About
this course
General Description
The 5-week Intensive Course Part II is open to students who have completed either the 5-Week Intensive Course Part I or the Summer 4-Week Intensive Course.
A unique opportunity to build upon the skills previously acquired, students work alongside faculty who are already familiar with their progress. The course is designed to further develop the student’s accuracy in drawing and understanding of value relationships. All exercises working from life will continue to challenge the student to select information directly from nature and translate with greater accuracy in both charcoal and paint; in addition, Part II will add a new focus on the process of making a finished painting, including preparatory studies and transfer drawings
As in Part I, this course is intended to provide a rich and fulfilling stay in Florence, as well as daily fine art activity to substantially enhance your skill level. Students are welcome to attend the Academy’s evening Anatomy course and Art History lectures during the period of the workshop when in session.
Instruction by class demonstrations and individual critique.
Beginning – Intermediate and Advanced students welcome.
Maximum enrollment 14 students.
I. Cast drawing and figure drawing
As in Part I of the intensive course, students work from easels under natural north light, just like the old master painters of the past. Florence Academy faculty will guide them on new assignments done on toned paper with charcoal and white chalk. This allows students to work in a more painterly manner whilst developing their accuracy in drawing, values, structure and sense of light.
II. Still life painting, portrait painting and color figure studies
Working from life is a unique and fulfilling experience, one that is fundamental to the training at the Florence Academy and central to a long-standing tradition. Working from a live model, students enrolled in Part II will be introduced to the process of making a painting as in the manner used by painters in the 19th century. Emphasis will be placed on setting up composition, transfer drawing, color studies, stretching canvas and producing the final painting. Students will learn to resolve drawing and value relationships within the early stages, allowing time to explore paint application and edge control.
III. Specially focused art history tours
Part II’s museum visits have been selected to build upon past visits to the main museums in Florence, and compliment the advanced course assignments. Highlights will include: the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and visit to the Baptistry; the Church of San Marco with paintings by Fra Angelico and the frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli at the Medici Riccardi Palace; the Church of Santa Maria Novella Church; and the Palatine Gallery at the Pitti Palace.
During their free time, students will be encouraged to sketch the main monuments and piazzas, or drawing in museums like the Bargello Sculpture Museum or the Museo del Duomo.
Additional Info
METHODOLOGY IN CLASS:
Please note that the methodology we teach asks students to stand or be mobile for long periods, potentially 3 to 6 hours per day depending on the course or workshop. This is integral to our approach and is key to gain the most out of the learning experience; students move between their easels or sculptures to view the subject from a distance, then return to apply their work.
WORKSHOP CREDITS: 8 per session
Please note: The Florence Academy of Art expresses workshop coursework in credits to the equivalent of 1 credit for 20 hours of completed study. Academic grades are not awarded and there are no exams. Please see each course for total hours of study. Any final acceptance or recognition of hours of study or credits for workshop (external activity) is at the discretion of the Home University or institution in question and in accordance with each institution’s transfer policy.
Medium & Materials
Pencil
Charcoal
Oil Paint
Students receive a list of materials required for the workshop in their acceptance email. Unless indicated, materials are not included in the tuition fee and may be purchased in advance and at a discounted rate directly from the Florentine art supply store, Zecchi. Students will find their supplies waiting for them in their studio upon arrival in Florence.
What’s Included
- Four guided visits by the academy’s resident Art Historian to principal museums
- Access to the Certificate Program Anatomy course and Art History lectures during the workshop period (when available during the Academic Year, October – June)
- Extended access to the studios and school facilities after class until 9 pm
- Discounted art supplies
- List of housing recommendations
- The on-campus FAA Cafe is open to students for breakfast, lunch and afternoon aperitivo, and is located in Via Aretina, while nearby the studio in Via Bandiera there are many bars and coffee shops and your instructors will give you all details on the first day!
Art History
Part II’s museum visits have been selected to build upon previous visits to the main museums in Florence, and compliment the advanced course assignments. Highlights will include: the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo and visit to the Baptistry; the Church of San Marco with paintings by Fra Angelico and the frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli at the Medici Riccardi Palace; the Church of Santa Maria Novella Church; and the Palatine Gallery at the Pitti Palace. Museum visits are scheduled on Friday where possible, followed by independent studio time.
When available during the Academic Year (Oct – June), students may participate in the Academy’s Anatomy course and Art History lectures during the period of their workshop. These lectures take place at our campus on Via Aretina 293 (a 15-20 minute walk from the Via Bandiera studio, or 5-8 minutes bike ride).
