Best School(s) for Classical Painting

[SweetPea]

Hey guys anybody know about the best schools for.. you guessed it... Classical painting.. ? by classical i mean renaissance, closest to leonardo as possible... =) ive started looking around for art teachers whose work seems to be what im looking for, but ive not had much success (doesnt have to be within the US)


any and all help appreciated! Thanks!

[a.k.a.Brady]

My guess is that this question has probably been asked about a million times, and there are answers lurking in the archives, but I will attempt to answer with what I know, (which is slim BTW).

First off, asking which school is the best, is like asking which donut is the best. So the question is if you like sprinkles or not.

If you want an art degree, then that dictates you only look at accredited art schools.

If you just want to learn art, then you should be looking for an art academy, or even a local artist who gives classes in the style you like.

If you want to play at art, but are really going to network, or socialize, then you might want to consider the location of the school you go to, and whether the faculty are industry professionals, or have many visiting alumni who are.

And the list goes on.

Basically, figure out what you want out of it then look for that.

Having said all of that here are 3 places I know that will provide classical art training, or get you extremely close.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (http://www.pafa.org/)

The Florence academy of Art (http://www.florenceacademyofart.com/)

and,

The Grand Central Academy of Art (http://grandcentralacademy.classicist.org/)


And the best way I've found to figure out what school you might be interested in, is to visit artist's websites that are in the style you want, and find out where they went, and their opinion of it, if they provide one. And if you decide to email them, don't be a dick. Be nice, and if they don't reply, don't be offended, they're probably busy.

** After rereading that, I realize my answer was a bit general, but I hope there are some nuggets in there you can use.

[SweetPea]

My guess is that this question has probably been asked about a million times, and there are answers lurking in the archives, but I will attempt to answer with what I know, (which is slim BTW).

First off, asking which school is the best, is like asking which donut is the best. So the question is if you like sprinkles or not.

If you want an art degree, then that dictates you only look at accredited art schools.

If you just want to learn art, then you should be looking for an art academy, or even a local artist who gives classes in the style you like.

If you want to play at art, but are really going to network, or socialize, then you might want to consider the location of the school you go to, and whether the faculty are industry professionals, or have many visiting alumni who are.

And the list goes on.

Basically, figure out what you want out of it then look for that.

Having said all of that here are 3 places I know that will provide classical art training, or get you extremely close.

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (http://www.pafa.org/)

The Florence academy of Art (http://www.florenceacademyofart.com/)

and,

The Grand Central Academy of Art (http://grandcentralacademy.classicist.org/)


And the best way I've found to figure out what school you might be interested in, is to visit artist's websites that are in the style you want, and find out where they went, and their opinion of it, if they provide one. And if you decide to email them, don't be a dick. Be nice, and if they don't reply, don't be offended, they're probably busy.

** After rereading that, I realize my answer was a bit general, but I hope there are some nuggets in there you can use.




Thanks very much, yes very helpful 'nuggets' in there haha. Ive been doing some more research around in it and talking to my painting/art history teacher a good bit about it trying to find modern classically styled artists and whatnot. I appreciate the info very much thanks!

[Jonas Heirwegh]

Repin Academy in St Petersburg?

Laafa in Los Angeles? http://laafa.org/

[hummel1dane]

If what you want is Leonardo style you have very limited options. First and foremost - Florence academy and that style of academies CANNOT teach you the draftman skills of Leonardo or any other rennaissance master for that matter. You need either Glenn Vilppu or a russian master.
Florence academy and etc can only teach you the painting skills that would make you capable of copying a work by Leonardo.

Classical draftman skills is put down by those academies. Im studying at Angel in Florence at the moment. I know...

Check out the thread in this forum dedicated to this discussion - Realism vs construction. I think it will answer all of your questions.

[Kismet]

I second Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Great school.

[SweetPea]

i only looked briefly but couldnt find much on that one... but then again i only looked briefly

[zanpakatou]

You're not going to find what you are looking for in any accredited school. You may get lucky and find a teacher who knows what they are talking about, but you can't associate that with the school. Very few artists still understand the classical method. The majority of schools out there discredit representationalism as a defensive mechanism. They know they cannot draw.
That being said, there a few good ateliers in the US. My top recommendation would be Studio Incaminati. It is run by Nelson Shanks. If you have the endurance to study there, you will learn. I know that Anthony Ryder has an atelier in New Mexico. He in particular is a supreme draftsman. There is also the Southern Atelier in Florida. These are the few ateliers I can think of off the top of my head. You should look into them if you are serious.

Also, you should be concerned with learning the principle of how to draw and paint, not how to become a master "draftsman." That is the wrong mindset. You must understand the principles of light, shape and color. Once you have that understanding you can do anything with it. Essentially, learn to walk before you run. Keep in mind that the work by DaVinci that you are thinking of was completed near the end of his life.

[burning_chrome]

Check out the list of classical atelier programs listed by The Art Renewal Center (http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/ateliermap.php)

The only piece of advice I can pass on would be the same one my good friend gave me:
"If you're going to pack up and relocate to destination X, pick the place heavy on options so if option A doesn't work out for whatever reason, you have option B, C, D and so on."

Good luck :)