Word from the Bridgeview Founder
Programs
Faculty
Student Gallery
Location and Contact Information
Tel. (718) 937-1300
Bridgeview faculty fully represents the European classical tradition
Almost every member of the Bridgeview faculty can trace his lineage to a great 19th century artist. While artists in Western Europe and America were turning towards abstraction, the Russian academies, isolated by the Iron Curtain, adhered to the classical methods of art education.
Bridgeview teachers received the most rigorous academic training.
Russian art training is very similar to ballet or gymnastics, where talented children are selected at a very young age to attend specialized schools, later colleges and ultimately an academy. On average, art training in Russia lasts for 20 years.
Lately America has seen a revival of traditional painting and sculpture. However, this movement is supported by the so-called small ateliers, usually founded by a talented, but self-taught artist (only because colleges in America stopped teaching classical techniques back in the 40s and 50s). Our teachers were educated in real academies, some of them as old as 300 years. They not only drew, painted or sculpted, but also studied anatomy, perspective, art history, composition, and many other disciplines that have not been taught in this country since the 40s or 50s.
Bridgeview School's location is also a special advantage.
Located in Long Island City (Queens), Bridgeview is in the midst of cultural renewal. Its neighbors include PS 1 Contemporary Art Center, the Noguchi Museum, and the Sculpture Center, just to name a few. We are only one subway stop from Manhattan close to several subway lines.
"What I
enjoyed most about working with Samuel Kudish was the
fact that his passion for art came through in everything
he said...He understands the role that honesty plays in
making good paintings, and I found this refreshing and
incredibly helpful."
~Elizabeth Yoakum, portrait painter.
"Once
again, thank you for the wonderful portrait sculpture
workshop. Those were five of the best days I've had in a
long time. Not only did I learn a great deal from Larissa
and Vitaly, but I felt truely inspired by the atmosphere
of the class. It was fun without ever being silly or
trivial, serious without being oppressive, and very
creative without being false. I will recommend your
school to the serious students."
~Ted Sheridan, sculptor and graduate of the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia.
"I
cannot express how lucky we feel to have found your
school. You had a wonderful vision and the students and
teachers are merely a testament to that. Thank you so
very much"
~Meg LaBarbara (Samantha's Mom)