Workshop

General Description

At The Florence Academy of Art, drawing is considered the foundation for all artistic disciplines. This course strengthens the student’s ability to understand and draw three-dimensional form, focusing on accurate representation of the human figure while building the visual vocabulary necessary for further study. Designed specifically for affiliates of the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of  The Institute for Classical Art and Architecture, this workshop focuses on drawing the figure from life while engaging directly with Florence’s architectural heritage through on-site sketching of major historical monuments.

Students are introduced to the academic method of figure drawing used in the 19th-century French ateliers, including the sight-size approach, which trains the eye to observe with precision and translate forms successfully. These principles are applied both to the live model and to architectural subjects encountered in the city.

Students draw from the live model each morning and sketch architecture on location in the afternoon. During the workshop, they produce two sustained figure drawings in different media (one in charcoal on white paper and one on toned paper with charcoal and white chalk) while also developing a complementary body of architectural studies. Daily individual critiques support students in achieving accuracy, clarity, and a fully resolved drawing.

A series of guided visits to museums in Florence allows students to understand the value of the city as an extension of the classroom, while sketching on-site in some of the most suggestive and famous locations in the city. They gain an understanding of the role and meaning of disegno as a living characteristic of Florence and learn how to interact with historical works of art to guide and inspire their own practice.

Beginning – Intermediate – Advanced levels welcome.

This workshop is open to ICAA Affiliate members only. Maximum enrollment is 12 students.

Additional Info

The course has been approved by the American Institute of Architects for 24 continuing-education units, including credits that count toward the mandatory Health, Safety, and Welfare requirement. Participants may request these credits for AIA license renewal.

Medium & Materials

Graphite, charcoal, and white chalk

All materials are included in the tuition fee. Students will find their supplies waiting for them in their studio upon arrival in Florence.

• 60 hours of instruction in English (FAA and ICAA Faculty)
• Individual critiques
• All materials are included in the tuition fee
• Guided tours of Florence’s museums and monuments: Uffizi Gallery, Palazzo Pitti, Duomo, Santissima Annunziata, Orsanmichele
• Extended access to the studios and school facilities after class until 9 pm
• Access to the on-campus FAA Cafe, open to students to purchase breakfast, lunch, and afternoon aperitivo
• List of housing recommendations

Faculty

ICAA

Martin Burns works in the fields of architecture, art, and education. Burns is a Fellow of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art and an Affiliated Fellow of the American Academy in Rome. Burns is currently on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture in Rome. Burns plans to pursue post-professional graduate work in architectural history and research.

Steven W. Semes is Professor Emeritus in the School of Architecture at the University of Notre Dame. From 2021 to 2025, he was Director of the Michael Christopher Duda Center for Preservation, Resilience, and Sustainability at the School and was Academic Director of the Notre Dame Rome Studies Program 2008-2011. He is translator and co-editor of New Building in Old Cities: Writings by Gustavo Giovannoni on Architectural and Urban Conservation, with co-editors Francesco Siravo and Jeff Cody (Getty Publications, 2024). His previous books include The Future of the Past: A Conservation Ethic for Architecture, Urbanism, and Historic Preservation (W. W. Norton, 2009) and The Architecture of the Classical Interior (W. W. Norton, 2004). His many articles have appeared in National Trust Forum Journal, Change Over Time, Public Discourse, Common Edge, The Classicist, Traditional Building, Palladio, Teatro Marittimo, ANTA, and Ricerche di Storia dell’Arte. He is a member of US/ICOMOS, the Society of Architectural Historians, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Leadership Forum. Prior to joining the Notre Dame faculty in 2005, he practiced architecture for three decades in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and New York.

Location

ADDRESS: Via Aretina 293 – Florence

* If the workshop or session is fully booked you may apply to be placed on our waitlist. Should we have a cancellation or a place becomes available, we will contact you.