About
this course
General Description
Masters of Line is a unique experience to learn the theory and practice of copper plate etching under the guidance of FAA Founder Daniel Graves. With over 50 years of experience as a renowned painter-etcher, Graves provides invaluable insight into this intricate art form. While ideal for beginners, this course offers substantial value to those with prior etching education, covering both fundamental techniques and advanced processes involved in creating high quality works. Students receive both individual and group critique on their studio practice, with weekly group evaluations and a final critique of the work completed at the end of the course.
The course is studio-based, with additional Art History and Technical lectures, field drawing, material lectures, studio demonstrations, and intensive hands-on monitored studio/lab work. Students are introduced to all aspects of Line Etching and finish the program with at least three of their own completed copper plate etching prints and the technical skill to create more in the future.
Students study Master Etchers of the past, and in the studio prepare the ground on copper plates, select and create an appropriate image to transfer to the plate, and learn the process of biting, proof-printing, and plate correction to produce their own final prints.
Emphasis is given on the selection and creation of the image to be transferred to the copper plate, with instruction given on what types of drawings to create and the expectation to draw the images to be transferred from life. Students in this course have the opportunity to create drawings “in the field” around Florence, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and to be given support in selecting appropriate locations for the drawings. If a student would like to work on creating an etching of a previously made drawing, the student may discuss it with an instructor at the beginning of the course.
The Etching Workshop takes place in the Florence Academy of Art’s brand new etching studio complete with four state of the art printing presses, in the heart of FAA Florence’s beautiful and vibrant main school campus.
At the end of the course students will receive an extended list of etchers to study and a book list of references to further investigate the medium of etching on their own.
Maximum enrollment 12 students.
Additional Info
PREREQUISITES & APPLICATION
This course is open to applicants with prior knowledge and skills in drawing. The workshop is suitable for beginner, intermediate and advanced etchers.
WEEKLY INSTRUCTION & LAB TIMES
During week 1 full instruction is provided by the Program Director and Principal Instructor. From the second week onwards full instruction continues in the mornings, and afternoon sessions are dedicated to studio lab time. During lab time students continue to work in the studio supervised by the course Principal Instructor.
Medium & Materials
Copper Plate Etching
Students receive a list of materials required for the workshop in their acceptance email.
FAA provides all lab materials needed during the workshop. Etching tools and other individual materials are not included in the tuition fee and may be purchased in advance and at a discounted rate directly from the Florentine art supply store, Zecchi. Students will find their supplies waiting for them in their studio upon arrival in Florence.
Estimated cost of materials: EUR 200
Caution: Certain materials used in the etching course may present health hazards. Students will be provided with guidance on safety procedures by their instructors and will be required to sign the “Appropriate Use of Materials and Safety” form prior to commencing the workshop, ensuring proper handling and safety measures.
What’s Included
- Instruction in English
- Individual critiques
- Guided Art History tour of the Uffizi Gallery
- Discounted art supplies
- Extended access to the studios and school facilities after class until 9 pm
- Access to the on-campus FAA Cafe where students may purchase breakfast, lunch and enjoy an afternoon aperitivo
- List of housing recommendations
Faculty
This course was designed and will be taught by FAA’s Founder, Daniel Graves, a renowned painter and master etcher, ensuring expert guidance throughout the learning process.
Daniel Graves
Born in 1949, in Rochester, New York, Daniel Graves graduated from the Maryland Art Institute of Art in 1972 where he studied with Joseph Sheppard and Frank Russell. He continued his studies at the Villa Schifanoia Graduate School of Fine Art in Florence, Italy, with Richard Serrin. Following a course of training with Richard Lack in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he taught at the Atelier Lack Studio of Fine Art. In the late 1970s, Graves returned to Florence and undertook individual study with Nerina Simi, who maintained a classical nineteenth-century studio. Ms. Simi was the daughter of the Florentine painter Filadelfo Simi, who had studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme, the head of the French Academy in Paris in the 1870s. With such a rich background of training, Graves has created a style of oil painting that blends the Florentine tradition of Simi and the realist painter, Pietro Annigoni, with the draftsmanship of the French artist, Charles Bargue.
Daniel Graves joined Charles Cecil to found Studio Cecil-Graves in Florence, which for nearly a decade trained many practitioners of classical realism. In 1991, Graves established The Florence Academy of Art (FAA). 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. He was the first to discover Bargue’s, Cours des Dessins, and integrate this masterwork into the Academy’s teaching curriculum. Under Graves’ direction, The Florence Academy of Art has continued at the forefront of classical realist art education for over thirty years.
The Academy’s programs in Florence and Sweden earned accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) in 2013. Diplomas issued at the end of their 3-year course in painting and sculpture are at a University level.
In “Tradition in the 21st Century,” an essay published in the exhibition catalog, Realism Revisited: The Florence Academy of Art (2003), Graves described his training in Old Masters techniques and heralded the classical realist renaissance in aesthetics and art education. The exhibition traveled throughout Europe and the United States. Practitioners, connoisseurs, and scholars of modern representational art recognize “Realism Revisited” and its accompanying catalog as defining moments in the appreciation of classical realist art.
In April 2008, Daniel Graves and The Florence Academy of Art received the Excellence in Art Education Award from the Portrait Society of America. Daniel is a regularly invited jury panelist for The Foundation of Arts and Artists’ International Figurativas Painting & Sculpture Competition. One of the first to receive Art Renewal Center’s ARC Living Master™ designation, Graves serves as a juror for their annual International ARC Salon.
Daniel Graves is a painter of figures and portraits, landscapes and still life, and is an etcher. His artwork can be found in both public and private collections throughout Europe, the U.S., and Japan. Selected works, published writings, and contact information can be found at danielgravesart.com.
Matteo Taverna
Matteo Taverna is an Italian artist based in Florence. Born in Voghera, Italy, Matteo spent his childhood in the small town of Valenza Po, characterized by its proximity to nature. He began his artistic education aged 14 at the Liceo Artistico Carrà in Valenza where he gained a foundation in drawing and the humanities. Matteo went on to train at The Florence Academy of Art, learning the traditional methods of drawing and painting in order to work realistically. He completed the Painting Program in 2019. Matteo is deeply interested in nature and the humanities and attempts to connect his work to what he defines as humanity, from feelings to archetypes, from emotions to stories. He is also fascinated by the materials and alchemy of painting, and spends time researching new formulas and techniques in drawing and painting to apply to his work. At present, Matteo is a Principal Instructor in the Intensive Drawing Program at The Florence Academy of Art.
Location
ADDRESS: Via Aretina 293, Florence, Italy
