In Praise of Art Schools

Art schools in France have undergone a profound transformation. From being once considered havens of Bohemia with teaching based firmly on the rapport established between master and pupil in the studio, they have become multi-disciplinary with studio practice established in and augmented by art theory as taught by historians, critics, and philosophers. This pedagogical approach is without doubt a challenging and positive way of encouraging students to pursue their artistic ambitions in an atmosphere of personal experimentation that Universities often deprecate. At this time a School of Art is by definition in an unstable state of equilibrium since it must at the same time restrain itself and maintain a margin of discretion whilst opening its doors to outside influences. In a time therefore of mutation and crisis the training of individuals and encouraging originality is professionally suitable and socially essential, as without the awareness and contemplation of that which gives each one of us our unique particularity, nothing of value can be undertaken. How could it be otherwise when, against the prevailing trends in our media-dominated systems, we know that art is a major form of thought, as powerful and productive as science and philosophy.