Artwork by Cheri McLaughlin
… I went to University to study Fine Art at the turn of the Millennium but I feel like I was sold short in my degree. I naively thought in undertaking a Fine Art degree that I would be taught all of the skills that the Masters passed on to their young apprentices in their studios in Florence, Paris and Flanders. If I could have my time again I would not have undertaken a traditional degree but instead gone to study in Florence where I now know they do still teach the old methods. So this is what I want to learn, all of the techniques that I believe should still be taught in Universities today.
The understanding of the conceptual art of the contemporary art world is important for sure but I think it should be a minor module of any modern art education not the primary focus as it has become. It is an absolute tragedy that the amazing skill of the old Masters is being overlooked in favour of this approach in our Higher Education establishments and it undermines the talent and potential of so many who wish to learn, sweeping away any opportunity for real advancement in the modern art world where there is clearly a gaping hole of epic proportions for truly gifted artists. …
