Class Commitment and Studio Environment

The complete program of study is three years (each year is divided into three 11-week trimesters), although students may continue for a fourth year of specialization. The student's class commitment includes 36 hours per week of full instruction; each student receives one critique in the morning and one critique in the afternoon from the course instructors. Students may also attend additional life drawing classes in the evenings. Regular lectures are conducted in Anatomy, Art History, Humanities and Figurative Composition, while special lectures include Historic Methods and Materials, and technical demonstrations on paint grinding, the properties of individual pigments, oils and varnishes and canvas preparation.

The study of the human figure is fundamental to the development of a realist artist. For this reason, it is the heart of our curriculum. Beginning, intermediate and advanced students draw, paint or sculpt from the model, 3-6 hours per day, five days per week. Poses range from one hour pencil drawings emphasizing line, to long poses lasting three hours per day for four or five weeks to obtain a fully finished, accurate drawing or painting, and 10 weeks for a life size sculpture. In addition to this, advanced students in Painting work from the portrait model a minimum of six hours per week.

More so, most of our instructors work in studios on school premises allowing students to benefit not only from daily direct instruction and critique, but from watching the artist at work. This relationship, developed over many hours spent together in the studio is significant to the general atmosphere of the studio, and fundamental to the student's artistic development.

Weekly schedule:

Monday – Friday, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Anatomy, Monday, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Evening Figure Drawing, one day a week, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Humanities (first year students), four class meetings per trimester, Thursday, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Composition (third year students), four class meetings per trimester, Thursday, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Art History, four class meetings per trimester, Friday, 5:00
pm – 6:30 pm
Ecorchet (optional), Tuesday and Thursday, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Studios

The studios are designed to give each student the working conditions we believe essential for training as a realist artist. The Florence Academy of Art's vision of realistic painting requires that students work under north facing light with enough space between the artist and subject to work in sight-size. They are assigned semi-private studio spaces (one to four person occupancy) to work on Bargue drawings, the cast, still life and portraiture half of the day; students spend the other half of the day in the model room, working from the figure 17 hours per week.

Library

The Academy makes available a lending library of 600 volumes, an archive of over 3000 images collected by the Art History staff, and access to ArtStore, a database of over 500,000 images operated by the Mellon Foundation. All studio locations are equipped with wireless service.

Forum

Our physical environment is complemented by the greater community formed by students, alumni and anyone interested in figurative realism and the realistic tradition. The Florence Academy Forum is designed to connect us to each other, and to provide a space to exchange information, show work, strengthen relationships, encourage, inspire and learn from one another. On the Forum one can view postings of student work and Forum Member Galleries, discuss technique, find information about exhibitions of interest, funding, award competitions, materials and supplies, and share opinions and ideas through discourse. Click on www.florenceacademyforum.com, or access the site from our Homepage.