Workshop

General Description

… Why should the earnest student overlook the simplest and most thorough way of acquiring all the knowledge of the craft of painting and drawing, the studying of inanimate objects, still life painting, the very surest road to absolute mastery over all technical difficulties. Once learned, it applies to all painting, all drawing… – Emil Carlsen, Palette and Bench, 1908

Simple objects can be transformed into something extraordinary through exquisite stagecraft and technique. Still life painting is a unique genre with a rich and varied history, serving not only as an art form but also as a training ground for other types of painting.

This workshop addresses key aspects of the painting process, including composition, drawing, values, and color, by guiding students in creating two modest-scale still life paintings in oil. Studies are executed in both charcoal and oil paint. Students work in an environment of natural north light, utilizing the methodology of the Florence Academy to create a unique still life painting developed in a step-by-step approach: selection of material, composition, charcoal value sketches, preliminary color studies, and the final painting. Students also learn about supports for painting, pigment selection, and the fundamentals of color mixing, the use of mediums, the sight-size method, and the use of basic tools for drawing and painting. Students will receive daily individual critiques to help guide them towards a fully resolved and accurate painting.

During the first week of the course, students will participate in a guided museum visit to Palazzo Pitti, led by the Academy’s resident Art Historian, focusing on the still life paintings of the great masters. The visit offers students the opportunity to study composition, light, and technique directly from original artworks, deepening their understanding of the rich still life tradition before returning to their own studio practice.

Beginning – Intermediate – Advanced levels welcome.

Maximum enrollment: 12 students.

Additional Info

WORKSHOP CREDITS: 3 per session

Please note: The Florence Academy of Art expresses workshop coursework in credits to the equivalent of 1 credit for 20 hours of completed study. Academic grades are not awarded, and there are no exams. Please see each course for the total hours of study. Any final acceptance or recognition of hours of study or credits for a workshop (external activity) is at the discretion of the Home University or institution in question and in accordance with each institution’s transfer policy.

Medium & Materials

Oil paint
Charcoal

Students receive a list of materials required for the workshop in their acceptance email. Unless indicated, 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 350-470
Overall costs can vary depending on the selected brand and/or supplier.

What’s Included

• 60 hours of instruction in English
• Individual critiques
• Two canvases included
• Guided museum visit to Palazzo Pitti with the Academy’s resident Art Historian
• Extended access to the studios and school facilities after class until 7 pm
• Access to the main campus and the FAA Café, where students may enjoy an afternoon aperitivo
• Discounted art supplies
• List of housing recommendations

Faculty

Troy Argyros (Melbourne, 1990) is a classically trained realist oil painter. He is a 2021 graduate of The Florence Academy of Art, and in 2023, undertook further training at Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence. Troy holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and a Graduate Diploma of Visual Art Education from Monash University in Melbourne, and has also studied intermittently at The Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney. Troy has exhibited his work in group shows throughout Australia and Italy, including The AME Bale Art Award in Melbourne and “Oceania” at Gruppo Donatello in Florence. He has held six solo exhibitions in Melbourne and two in Italy, and is included in several private collections in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and a public collection at Villa Romana e Antiquarium in Minori, Italy. In 2017, he was the recipient of The Graeme Hilderbrand Award for Young and Emerging Artists in the oil painting category, and in 2021 was commissioned by the City of Melbourne to paint four still life paintings depicting objects unearthed in an archeological excavation preparing for Melbourne’s new metro tunnel. Troy lives in Pisa and works from his studio in Pontedera, Italy.

See more of Troy’s work at www.troyargyros.com and @troyargyros

Location

ADDRESS: Via Fratelli Bandiera 7r (red), Florence, Italy

This course will be conducted in our studio located on Via Fratelli Bandiera, 7r, (“r” indicates a red number – our building is towards the end of the street, next to the building at number 35).