Teaching Art : Academies and Schools from Vasari to Albers

Teaching Art is the first book to examine the history of art training from the Renaissance to the present. Addressing the question whether art can be taught, Carl Goldstein describes how the secrets of such masters as the Carracci, Rembrandt, and David were passed on from generation to generation. He also analyses the conceptual framework for teaching in the great academies, such as those in Paris and London. This book treats the academic tradition from the point of view of the artist and thus practice, the making of art, is the focus throughout. Also considered in this unique and innovative study is the training of women, who were excluded from traditional academies and treated as inferiors in the modern schools. Goldstein concludes with an overview of current methods for the teaching of art at the university level and their impact on contemporary art.