Sculpture restoration at AVU is a discipline that is underpinned by a long tradition and extensive experience. The backbone of the studio comprises a team of professionals and specialists with many years of experience in their field. Together they contribute to the development of the skills and craftsmanship that applicants to the school already possess.
Employees
Following the events of 1989, a school began to take shape based on democratic principles, which draws on contemporary possibilities and places a strong emphasis on traditional values. The backbone of the studio comprises a team of professionals and specialists with many years of experience in their field. Together they contribute to the development of the skills and craftsmanship that applicants to the school already possess.
The master’s programme lasts six years and follows on freely from the curricula of secondary vocational schools and grammar schools. Acceptance onto the course requires a candidate pass a talent examination that can be preceded by consultation with the studio’s senior lecturer regarding a an applicant’s schoolwork and homework. The first round of the admissions procedure involves the submission of a portfolio of work, and drawn studies (portrait, nude, studies of hands and feet and a candidate’s own work) should also be submitted. It is also necessary to submit one or two sculptural works (a bust or free sculpture in plaster or other material).
From the first year onwards, students will be fully engaged in the practical perception of space and material and will work mainly on their drawing and modelling skills. The school’s central pillar is the study of figure and the acquisition of a theoretical knowledge of human anatomy. In addition, students expand their knowledge of the history of art and architecture by attending the appropriate series of lectures. The lectures are arranged chronologically, enabling students to pass their annual exams. The study of art history is completed in the fifth year with a state examination.
Practical tuition is backed up by a grounding in theory, which forms an essential course component.It goes without saying that in order to be restorers, students must have an extensive knowledge of other spheres. At the studio they will attend lectures on heraldry, mineralogy, iconography, monument conservation and material chemistry.
Under specialist supervision they will work alongside the Chemical Technological Laboratory, which forms the background and heart of the restoration studio and oversees material analyses and technological consultation within the framework of tuition.
Depending on their interest and educational background, students can specialise in the restoration of sculptures made of plaster, stucco, stone, metal, fire clay, wood or modern synthetic materials, including polychrome finishes.
The cornerstone of the course is the restoration of stone and wooden polychrome and non-polychrome sculptures. In the sixth year students will work independently and complete their studies with a state final exam. The successful completion of their studies in the Sculpture Restoration Studio entitles graduates to apply to the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic for a permit for the restoration of cultural monuments under Act 20/1987 on state monument conservation.
