Defending Practical Art Education: A Response to Barilli

Luca Bertolo, an artist and teacher at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna, responds to Renato Barilli's article arguing that teaching painting and sculpture in academies is useless. Bertolo counters that practical art-making is essential, as it fosters a unique mode of thinking and existential engagement with students. He notes that while Italian academies face issues like lower salaries compared to universities (half the pay) and lack of foreign professors, the core identity of academies lies in the workshop (laboratorio), where material, ideational, and psychological dimensions merge. Bertolo highlights that creative writing courses are common abroad (e.g., Iowa Writing Workshop since 1936) and in Italy since the 1980s, contradicting Barilli's claim. He argues that art is a practice that produces theory, and that practical courses differentiate academies from university art history programs. Bertolo cites that out of 100 visual arts students, about 70 graduate, 10 attempt an art career, and only one succeeds long-term; the rest work in cultural fields with hands-on experience. He calls for preserving this 'biodiversity' and invites more voices, including students, to the debate.