Drawing as a lesson from the built heritage

The notion of drawing skills that an architect shall be equipped with has several aspects. First of all, drawing can be used as an instrument for learning the principles of defining space, its scale, composition and architectural detail. Sketches and studies of existing buildings help an architect understand the way they were assembled. These drawings represent, therefore, a compulsory phase in building up one’s skills as an architect. Such is the goal of the outdoor drawing, considered as an important teaching method since the 17th century, when the French king Louis XIV founded the Prix de Rome. This drawing scholarship has endured till the 20th century and is still being imitated in other lands, giving students a possibility to gain knowledge directly from the greatest works of architecture