
The basics of the Photography Department date back to the 1930’s when such celebrities of modern photography as Jaromír Funke, Ladislav Kožehuba and Karel Plicka lectured at Bratislava’s school of applied arts. A strong message from Germany’s bauhaus was the source of inspiration as well as ideological orientation for the above mentioned photographers. After the Second World War, the department attempted to pick up the threads of its pre-war trends, although with a shift in ideological and artistic concepts, focusing more on reflecting the actual needs of society, new technologies, technical possibilities and processes.
■ Currently the curriculum of the Photography Department is divided in two main blocks: photographic design and creative photography. The first and second years embrace the basics of artistic vocabulary, essential photographic technologies and elementary work with cameras and other devices with an aim to provide an opportunity to get substantially acquainted with various aspects of the profession.
■ In the Artistic Preparation classes
the students develop their inventional, associative and conceptual skills. Through a wide range of exercises they acquire practical knowledge of the means of
artistic expression in photography, they learn how to see the world through the camera lens and how to adequately interprete it in a picture.
■ In the third and fourth years the students deal with individual assignments in the area of photographic design in which they combine the photograph with various other media to create the final artifact. There is a whole range of thematic areas that represent current social needs as well as the demands of the profession and reflect the makings of individual students. They receive a variety of concrete assignments, including book illustration, posters, calendars, product catalogues, advertising photography, photobook, product wrapping, etc. As for the creative photography they deal with tasks such as photo-report, documentary publication and figurative composition. They can also use computer graphics, film and video devices as additional tools in the creative process.
■ The educational process aims to breed professionals with creative potential and technical skills. The range of the students‘ general as well as special preparation allows them to continue studies at art academies and universities with related programmes (The Academy of Film Arts in Prague – famu the Academy
of Fine Arts in Bratislava – všvu;
the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava – všmu and pedagogical faculties at various colleges and universities).