If painting was always on your mind but somehow the idea of a full-fledged course seemed too intimidating or a far-fetched dream, there is a reason to smile yet. Delhi-based Rishabh Art Studio is joining hands with the renowned Florence Academy of Arts, Italy, to bring to art enthusiasts a specially curated course.
The six-week workshop will introduce students to the classical methods of training, enriching their visual vocabulary and providing a methodology that can be applied to other art disciplines.
The craftsmen of this unique initiative—Daniel Graves of the Florence Academy of Arts and Rishabh Sud of Rishabh Art Studio—promise you that the desire to learn to paint coupled with enthusiasm are all that you would need here. They add that this initiative is not for ‘artists’ alone. “Even if you have never painted before, this is your chance. This short course will give you a platform to judge whether you are really ready to take a giant leap into this field,” they say.
Born in 1949, in Rochester, New York, Daniel graduated from the Maryland Art Institute of Art in 1972. He continued his studies at the Villa Schifanoia Graduate School of Fine Art in Florence, Italy. It was a while before he returned to Florence in the late 1970s and studied under Nerina Simi, who maintained a classical 19th-century studio. She 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. Daniel established the Florence Academy of Arts in 1991 and it soon became the forefront of classical realist art education. In fact, it was here that Rishabh—then a student—first met Daniel. His technique impressed Rishabh enough to bring him to India to revive “the lost classicism of the likes of Raja Ravi Varma”.
Says Daniel, “We, at the Florence Academy, are excited to expand our community by launching our programme in India. It is a great opportunity, and the timing is just right.” Besides, attending workshops in India will give students preferred status in full-time courses at any of the Florence Academy of Arts campuses. Also, it would help students transit into a full-time programme at other art universities. “You can take our workshops for many reasons. Be it to enhance what you already know and leap to that next plateau. Or, it can even be to step out of your comfort zone to learn something new,” adds Rishabh.