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Letter to Artists & Art Students
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© The essay herein is the intellectual property of Igor V. Babailov and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from Igor V. Babailov. Any attempt to plagiarize the written material of this page will violate the international community's laws and ethics.
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Dear Friends,
ALL of the greatest Masters in the history of art regarded classical academic training as indispensable for the development of highest professional skills. My teaching experience is a direct result of my own years of studies (1974-1990) in the consistency of the academic discipline and the academic curriculum at one of the world's oldest and acclaimed fine art institutions, the Russian Academy of Arts (est. 1757).
One can compare art education to the solid foundation for a house – once it’s built properly, it will hold any shape or form you will place on it. And yes, it's not enough to have just any art education, it must be a proper classical education.
Students have what their teachers give them. If their teachers themselves did not acquire a classical education, it is most likely that they would not teach its academic methods either. Students would then be limited to learn only their teacher's 'style' or their teacher's teacher's style and the fruits of their labor would result in their becoming “beggars in knights' armor" so to speak, as the root of deep knowledge and skill, which is vital for the development of artistic individuality, would not be introduced.
Having a broad and well-rounded academic formation prior to acquiring someone else style, is a source of strength for every artist. Wouldn't you like to feel confident that you can draw and paint from life absolutely anything and be totally comfortable with any subject in any genre, whether it is portrait, landscape or multifigurative composition?
The academic method of teaching is universal and also economical. It saves you time and money and the trouble of trying to build what you need, out of bits and pieces from different workshops by different instructors often teaching their own 'style', instead of classical foundation. Different instructors' personal approaches and their often complicated palettes may "clash" with each other and result in confusion and unclear direction for the students. It's like attempting to learn how to write using both hands at the same time.. How far would you go?
If you want to learn fast and efficiently, the academic instruction in the principles of classical academic curiculum should be the focus. It is accessible, straight forward and recognized for it's effective teaching of composition, perspective, foreshortening, anatomy and tonal values. All the Masters of the past did just that, they went through this very same classical school, and that’s how they developed their artistic individuality and became The Masters.
Leonardo da Vinci once said: “Poor is a student, who doesn’t go further than their teacher." Like Leonardo, I believe that there must be no secrets whatsoever and I'll share with you, one hundred percent of everything I know. Every one of my students receives my personal and individual attention, according to their specific needs and requirements. That is why my classes are designed for all levels, where everyone benefits, beginners and advanced artists.
In Visual Art we learn a lot by seeing. In fact, that is how we learn. Within the workshop time, I do three complete life demonstrations in drawing, pastel and oil medium. Again, each demonstration is based on the Masters’ approach in the timeless principles of famous academies. My goal, as your instructor, is to simply teach you right from wrong, so you can sooner be on the right path towards discovering yourself as an artist.
For more information and to see my upcoming workshops, please refer to the Workshops page and the Schedule of Workshops on my website www.Babailov.com
To register, please inquire at info@Babailov.com or you may register online on my website www.Babailov.com.
I look forward to seeing you soon,
Most sincerely,
Igor V. Babailov
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