level in England also imitated the model of English royal academy of arts. The objectives of these academies were to develop a centralized, authorized and institutionalized approach to art education. The formal training provided to the artists produced academic works of arts ...