“If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” – Michaelangelo
I’m interested in the burgeoning Atelier movement, and this page is a record of my research in this area. My own ‘artistic education’ took place before the internet made information like this accessible (yes, that’s right, it was eons ago), and I remember feeling the lack of it keenly. Not only was the building of skills in an atmosphere of reverence for tradition and the option of maturing under the guidance of an established living master non existent in my corner of the world, the possibility that it might exist elsewhere was also unheard of. Honestly, I thought I was the only person on earth who wished to go back a century or so and train the old fashioned way. Anyway, I’ve since found plenty to take heart from, and listed below are some of the highlights:
The Atelier - the current incarnation of Atelier Lack, founded by Richard Lack in 1969
The Grand Central Academy of Art – Founded by Jacob Collins, New York.
Studio Escalier – Faculty includes some of the founding members of Jacob Collins’ Water Street Atelier. It’s in Argenton-Chateau, in the South of France.
Florence Academy of Art – Founded by sometime student of Lack – Daniel Graves
Aristedes Classical Atelier – Juliette Aristedes’ atelier, in Seattle. Her books on to the atelier approach to drawing and painting are highly regarded by students of this method throughout the world.
Atelier Art Classes – Atelier training opportunities in Queensland, taught by Scott Breton, Nick Leavey, and Ryan Daffurn.
The Way of Beauty – incorporating iconography and the tradition of sacred art in an atelier environment under David Clayton
There are many more to be found, around the world, as a quick google search will tell you – it is a definite resurgence. The ARC is the place to go for a longer list of respected ateliers, though it is by no means exhaustive. If you’d like to learn more about the Atelier method of training the following links, blogs and discussions might be useful to you:
The Legacy of Richard Lack – an informative article over at Aristos, with many more links for further research
A New Direction in Art Education: The Florence Academy of Art, Andy Warhol, and a New Aesthetic Movement – by Dr. Gregory Hedberg, Director of European Art, Hirschl & Adler Galleries (pdf)
Notes on the Atelier – by Kirk Richards who received training at Atelier Lack in the nineteen-seventies
Draw Paint Real – a lovely rambly blog by an atelier trained artist
Jayme Del Rosario – another blog by an atelier trained artist
Candace X. Moore, Drawing and Painting the Atelier Way – another blog, this one by a student currently studying in an atelier environment
Page under construction. Check back soon for more.
