Philosophy

and Location

THE FLORENCE ACADEMY OF ART was founded in 1991 by Daniel

Graves to provide the highest level of instruction in classical drawing, painting
and sculpture. Graves’ vision of the Academy is its potential to train a select
group of highly skilled Realist artists. His philosophy, which underlies the
Academy’s curriculum and method of instruction, demands a return to discipline
in art, to canons of beauty, and to the direct study of nature and the Old Masters
as the foundation for great painting and sculpture. Under his direction, the
Academy is a source of stimulation and healthy competition, in which an
internationally varied group of students receives instruction from professional
painters trained at the Academy, in a city renowned for its artistic past.

THE FLORENCE ACADEMY OF ART is located in the center of Florence,

just behind the Church of Santa Croce, and a short walk from the Duomo,
the Accademia and the Uffizi Gallery.
Students work under north facing light in five studio locations. Partitions
divide the spaces into separate studios (one to four person occupancy),
providing each student semi-private work space. The unique studio
environment, surrounded by the history and treasures of Florence, produce
an inspiring combination for the painter’s experience abroad.

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Clockwise from left:
Hege Haugen, 2nd year student
Figure Drawing
charcoal on toned paper, 2004

Andreas Birath, 2nd year student

Lorenzo
charcoal on toned paper, 2005

Stephen Fong, 2nd year student

Cast Drawing
charcoal on toned paper, 2004
 Curriculum
Intensive Drawing Program

OUR CURRICULUM AND TEACHING METHOD derive from the classical-

Realist tradition, rooted in the Renaissance, and revived by the major Realist
academic ateliers of the 19th century.

Intensive Drawing Program

(Full time diploma, 1 year)
Bargue Drawing • Cast Drawing • Figure Drawing • Portraiture

T HE I NTENSIVE D RAWING P ROGRAM is a year-long course of study,

and a requirement for entry to the Painting curriculum. Drawing correctly from
nature is a basic skill and the foundation to good painting and sculpture. The
program is designed to strengthen the student’s visual relationship with three-
dimensional form, allowing him to confront the human figure, and eventually
to paint in oil.
All students begin by copying 19th century academic drawings (produced
by Charles Bargue upon request by Jean Leon Gérôme), then progress to
copying plaster casts of antique and Renaissance statues. These exercises
focus on outline, proportion, gesture and shadow shape. Students are taught
the sight-size method in order to view the subject accurately and translate three-
dimensional form in two dimensions. They apply this method of measurement
to casts, still lifes, the human figure and portraiture.
Students work through specific exercises, on a step by step progression
through the program’s curriculum. As each requisite skill is acquired, a new
more difficult task is assigned. Upon successful completion of the program,
students will have acquired a very high practical ability, together with a deep
insight into the theory and historical traditions of drawing. Those who wish to
may apply to the second year of the three year Painting course.

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Above, from left:
Daniela Astone
Instructor Painting Program
Self Portrait
oil on canvas, 60 x 70 cm, 2005

Andy Ameral, Director Anatomy Program

Study of Simona
oil on canvas, 65 x 40 cm, 2005

Aaron Pavelis, 3rd year student

Portrait of Mark Gucciardi
oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm, 2005

Facing page:
Olav Olsen, 3rd year student
Self Portrait
oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm, 2005
 Curriculum
Painting

Painting Curriculum
(Full time diploma, 3 years)
Cast Painting • Figure Painting • Still-Life • Portraiture

S TUDENTS WHO HAVE ENTERED their second or intermediate year of

study have acquired the necessary basic drawing skills to begin painting in
oil. At this level, students concentrate on tonal values, and work in an ordered
regimen of grisaille, limited palette, and, ultimately, full palette. Advanced
students use the traditional palette on the figure and portraits, and full palette
on still life. At this point, we introduce painting techniques, pigment grinding,
the use of medium and the preparation of canvas and grounds. We believe
that a deep, practical understanding of materials and methods enriches both
the flexibility and subsequent refinement of a painter’s mode of expression.

The study of the human figure is fundamental to the development of a Realist

painter. For this reason, it is the heart of our curriculum. Beginning, intermediate
and advanced students draw or paint from the model, 3-5 hours per day, 5
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.

