$1997 USD2020 Dates Coming Soon
This drawing course is for anyone with a keen interest in learning to draw or furthering their practice in drawing. We combine the rich visual qualities of the beautiful Tuscan landscape with the time and focus required to learn and develop drawing as a way of relating to your surroundings. You will go through a structured program that will help support your progress and allow for visible improvements and discoveries in your drawing abilities. The human-shaped landscape and the visual and tactile qualities of the architecture in the towns will serve us well as subjects to draw from; and the artwork of Piero della Francesca and Alberto Burri will inspire us, as we will be visiting and working from some of the main sites of their work.
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What's Included:
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*The given quote is meant for a group of 10 or more. A small group fee of $400 will apply to any groups of 9 or less, thus; $2390 per person.
*Each Art Workshop date is confirmed only after reaching the minimum of 6 required participants.
*Each Art Workshop date is confirmed only after reaching the minimum of 6 required participants.
Tuition is FREE for any group organizer of 10 people or more!
Bring your students or friends along for an inspiring week in the Italian countryside. Download our poster and itinerary to help promote your next workshop.
Bring your students or friends along for an inspiring week in the Italian countryside. Download our poster and itinerary to help promote your next workshop.
On LocationThe Tuscan Countryside- We will be staying in and exploring the Valtiberina, or Upper Tiber Valley, in the province of Arezzo in Eastern Tuscany. It is known for the beauty of its valley—in the shape of an enormous amphitheatre surrounded by mountains; for its ancient villages such as Anghiari, Monterchi, and Sansepolcro, and for its importance as a center of art. It is the birthplace of Piero della Francesca, one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. While just over the Tiber river, in Citta di Castello, the 20th century artist, Alberto Burri, lived and made his own enormous contribution to art history. We will be following in their footsteps, moving through their landscapes and towns, and making a pilgrimage to see, learn about and draw from their art works, in the various museums and churches throughout the area.
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Il Cardo Resort- A beautifully renovated 15th century windmill and farmhouse are the centerpiece of Il Cardo Resort. It is situated in the hills of Valtiberina, on the border of Tuscany and Umbria, surrounded by wheat fields and oak forests, and just a short walk to the lovely medieval village of Anghiari.
The rooms have been carefully designed in the traditional Tuscan style: terracotta floors, wood-beamed ceilings and exposed stone walls. They all offer beautiful countryside views and some have a small balconies. There is a nice swimming pool and a garden with tables and chairs. It also features a hot tub and massage room. A buffet breakfast including homemade cakes is served each morning. It can be enjoyed in the dining room or out on the terrace in warm weather.
The rooms have been carefully designed in the traditional Tuscan style: terracotta floors, wood-beamed ceilings and exposed stone walls. They all offer beautiful countryside views and some have a small balconies. There is a nice swimming pool and a garden with tables and chairs. It also features a hot tub and massage room. A buffet breakfast including homemade cakes is served each morning. It can be enjoyed in the dining room or out on the terrace in warm weather.
On Site Visits
Piero della Francesca is know for his monumental, spacious and majestic paintings, his understanding and development of perspective, his use of geometry and in particular the Divine Proportion in many of his works, his work in mathematics, and his contemplative approach to painting. Many of his most important works are in his home region, the Valtiberina.
Some of the sites and towns we will visit include: Borgo San Sepolcro, his native town, with its Civic Museum containing some of his works, including the Polyptych of the Madonna of Mercy, and the Resurrection. Monterchi—a beautiful little village and the home of the fresco, the Madonna del Parto Arezzo—a gem of a town which has amongst many other riches, the Church of Saint Francis and Piero della Francesco's fresco cycle The Legend of the True Cross. Alberto Burri worked throughout much of the 20th century and is considered a key figure in Post-War art and such artistic movements as Neo-Dada, Nouveau réalisme, Postminimalism and Arte Povera. His legacy can be appreciated in two beautiful and unique sites—one is a museum housed in the Palazzo Albizzini in Citta di Castello, which houses 130 works created between 1948 and 1989, including his Tars, Moulds, Humps, Sacks, Woods, Metals, Combustions, Cracks and Cellotex together with several drawings and a few samples of graphic art. The other is a former Tobacco drying factory that was transformed into an enormous museum to house his monumental works—cycles of paintings and huge sculptures-- and his graphic works. |
Teaching Method
We teach in pairs or a trio and have found that this creates a space, a conversation and a dynamic that is most beneficial for the students and the quality of the class. The teachers complete each other, connect with students in different and also complementary ways, and the students are right from the start invited into an ongoing conversation, not a person with a microphone.
We make use of a well known and widespread educational tool called VTS, Visual Thinking Strategies, originated from the Metropolitan Museum in New York and psychologist Abigail Housen and her work on the levels of aesthetic development. This simple but profound tool causes our students develop a capacity to look at art and express themselves about what they see with inquiry, creativity and insight. Our classes always include carefully chosen slides from art history relevant to each technique and theme taught. We do frequent and thorough live demonstrations of all techniques and exercises, which means we are drawing in front of the students, showing, not just telling. We offer structured and well-thought-through exercises that allow for students to evolve quite quickly in their drawing capacity, following the programs taught to us in our art teacher training. |