ACADEMIC ART EDUCATION AS A FOUNDATION OF VISUAL CULTURE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY: THE UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE IN FINE ART AND DESIGN

Abstract

The article investigates the role of the academic art school as a system-forming factor in the development of visual culture and national identity within Ukrainian fine art and design. The relevance of the research is determined by contemporary transformations in art education, the growing influence of globalization on artistic practices, and the need to preserve national cultural traditions within Ukraine’s integration into the global cultural space. The academic art school is interpreted as a historically established pedagogical and cultural system that ensures continuity of professional principles, shapes artistic thinking, and contributes to the construction of a coherent visual worldview. The study analyzes the interrelation of major artistic disciplines – drawing, painting, graphics, sculpture, and design – as an integrated system for developing plastic and spatial thinking. Particular attention is given to academic drawing as a fundamental cognitive tool that fosters analytical perception, structural understanding of form, and visual interpretation of reality. It is argued that academic training forms a professional artistic language functioning as a carrier of cultural meanings and national aesthetic codes. The transformation of academic principles in contemporary design practices is examined, demonstrating how classical artistic education integrates with technological and communicative innovations. Design is considered a continuation of academic tradition within the evolving context of visual communication and digital culture. The methodological framework combines historical-artistic, cultural, formal-plastic, and comparative approaches, enabling the academic school to be analyzed as a complex socio-cultural phenomenon. The research substantiates that academic art education plays a crucial role in preserving cultural memory, shaping national identity, and developing contemporary visual culture in Ukraine. The study concludes that updating academic traditions within modern educational and artistic practices is essential for the sustainable development of Ukrainian art and design in the global cultural environment.