Art seminars in Florence next winter

Three intensive seminars in life drawing, fresco, portrait and self-portrait are offered for the next winter at AdG in Florence. Besides, a combined Art Workshop on a semi-individual basis will be available throughout the year.
The life drawing seminar Seminar will deal with visual understanding by direct observation of the human body and it will include the acquisition of basic notions of anatomy as well as the methodology used to draw bodies and faces. Students will practice with the main drawing tools, i.e. graphite, charcoal, sanguine, pen-and-ink, pastel crayon. On every session students will draw from either female or male models posing in the nude.
The portrait and self-portrait seminar has been conceived mainly as an intensive study of the physiognomy. Through making rapid strokes in pencil (or charcoal) students will learn how to portray the essential features of a human face, and through more elaborate drawings they will focus on details, on the effect of light and shade (“the chiaroscuro”), as well as on the psychological value of facial expression. Colour techniques will be then taught by using either pastel or oil or also acrylic. Students will acquire good skills and abilities for painting the shades of complexion, the position of hands and the glittering of the eyes, which most of the great artists used to consider the “soul’s mirror”.
During the fresco intensive seminar the students will follow the essential steps to making a fresco: for example they will learn how to prepare the “arriccio” (the preliminary layer of plaster spread on the tile), the cardboard for the sinopia and the use of the pigments.The teacher will guide the students through the different phases of this original and ancient technique. At the end of this short but very intensive workshop, students will have acquired the necessary skills for making a fresco on their own.
The combined art workshop is an open workshop that allows the students to combine 2 or more hours of private tuition in the morning with the lessons of the group course held in the afternoon. Students can decide to focus on one or two techniques during the private lessons (i.e.: sanguine and charcoal drawing, watercolour, tempera, acrylic, oil glazing, etc.) and then either continue to study them in the core class or on the contrary switch to different artistic techniques always with the help of the teacher.
For further information about these seminars you can read the newly updated page of the AdG website.