Is it necessary to study art in order to be good at art?

Question

OK, a friend asked me this and though I'm still trying to figure out an answer by myself I'd like to hear different opinions. :)

"I go to deviantart and see all these artistic people. I want to be like them and all, and O know practice is good. But am I supposed to take classes and study?

I just really wonder if I can actually paint/draw that well if I try my hardest on improving my skills. =/"

(I personally think that classes can help you immensely, but if you REALLY want to become good at art you can be a self-taught artist. I think a combination of both are what will push you towards excellence.)

Answer 1

Well, think about all those artists celebrated for their "Outsider Art," or "folk art," as it used to be called. Grandma Moses, and plenty of others who had no formal training, but produced wonderful works. Anyone who quilts, does wood carvings, etc, who may have been taught the basic techniques but not specifically artistic concepts, are producing art.

I suspect that if Grandma Moses had taken art classes, it would have ruined her art.

At the same time, most of the great artists had mentors and teachers, studied at least informally (watching the effects of the sun on water, for example, or the way shadows lie, or the essence of the human form), as they developed their skill and their techniques.

I don't know how many great artists have been produced by art schools, however. Too much instruction could produce cookie-cutter techniques and uniform visions. Perhaps there's a delicate balance between self-teaching and instruction.

Answer 2

no... but it can help to define and refine the kind of art that is being created. remember, it is called cave art... think of what the caveperson could have done with just simply reading a book on shape and form.

Answer 3

What is good art? The art within you needs to be presented without dilution. No art school can give you that which is already embedded within you, it can only enhance what is already there and perhaps give you some direction or mechanical expertise. Art is not the ability to recreate a scene exactly as it is but it is your own personal interpretation of that scene put into visual format but knowledge of some of the ground rules in nurturing your artistic abilities will be handy and this is where art schools come in. Self taught artists I think have the ability to allow their inner visions to become visible to others through experimentation and practice. The biggest danger in art is trying to be someone you are not. Allow your own vision its head if your art is to mean something but as long as it always means something to you, you cannot go far wrong. My humble opinion, hope it helps.

Answer 4

You're right. I think most of the best artists didn't have formal training. If you are creative and can teach yourself then you don't really need to take classes. But for most people it is best to learn the basics in classes first.

Answer 5

Art is a gift. It is an in-born talent. True, it is necessary to study art to enable us to learn the styles & influences such as religion, history, or culture. But the learning is limited to those areas only. True art is an expression, our own expression of our inner self. It has to be pure because it has to be a reflection of ourselves as we are. Whatever kind of art you are interested in (dancing, acting, painting, sculpture, singing...the list goes a long way), it is our own trademark of what we are, who we are and who we want to be.

Answer 6

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the vast majority of the artists who are acknowledged and celebrated as great artists in history have had some degree of formal art training- classes, schooling, apprenticeships, etc.

Being a great artist begins with what you have innately (talent and creativity), but having the schooling and training will help bring out those talents and can help to channel them into means (and media) which allow them to be displayed to their fullest.

For example, it is very difficult (and expensive) to learn techniques like marble sculpting or silkscreening on your own, and having training in such concepts as color theory and perspective can help make "easier" to create great works in (less demanding) disciplines like water coloring or acrylic painting.

Nonetheless, it is possible (but very rare) to become a great artist (and be recognized as such) without having formal training. The best examples of this would be the work of "outsider artists" like Joe Minter and Henry Darger.