TALLER TORRES GARCIA: THE INDIVIDUALIZATION OF VISUAL ARTS EDUCATION

Abstract

Joaquín Torres Garcia (1874-1949) was a Uruguayan plastic artist, theorist and painting teacher. In 1934, he returned to Uruguay and created the Asociacíon de Arte Constructivo (AAC) to disseminate and teach the theoretical and practical aspects of his ideas about the arts, known as Constructive Universalism. The teaching of these concepts occurs more efficiently in 1943 with the creation of the Taller[1] Torres Garcia (TTG), where young students better receive Torres' constructivist ideas. The relationship between the historical rescue of the TTG teaching methodology and the practice of teaching arts today is the main objective of this article. The historical rescue was made based on the existing bibliography and to survey the relations of the TTG with the current practice of teaching fine arts, a teaching exchange was carried out, with a six-month internship at the Taller Bruzzone[2] of the Fine Arts course at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, Uruguay. The concepts of Constructive Universalism of structure[3], harmonization of colors and "tono[4]" allow the artist a creative freedom and plastic maturity that goes beyond the idea of descriptive art of imitation of nature. TTG's teaching methodology is aligned with current active teaching methodologies that, in addition to theoretical concepts, develop creative freedom, engagement and teamwork skills in academics.

[1] The Spanish term taller has a meaning of workshop, office and art studio. The term Taller Torres Garcia and the acronym TTG have a strong meaning in artistic culture and in this work it was chosen to use the word Taller and not its translation studio.

[2] Taller Bruzzone is one of the optional workshops of the undergraduate degree course in visual arts at the University of the Republic in Montevideo. The studio lasts three years that the student takes from the 4th to the 6th year of the course. The student who chooses to attend Taller Bruzzzone has a strong curriculum focused on drawing and painting. The coordinating professor of the program is Gabriel Bruzzone and the assistant professors are Eugênia Mendez, Marcelo Larrosa and Mirta Couto. The four belong to the second generation of Torres Garcia's disciples, as they took classes with Torres' direct disciples: Añelo Hernandez, Pepe Montez and Julio Alpuy. Among the teaching premises is the oral transmission of the knowledge of Constructive Universalism of the School of the South by maestro Joaquin Torres Garcia.

[3] Concept that refers to the structure with lines that serves as the basis of works of art. A concept used in the Torres Garcia school and always carried out with golden measures and the use of the golden compass. The concept will be discussed in the items that deal with Constructive Universalism and Taller Torres Garcia.

[4] The Spanish term "tono" here does not take on the same meaning as the English translation tone. Here it is an art concept that involves the harmonization between the lines, shapes, structure, planes, colors and hues of the painting forming a plastic set with unity. The concept will be discussed in the items that deal with Constructive Universalism and Taller Torres Garcia.