If you concern yourself with the meaning of the word architect, you will find that it is connected to ‘foundation’, ‘art’ and ‘craft’. It’s obvious that an architect needs to be a creative person. But which skills does someone need exactly to be successful in the field of creativity and art? Of course, you will need technical and commercial skills, but what else?
One of the most fundamental skills is visualizing your ideas and transferring them onto a two-dimensional medium. Without this ability, it’s impossible to promote your ideas to other people, because they would not be able to see them. Today most of these visualizations are rendered, using digital software tools like Photoshop. Still this will not display your true individual style. Not without reason in most architect offices applicants with real drawing skills are preferred.
If you have a look at the history of architecture the background and education of architects changed fundamentally during the Renaissance: From military engineers, clerics and craftsmen to artists, sculptors and scientists. The buildings that emerged after this development are well known.
But what exactly makes a successful architect? Let us look at two famous German architects for an example: Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781 – 1841) is known as the star architect of Prussia. His professional aim to become a builder solidified after he studied architectural drawings. He himself started to draw at a very young age. After graduating from high school (Gymnasium) he was educated at several schools of architecture. Additionally, he applied to lectures at the “Akademie der schönen Künste”, a famous art school in Bavaria. During most of his life, Schinkel repeatedly took educational trips, mostly to Italy. He was more and more appreciated as a landscape painter rather than an architect. Schinkel had advanced skills in drawing and painting and continuously expanded his knowledge and experience. Still, today he is mostly known as a famous architect.
Another famous character we want to mention is Friedensreich Hundertwasser. He serves as an outstanding example for how to transfer your individual ideas into drawings and later buildings. As a striving architect, it is important to have fundamental skills in drawing and painting. Besides studying architecture, you should consider education at a traditional art school.
The Academy of Fine Germany teaches realistic drawing and painting, using traditional teaching methods. We teach figurative art as a craft that anyone can learn. No computer software can give you this kind of basis for visualizing even your wildest ideas.
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