Atelier (art)

An atelier (French: [atəlje], "workshop" or "studio") is, in English, the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing pieces of fine art or visual art released under the master's name or supervision.

This was the standard vocational practice for European artists from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and common elsewhere in the world. In medieval Europe such a way of working and form of visual or fine art education was often enforced by local guild regulations, of the painters' Guild of Saint Luke, and those of other guilds for other crafts. Apprentices usually began young, working on simple tasks, and after some years became journeymen, before becoming masters themselves. The system was gradually replaced as the once powerful guilds declined, and the academy became a favored method of training, although many professional artists continued to use students and assistants, some paid by the artist, some paying fees to learn.

In art, the atelier consists of a master artist, usually a professional painter, sculptor, or from the mid-19th century a fine art photographer, working with a small number of students to train them in visual or fine arts. This very word has also taken on other similar meanings, indicating a place of work and study of the haute couture fashion designer, hair stylist and artists in general. Atelier schools can be found around the world, particularly in North America and Western Europe.

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