The Left’s “long march through the institutions” has not neglected art. Many artists now think that art must somehow advance social justice and “make a statement.” Art shows with such stuff are a complete waste of time.
But, as Michael J. Pearce argues in today’s Martin Center article, there is some good news: Traditional art instruction is making a strong comeback. Pearce writes, “Here is a good reason to be cheerful about art instruction in America. A new master’s degree program trains art teachers to instruct using the traditional techniques of 19th-century ‘atelier’ studios. The Florence Academy of Art, a successful international art school based in the gorgeous city-state center of renaissance Italy, has partnered with the School of Atelier Arts to establish a new program.”
Students learn the techniques that make Western art great, and many start quite young. Artistic talent, just like musical talent, can be identified and nurtured early. They also learn about the history of art.
Referring to the modernists, Pearce writes, “The grey acolytes of the progressive hegemony that still dominates American art education prioritize individual creativity above everything, following Dewey’s canard that each person’s individual experience is of equal value. Surely formal training stifles such creativity.” Of course, he disagrees that traditional methods stifle creativity. Quite the opposite.
Pearce concludes, “Conservatives who wish to see the traditions of the West preserved should take note. It is easy to complain about the malignity of forces which shape the culture and easy to be led astray by reactionaries who advocate radical interventions. Often, these would harm the very things we wish to maintain. It is a harder task to take action to conserve and care for the good things we admire about the past. Institutions like the Florence Academy of Art are true guardians of the flame. They are beacons of light in the grey fog that hangs over American education.”