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Roberto Bodem
Director Sculpture Program
Petrouska
finished clay, 3/4 life-size, 2005
Curriculum
Sculpture

Sculpture Curriculum
(Full time diploma, 3 years)
Clay Modeling • Casting • Figure Drawing

S IMILAR TO THE D RAWING AND PAINTING C URRICULUM , the

Sculpture Program provides a strong foundation for advanced projects in
sculpture by developing primary craft skills.
From a strong base of drawing, the program stresses the use of visual
observation and structural elements to understand the complexities of forms in
space. Beginning students work with inanimate objects in clay and plaster to
develop strong observation skills. They move quickly to the human head,
working first from the skull, then from the model to produce a portrait from life.
Working with the human figure allows students to understand how to use
internal structural elements to confront the complexities of proportions and gesture.
Students at the intermediate level work from life on portraits and figures. Upon
completing the drawing program, advanced students sculpt exclusively from life.
They focus only on sculpting, developing personal projects, alone or in a group.

During the last week of every semester, students are expected to cast at least
one piece, and learn both waste-mold casting, and silicone mold making.
Technical procedures include clay modeling, setting up the armature and
casting techniques. During the 36-hour work-week, students sculpt from the
model 15 hours, and draw from the model 17 hours per week.

A COURSE IN ECORCHÉ is offered to students from all three disciplines.

Students meet twice weekly to study human anatomy through the modeling
in clay of the muscle groups over an aluminum armature representing the
skeleton. Students begin by constructing a skeletal armature. Then, through
use of diagrams, the skeleton and the live model, students learn about the deep
and the superficial muscles of the body

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Daniel Graves, Founder and Director
The Groom
oil on canvas, 130 x 180 cm, 2005
 Faculty

Daniel Graves
Founder and Director
Daniel Graves, founder and director of The Florence Academy of Art,
exemplifies the Academy’s commitment to the academic tradition and to the
importance of receiving instruction from teachers who are also active painters
in their own right. He graduated Cum Laude from the Maryland Art Institute
in 1972, where he studied anatomy and painting with Joseph Sheppard, then
pursued etching and history painting with Richard Serrin at the Villa Schifanoia
Graduate School of Fine Art in Florence. After studying with Richard Lack at
the Atelier Lack in Minnesota, where he also taught etching, he returned to
Florence. It was here that Graves came under the influence of Pietro Annigoni,
who praised the truly unusual candor of Graves’ work, calling him one of the
most gifted foreign painters in Florence.
He was naturally drawn to Florence, where both art and craft have flourished
for centuries. It is here that the position of man was at the center of thought,
that the human body was the focus of art, and that humanist ideals are
preserved in museums and churches. While studying in Florence, he soon
learned that what is passed on from teacher to student is a language evolved
through the centuries, something impossible to transmit except by visual
example. After realizing that frustration was common among students unable
to find solid training, Graves began teaching in Florence in 1984. The Florence
Academy of Art was formed in 1991 on the principle that through intense
observation of nature and study of the Old Masters, and the use of traditional
techniques, students will develop considerable powers of draftsmanship.
Graves aims for the highest level of instruction at the Academy to ensure that
his students acquire the skills needed to develop a visual language, and,
ultimately, create a work of universal relevance.
Graves has had numerous successful solo and group shows in Europe and
the United States, and his portraits, interiors, still lifes, and etchings are part
of private and public collections world-wide.

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Above from left:
Simona Dolci, Director
Intensive Drawing Program
Maternity 2
oil on canvas, 130 x 180 cm, 2005

Hunter Eddy, Co-Director Painting Program

Gemini
oil on canvas, 60 x 80 cm, 2004

Joakim Ericsson, Co-Director Painting Program

Reflection
oil on board, 40 x 50 cm, 2005
 Faculty
Simona Dolci
Director Intensive Drawing Program
Simona Dolci was assistant professor at the Department of Architecture at the
University of Florence from 1976 to 1980. She also taught geometrical drawing,
perspective and history of visual arts in Florence. After her encounter with painter,
Nerina Simi, Dolci left architecture to dedicate herself totally to painting, studying with
Simi from 1984-1987, and at Studio Cecil-Graves from 1988-91. Dolci considers
“correct and useful in our time to study the ancient techniques of drawing and painting,
as they are the essential tools to find an artistic language still able to convey beauty
and emotions to our contemporary world.” Since completing her training, she has
worked privately in Florence, concentrating on figurative work and portraiture. She
has been featured in numerous group exhibitions, and her paintings are in private
collections in Italy, France, England, the United States and Mexico.

