Sarah Day (asker) Jan 14, 2013:

Thank you so much for this very useful explanation, Lucy - this is really brilliant and has helped me make sense of the whole thing.

Lucy Phillips Jan 14, 2013:

sorry, the painting bit clearly isn't relevant to Cochin - some kind of "sketch" however would seem to fit perhaps?

Lucy Phillips Jan 14, 2013:

Hi Sarah

not quite sure what the correct term is in EN, but this is a good explanation of the meaning of 'fazer uma academia' in PT - some kind of academic study - possibly relating to underpainting/ebauché/lay-in - I'm sure more research on this link and pages relating to those terms will help clarify. I hope this helps.

Academia

Começaremos a pesquisa pela obra, Nu masculino de pé [Figura 1], do pintor Eliseu Visconti do ano de 1892, a qual lhe rendeu a medalha de ouro e o prêmio de viagem ao estrangeiro, constituindo um ótimo exemplo do que se chama academia, já que na instituição acadêmica, fazer uma academia significava o exercício de desenhar a partir de um modelo vivo[2]. Para fazermos uma comparação, as práticas dos ateliês franceses eram orientadas em torno do concurso Prix de Rome, patrocinado pela Academia, e na escola brasileira o objetivo do estudante de arte era concorrer ao prêmio de viagem ao estrangeiro.

http://www.dezenovevinte.net/ensino_artistico/pintura_tecnic...

Sarah Day (asker) Jan 14, 2013:

Thanks Muriel. What confuses me, though, is this part of the text, which I have now added below as further context, to try to explain why I find it hard to understand “academia" as an institution in this context: "Uma destas academias, realizada em 1753 e gravada por Prévost (c.1735-1809) em 1764 para ser incluída na Encyclopédie de Diderot et Alembert, associa-se com o esboço agora em causa e foi utilizada na preparação do desenho acabado da Coleção Gulbenkian (cat.x)." What do you think?

Muriel Vasconcellos Jan 14, 2013:

realizar I think you are restricting your interpretation of the verb that's introducing the phrase. It often means to pursue, as in "realizou estudos" (154,000 hits on the Internet. In my answer I explained that we don't use the term "academies", but in many parts of Europe students attend "academies" of fine arts, where they learn both the principles and the hands-on practice of the arts. In the U.S. we offer a bachelor of fine arts. I think "academic institutions" bridges that cultural difference.