Influence of Vjutemas on Current Graphic Design Education

Abstract

This article addresses the particularities of establishing and training provided in art schools and applied art institutes that served to catalyze the arts and design and underpinned the creation of the multiple university degrees offered in art and design in early 20th century Europe. The text focuses primarily on the creation of the Vjutemas in the former Soviet Union, as the leading institute of formal education in arts and applied arts. Some of the concepts for teaching and professionalization of the artist appeared in the public policies to strengthen national identity, within the specific historical context of European nations. Art, in all its forms, was a key element for the consolidation of a national aesthetic, which is why this type of schools were established in the social-political context of the 20th century. The article explores the general historical context of Europe in the early 20th century, then addresses the conditions in which the Vjutemas was established in the Soviet Union, and subsequently analyzes, from a pedagogic and didactic perspective, the schools that served as the foundation for the establishment of design schools in other countries and how many of its educational elements are still being used today.