Hunter Eddy
Co-Director, Painting Program
Hunter Eddy began his studies at the Art Institute of Boston winning the
Excellence in Illustration Award in 1990. After years of searching, he found
The Florence Academy of Art of Art, and joined the student body in 1996. In
1998, Hunter became an instructor, and is currently a principal instructor in
the Painting Program. He has participated in numerous group shows, and his
work is in private collections in Italy and the United States.

Joakim Ericsson
Co-Director, Painting Program
Joakim Ericsson began his formal study of art in 1993 at the Stockholm Art
School. Disappointed by the school’s lack of emphasis on traditional technique,
he left after one year to pursue independent study. Over the next four years,
he was often frustrated by his artistic isolation, yet sometimes heartened by
the success of the very few contemporary artists who shared in his classical
ideas. In 1998, Ericsson was thrilled to discover The Florence Academy of Art.
After studying there for three years, he returned to Sweden to paint and in 2002
began spending summers in Norway under the tutelage of Odd Nerdrum, who
had been such an inspiration to the artist as a young man. After two years of
work in Sweden, he recently returned to Florence to teach at the Academy.

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Robert Bodem Facing page, from left:
Director Sculpture Program Jura Bedic
Awakening Instructor Painting Program
bronze, life size, 2004 Golden Onions
oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm, 2005

Maureen Hyde
Instructor Intensive Drawing Program
Pumpkins!
oil on canvas, 40 x 80 cm, 2005

Toby Wright
Instructor Painting Program
Natural Movement
oil on canvas, 100 x 90 cm, 2005

Ramiro Sanchez
Instructor Painting Program
Ulisse
oil on canvas, 58 x 38 cm 2004
 Faculty

Robert Bodem
Director Sculpture Program
Robert Bodem is a graduate cum laude in Sculpture from Boston University
(1995), where he also received his MA in 1998. In that same year Bodem was
recipient of the prestigious Albert S. and Ester B. Kahn Award for his talent
in figurative sculpture. During his undergrduate studies, he worked as an
assistant to the sculptor, Dimitri Hadzi. He later spent a year as a sculpture
student at The Florence Academy of Art (1995-96), to return in 1998 as the
Academy’s principle Sculpture instructor. Bodem was recently selected to take
part in the 2002 National Sculpture Society Annual Awards Exhibition
(Brookgreen Gardens, South Carolina and New York, NY); his other exhibitions
include group and juried shows throughout Massachusetts and New York.

To view images by our faculty, please log on to our Alumni Gallery on

our website, www.florenceacademyofart.com

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 Information
Class Commitment and Studio
Environment
The complete program of study is three years,
although students may stay 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 four evenings per week.
Weekly lectures are conducted in Art History,
Anatomy and Ecorché 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. More so, our
instructors work in studios on or near 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.
Assessment/Accreditation
At the end of term each student receives an
individual and personalized critique conducted
by the course instructors, in which they are
graded on a scale of one to three in five areas
(attendance, performance, effort, attitude and
progress), and awarded a pass/fail grade. The
Academy thus monitors the student’s progress
through the curriculum’s established set of
exercises. Students who perform adequately
through their first two trimesters are guaranteed
completion of their first year of study. A student’s
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promotion to the second year of the program is
determined by the instructors only after the final
critique of the third trimester.
Several U.S. colleges grant students enrolled
at The Florence Academy of Art credit for course
work done at our program. We provide those
students seeking credit a transcript indicating the
pass/fail grade, and the number of teacher-
contact hours; the U.S. college converts that
number into credit, based on their individual
requirements.
Enrollment
There are currently about 90 students from 25
different countries enrolled in the 3 programs.
These students work at different levels in the
curriculum. Beginning students are therefore
encouraged to observe and learn from the work
of the more advanced, who in turn, can have the
opportunity to work as student teachers.
Advanced Entry
Students with prior training in academic
drawing, may be allowed to enter at an
intermediate or advanced level. The student’s
level upon entry (beginning, intermediate or
advanced) is determined from the five slides of
recent work requested from each candidate.
Lectures and Special Events
• Art History and Humanities
• Anatomy
• Historic Methods and Materials
• Ecorché
• Evening Life Drawing
• Technical demonstrations on paint grinding,
the properties of individual pigments, oils and
varnishes, and canvas preparation
 Information

