MY TEACHING MOBILITY IN ZAGREB: Dimitrije Pecić, Faculty of Fine Arts

Dimitrije Pecić
University of Arts in Belgrade, Faculty of Fine Arts

Erasmus+ Mobility for Teaching at:

University of Zagreb – Academy of Fine Arts, Croatia

My visit to the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb, in Croatia, from November 29th to December 3rd as part of the Erasmus+ programme, was a very positive experience. My stay was very well organized and included 16 hours of teaching over a five-day period in the form of lectures attended by about 25 students.

The aim of my lectures was to introduce the students and teachers of the Painting and Printmaking Departments to my artistic work and experiences in the areas of drawing, painting and printmaking. The teachers and students were offered an in-depth introduction to my artistic explorations by means of a PowerPoint presentation of two large series/thematic wholes of my works in these media. They were introduced to my general approach to art, and also to the artistic technology and painting and printmaking techniques that I use. I had prepared a teaching schedule, which was successfully executed, by virtue of the excellent organization by the teachers of the host institution. Seeing as both students and teachers were attentive and full of thoughtful questions during the lectures, I came to the conclusion that they found these insights into my creative process very useful, and might use them in their own artistic or pedagogical work.

During my stay, I also visited painting and printmaking studios in order to familiarize myself with students’ works, as well as to extend my opinions and thoughts about them. I gained insight into my colleagues’ teaching methodology, primarily through lively and fruitful discussions with them and the students. In addition, I gave them advice on how to improve certain details in their teaching methods, based on my experience with the methods we use at the institution I work for.I noticed that both my colleagues and students reacted very positively to my observations and suggestions, and I, therefore, believe that my visit to the Painting and Printmaking Departments of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb will prove useful to all. Likewise, getting to know the work of professors and students at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb was very beneficial for me, mostly because I became aware that we share a similar approach to pedagogical work, curriculum design and similar teaching methods, which has enabled me to better perceive the qualities as well as the minor imperfections in the work of both institutions.

All the staff in the Office for International Cooperation at the Academy of Fine Arts of the University of Zagreb was very efficient and helped make sure that my stay proceeded in accordance with the planned schedule of activities.

Finally, I can conclude that I am very satisfied with my stay and activities at the Zagreb Academy of Art. I believe that they will be useful to both parties and that they will enable even greater cooperation between the two institutions in the future.