Our philosophy at the Dutch Atelier of Realist Art can be briefly summed up as "technique before style." We believe that a good art education should first and foremost teach students thefundamental techniquesof how to draw and paint. In contrast to modernist schools that focus on experimentation and expression of the self, our classes are organized around learning to create highly convincing naturalistic imagery from the careful observation of nature.
We believe that concepts such as creativity and self-expression, though valuable, are purely subjective and therefore cannot be quantified or taught in any reliable manner. As such, we refer to ourselves as a "skill-based" studio because our instruction is organized only around technical proficiency and excellent draftsmanship - concepts which can be objectively measured. When it comes to representational art, we do not agree with the modern idea that all art is purely subjective. By its very nature, representational art is objectively assessed by how successfully the artist is able to depict a recognizable aspect of reality.
This is not to say that we do not believe creativity or "finding one's own style" has a place in art; we simply believe that these are concepts for each artist to explore individually after establishing a strong technical foundation first. Just as it would be impossible for a novelist to tell a good story in a language he does not understand, it is similarly impractical to expect that an artist can successfully execute his creative vision without possessing a high level of technical skill. The development of a high level of draftsmanship, combined with an understanding of the correct usage of materials, forms the backbone of our studio.