Art History/Humanities
(Part-time, no diploma)
Sean Forester, Instructor
A chronological survey of the great painters and
sculptors of the Western tradition from the Ancient
Greeks to the present with special emphasis on
composition, dramatization of subject matter
and the material process of picture making. The
core texts are Leonardo’s Notebooks, Reynolds’
Discourses on Art and Stephenson’s Velazquez.
In addition, the visual arts are placed within the
context of the humanities with lectures on Plato,
Aristotle, Dante and Shakespeare. Students are Exhibitions
asked to consider what is a beautiful in the works To further support the professional careers of
they admire; they are encouraged to debate the its advanced students and alumni, The Florence
place of naturalistic painting and sculpture in the Academy of Art organizes annual exhibitions in
world today. Thus, it is hoped, they will be able museums and galleries around the world. The
to take the best of the tradition and use it to Annual Exhibition has taken place in London
support their own vision when they become (1993 and 1997), San Francisco (1995), Atlanta
professional artists. and Ocala, Florida (1996), New York (1997),
Gothenburg, Sweden (1999), and Germany and
Extra-Curricular Projects New York (2003). The purpose of these exhibitions
Extra-curricular projects include specific is to promote the work of the Academy’s students
assignments at the Bargello Museum, the and alumni, and, at the same time, expand public
Accademia Gallery, the Uffizi Old Master Drawing appreciation for Realist art. As of 2005, an annual
Room and the Specola Anatomy Museum. Alumni Exhibition will be held in February in
Florence at Palazzo Corsini.
Study of Great Master www.florenceacademyexhibition.com
Drawings
Students may view original Old Master The Florence Academy of Art
drawings at the Uffizi Gallery. The study and Gallery
copy of these drawings allow students to grasp The Academy houses a small collection of
how the Great Masters translated three- 19th century drawings, and contemporary student
dimensional shape into two-dimensions. Students and staff drawings, paintings and sculpture.
who have entered their third year of study are also These works are on view by appointment.
encouraged to copy at least one Master painting
from a Florentine collection.

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 Information
Scholarships/Work Study
The Florence Academy of Art is committed to
helping talented students in financial need.
Scholarship funding and work study opportunities
are made available to second and third year
students in order to help them complete the
full three year program.

Housing
The Academy’s administrative staff offers help
and guidance to students seeking housing.
Information is contained in the acceptance packet
provided to all new students entering the program.

The Florence Academy of Art is a branch of the

International Academy of Fine Art, a United States non- Jessica Keiser,
profit 501 c (3) educational entity. The Florence Academy 2nd year student
of Art admits students of any race, color and national or Figure Drawing
ethnic origin. charcoal on toned paper, 2005

Board of Directors Julie Spahr Maurizio Seracini

Daniel Graves, President Melinda Sullivan Marie Silvietti
George C. White, Vice President Paul Sullivan Steven Tatti
Susan Tintori, Secretary Beth Webb
Betsy White, Treasurer Nelson White Administration
Christine Emmons Susan Tintori,
Robert Emmons Council of Advisors General Manager
Anki Eriksson Graves Princess Giorgiana Corsini, Rosemary Galli,
Jamen Graves President Student Services and
Lloyd Greif Leonard Kestenbaum, Summer Program Director
Renee Greif Vice President Anki Eriksson
Greg Hedberg Gerald Ackerman Ellen Sutherland
Margaret Hedberg Benedetto Annigoni Susy Fiddy
Charles Kingsley Fernando Bernardini
Gretchen Kingsley Gianni Cacciarini
Patty Kitchings Stephen Doherty
Gregory Nersesyan William Kelly
Alfred Ross Jorgen Lindeskov
Jane Ross Zubin Mehta

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