This studio is based on the essence of a permanent, defined tradition in sculpture, but also responds to current developments of the figural theme in the sphere of fine art. A natural part of figure sculpture is the relief, from large formats down to socially important spheres such as medallion and coin-based reliefs.
Employees
The body can represent a multitude of meanings. It can be a symbol of one’s own identity or become a vehicle for social customs. Equally, it can simply serve as a yardstick. It is also important to reflect on the relationship between the individual and the lived space that immediately surrounds, defines or even constrains them. This need not be solely about anatomy, but also about the perception of one’s own body, one’s roots, and communication. No topic is too small; what matters is the authenticity of the student’s work and the enduring values it embodies. The work should not be unfocused or superficial.
The studio is a place for meeting, discussion, confrontation, the opportunity to be influenced and to influence others, the sorting out of opinions, a protected space and time. It is a space where outstanding achievements are just as important as the opportunity to make mistakes. A space in which one finds both confidence and the opportunity to experiment.
Work in the studio is focused on mastery of a wide range of expression, from realist studies to portraits, from the nude to completely free artistic expression. What is crucial is the evolution of a student’s ability to transform reality and their own ideas into a fully three-dimensional artistic language. It is essential that the students learns how to “see”, to strip down what is perceived to its essence and to utilise everything relative to their own abilities. During the whole of their studies a student will move from assigned tasks to completely independent work subject only to their interests and creative activities.The school prioritises an individual approach to students and respect for their personality and talent.
A student should have the opportunity to acquire self-knowledge and an awareness of what it is they are attempting to achieve. Gradually they should acquire an autonomous means of artistic expression alongside an awareness of the restrictions this freedom brings. Without the strong personal input of a student, i.e. artist and sculptor, and their compulsive need to create or to assert themselves in some other way creatively, there is no point in attending the school. The most efficient form of learning, alongside the creative search itself, is the necessity to become familiarised with established historical and contemporary solutions. The same goes for reading and keeping abreast of events and exhibitions in the Czech Republic and around the world, in short, taking an interest in such a way that students, with due consideration for their own nature and potential, are in a position to evaluate critically what they need for their own artistic life. This process is more fundamental for the continued development of a sensitive creative person than the production of disposable items and ideas for immediate consumption.
The principles of craftsmanship in this field provide a starting point for free creative work in the sphere of sculpture, with overlaps into other areas. Respect for a knowledge of craft as the basis of a discipline is crucial, as is an awareness of the fact that a slavish adherence to craft for craft’s sake can be to the detriment of artistic development. The tuition includes the possibility of a student familiarising themselves with sculptural procedures and improving them. This includes work with many materials and technologies, including the most up-to-date. A student then hones their sensitivity for work with materials through systematic effort and regular course-correction, and acquires a kind of reservoir of forms (not only 3D), which will prove invaluable for their future objectives and confidence.
In the case of PhD students we emphasise the practical component of work. This component should be linked up with a thoroughly processed critical reflection and the theoretical part of the doctoral course. We expect this part of a student’s studies to be a straightforward continuation of their independent creative work, and not simply research abstracted from their own creative output. We expect the skills and knowhow of PhD students to be beneficial to other students at the studio, whether this be through consultation, their own lectures, or those given by experts invited to the studio by the PhD students.Right from the start, the Sculpture Studio created a specific system of teaching that, thanks to certain personalities (both lecturers and students), did not place any restrictions on talent in the brightest constellation, but developed it. These personalities saw sculpture as a permanent and defined foundation of fine art, while being able to perceive and provide their own contribution to the contemporary evolution of the discipline. To this very day there is no need to worry about whether we are contemporary or not as long as we look closely and respond to the world around us. In this respect the personalities of individual students are as crucial to this process as those of their lecturers. Art is a question of thinking and is defined by those who create it. Without this, only unfulfilled declarations will remain.
