Students of the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction are given the opportunity to polish their academic drawing skills in the most picturesque cities of Russia for two weeks. This year, SUSU second-year students majoring in Architectural Design of the Department of Architecture will go to Saint Petersburg for two weeks for a plein-air practice.
“Plein-air practice is a lasting tradition of architectural education. It allows polishing skills of academic drawing and get acquainted with the city, its architectural monuments; to get new experience, because architects for their entire life get inspired with beautiful picturesque views so that later apply them in their further professional activity. Saint Petersburg is considered as one of the most beautiful cities, and the students, who visited it before, use the given opportunity,” noted Deputy Director of the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction, Vasiliy Bolshakov.
About 20-25 students out of two groups usually go to the trip practice. Students have to draw the city panorama, nature, architectural details; at the same time, they are free to choose the object of drawing. Among favorite locations of Saint Petersburg the future architects call the Isaakievskiy and Kazan Cathedrals, the Palace Square, Nevsky Prospect and the promenade. Besides working on drawings, mandatory program of plein-air practical training includes visiting cultural sights of the Northern Capital of Russia, the Russian Museum and Ermitazh included.
Aside from Saint Petersburg, SUSU students also visit Kazan and the Golden Ring cities, which are filled with historical and cultural memorial of the Ancient Rus. Not all students can leave the region for 1,5 months, but those who remain in Chelyabinsk are given the opportunity to organize plein-air practice here. Students are drawing the most beautiful parts of the city: the Kirovka, Drama Theatre, rotunda in the Gagarin Park, etc. Besides, the SUSU Institute of Architecture and Construction is currently negotiating with the City Administration of Troitsk so that students could go for plein-air practice and draw pictures in the ancient merchant city with outstanding architecture.
After the plein-air practice, the Institute of Architecture and Construction organizes exhibitions of the best works painted by students, which are displayed in the hall of the Main university building and in other venues of SUSU.