Tartu Art School ( et, Tartu Kunstikool) is an upper secondary vocational art school in the city of

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

. TAS provides study programs for aspiring decorator-stylists (interior designers), print media designer-desktop publishers, 3D-modellers and

illustrators An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complica ...

History

The history of Tartu Art School is closely linked to the Tartu National Art Institute and therefore to the influential Pallas art school which was renamed as

Konrad Mägi Konrad Vilhelm Mägi (1 November 1878 – 15 August 1925) was an Estonian painter, primarily known for his landscape work. He was one of the most colour-sensitive Estonian painters of the first decades of the 20th century, and Mägi's works on ...

's Higher State School of Art in the early Soviet era. In 1944 the school adopted the name National Art Institute of Tartu. In the 1940s the institutions that provided higher art education in Estonia were in both

Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...

and Tartu. However, at the end of the decade the Soviet Council of Ministers ruled that the National Art Institute of Tartu be united with the National Art Institute of Tallinn, concentrating all the higher education in art in the capital. The only function that the former National Art Institute of Tartu performed at the time was preparing future students set for the institute in Tallinn and training aspiring art teachers. Tartu Visual Art School opened its doors on July 1, 1951 which is also considered the official birthday of Tartu Art School (the name was officially changed in 1960). In its first year of existence only courses in art pedagogy were taught with sculpting, decorating and fashion design disciplines being added to the curriculum during the next few years. The next couple of decades were a time of stable growth for TAS. During the 90's the school moved to its own building on Tähe street. TAS relocated again in early 2010 and is currently situated on Eha street (Eha 41) in the district of Karlova in Tartu.

Organization

Students who enroll at Tartu Art School can choose one of four disciplines: interior design (decorator-stylists), print media design-desktop publishing, illustration and 3D-modelling. In addition to basic art studies (drawing, painting, graphics, sculpting, composition, typography, chromatics etc.), TAS study programs include animation and photography. Depending on the field of study, students need to have successfully graduated from a primary school or a secondary school. A youth contest which has been held for nearly 6 years gives a few aspiring TAS students a chance to enroll at the school without having to take the entrance exams. Students graduate after 3.5 years. The academic year begins in September and is divided into two semesters. Additionally, TAS has individual study programs for adults. About 50 teachers work at TAS and the current headmistress is Kadi Kreis (since August 2000).

Traditions

* A travelling trophy – the Golden Pencil - is awarded to the artist who has shown exceptional skill in drawing every semester. The panel who determines the recipient consists of the resident art teachers. The prize was first conceived by a drawing teacher at TAS, Udo Vool. The prize was first issued during the fall semester of 2010. * The 24-hour comics event was launched in 2003 and lasted until 2009. The patron of the event was a TAS art teacher Peeter Krosmann, however, the idea originated from the American cartoonist

Scott McCloud Scott McCloud (born Scott McLeod; June 10, 1960) is an American cartoonist and comics theorist. He is best known for his non-fiction books about comics: ''Understanding Comics'' (1993), '' Reinventing Comics'' (2000), and ''Making Comics'' (200 ...

. The purpose of the event was to draw a page of a graphic novel in an hour with the ultimate goal of creating 24 pages of material.

Notable alumni

Many influential artists on the Estonian and international art scene have graduated from Tartu Art School including: *

Ellinor Aiki Ellinor Aiki (11 January 1893 – 25 October 1969)Vaal Galeri.
Retrieved 12 May 2016. wa ...

Kalli Kalde Kalli Kalde (born 6 September 1967 in Tartu) is an Estonian painter, graphic artist and illustrator. Education From 1982 to 1986, Kalde studied graphic design in Tartu Art School. In 1991, she graduated from Department of Drawing and Manual ...

Kaarel Kurismaa Kaarel Kurismaa (born 13 May 1939 in Pärnu, Estonia) is the first and one of the most important sound art and sound installation artists in Estonia. His work also expands into the field of painting, animation, public space monumental art, stag ...

* Lembit Lõhmus *

Leonhard Merzin Leonhard Merzin (10 February 1934 in Aruküla, Kudina Parish (now Maardla, Mustvee Parish) – 2 January 1990 in Tartu) was an Estonian theatre and film actor, one of the Estonian actors active in the Soviet Union and abroad. He played in mo ...

Enno Ootsing Enno Ootsing (born 18 April 1940) is an Estonian artist and academic. He has worked as a freelance graphic artist and designer, book artist and illustrator. In 1980, he became a lecturer at the Estonian Academy of Arts, and from 1984 until 2005, h ...

Tiit Pääsuke Tiit Pääsuke (born 22 December 1941) is an Estonian painter. Pääsuke was born in Põltsamaa, Põltsamaa Parish, in Jõgeva County Jõgeva County ( et, Jõgeva maakond or ''Jõgevamaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in ...

Agaate Veeber Agaate Veeber (also known as Agathe Veeber, born Agaate Wilhelmine Kanto; 23 February 1901 – 8 April 1988) was an Estonian graphic artist and illustrator who began her career in the 1920s in her native country of Estonia and continued in the Un ...

Kuno Veeber Kuno Veeber (18 February 1898 – 1 January 1929) was an Estonian painter and graphic artist whose career began in the late 1910s. Early life Kuno Veeber was born Kuno Bernard Weber at Adila manor, Hageri Parish (now part of Kohila Parish) to Ko ...

Connection to Tartu Art College

Tartu Art College Pallas University of Applied Sciences ( et, Kõrgem Kunstikool Pallas) is a university of applied sciences that provides art education in Tartu, Estonia. It was founded on 1 August 2000. The university is situated in Karlova. The rector is Val ...

was founded on the 1st of August 2000. It provides undergraduate level art education and is closely linked to Tartu Art School as a large percentage of the TAS graduates continue their studies at the college. The two biggest art schools in Tartu are situated right next to each other and also share a portion of the faculty and the facilities.

References

External links

* {{authority control Art schools in Estonia Education in Tartu 1951 establishments in the Soviet Union Educational institutions established in 1951 Buildings and structures in Tartu