Renaissance artists placed man at the center of the universe. Today, their master works inspire contemporary painters and sculptors for their ability to transcend time, and enter the realm of our experience. Students will look to answer how Renaissance artists found and translated the human figure, from static to contrapposto to spiralling forms in space. They will step in close to observe their fondly worked surfaces, to understand how sculptors used texture and polish to create the painter’s equivalent of chromatics.
To understand how the Renaissance took root and flourished, students are encouraged to walk through Florence, and visit its main sites. What was Florence like in the 1400’s? Who were its main political, religious and artistic figures? How were power, wealth and faith expressed through buildings and artwork? By visiting Florence’s principal museums and churches art will tell the story of powerful families like the Medici, religious orders like the Franciscans, and the merchant guilds.
During their free time, students will be encouraged to sketch the main monuments and piazzas, or drawing in museums like the Bargello Sculpture Museum or the Museo del Duomo.
Faculty
Hannah Sutton
Hannah Sutton (b. 1989, Australia) is a classical realist painter based in Florence, Italy. Graduating from the 3-year Drawing and Painting Certificate Program at The Florence Academy of Art in 2020, Hannah completed the year-long Graduate in Residence program (known as the ‘Fourth Year Prize’) before working as a Principal Instructor in the first-year Intensive Drawing program and the Six-week Intensive Course. She is currently the Program Director of the 6-week Intensive Drawing, Painting, and Art History course.
In her hometown of St. Arnaud, Australia, Hannah was the youngest member of the local art group, where at 13 she began participating in art shows and life drawing classes. She graduated with a Bachelor of Communication Design at RMIT University, Melbourne in 2010 and for 7 years was a freelance designer and artist in Melbourne before seeking a return to classical painting and drawing, moving permanently to Florence in 2017. Today Hannah paints commissions and private work in her studio in Florence. Her subjects include still life, portraits, figures, and landscapes and are in private collections throughout Australia, the UK, the US and Europe. She has exhibited both in Australia and Italy.
See more of Hannah’s work on Instagram: @hannahsutton
Marco Franco
Marco Franco is an Italian painter born in Florence in 1989. Fascinated by the surrounding culture and artistic traditions of his home city, Marco has always possessed a deep interest for art. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan from 2012 to 2015, completing a degree in art conservation with a specialization in wood, as well as in paintings on panel and canvas. After working for two years in Milan as a restorer, Marco realized that his true desire was to fully dedicate himself to learning traditional painting techniques and eventually becoming a fine arts painter. He began his art education at The Florence Academy of Art in 2016 and graduated from the Painting Program in 2019. He is currently a Principal Instructor in the Intensive Drawing Program.
See more of Marco’s work on Instagram: @marcofranco_art
Saara Knapp
Saara Knapp (b. 1994) is a Finnish-American painter based in Florence, Italy and the Hudson Valley of New York, USA. After completing a B.S. in Biological Anthropology and Evolutionary Studies from Binghamton University in 2016, she now uses her scientific and analytical background to help her navigate, transcribe, and translate the world around her with her artistic works. She graduated from The Florence Academy of Art’s full-time painting program in December of 2021, and works out of her Florence studio while collaborating and writing for The FAA and The FAA Collective, as well as teaching in the FAA’s Six-Week Intensive Course. Saara’s artworks include figures, portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. Her works can be found in private collections throughout the world, and she has participated in exhibitions in the USA, Europe, and Asia.
See more of Saara’s work here: www.saaraknapp.com and at @saarakart
Laura Wenmaekers
Laura Wenmaekers is a French and Portuguese painter born in 1996. Living in different european countries, therefore exposed to so much history and wonderful cultures, she was drawn to art from a young age. Laura has studied art in the UK and in Paris in different schools and assisted a realist portrait artist for a year before joining the FAA in 2017. Upon graduating in 2020, she was awarded the fourth-year prize as a graduate in residence and started teaching in the full time program. She is now a principal instructor in the intermediate program at The Florence Academy of Art.
See more of Laura’s work on Instagram: @laurawen_art
Location
ADDRESS: Via Fratelli Bandiera 7r (red), Florence, Italy
This course will be conducted in our studio located on Via Fratelli Bandiera, 7r, (“r” indicates a red number – our building is towards the end of the street, next to the building at number 35).
* If the workshop or session is fully booked you may apply to be placed on our waitlist. Should we have a cancellation or a place becomes available, we will contact you.
