Core Drawing and Painting
Overview
“Drawing is an act of interpretation informed by purpose, study, experience, intuition, and knowing one’s craft. To varying degrees, a draftsman harmonizes three domains: perceptual, cognitive, and affective—or, in other words, the sources for the drawing derive from that which is seen, known, and felt. Thus, a drawing will reflect these elements necessarily in great variety as both the hand and the heart of the draftsman are revealed.”
– Deane G. Keller, former Drawing Instructor, Lyme Academy of Fine Arts
Students at the Academy commit to a rigorous two-year foundational program that is both grounded in tradition and progressive in its vision. During their first year, students focus on historical approaches to the development of critical observational skills and technical facility. Inside our custom north-lit studios, students work from direct observation of plaster casts and live models, utilizing a sequential, systematic progression, first taught in the Renaissance academies of Europe and, later, at Paris’s École des Beaux-Arts. In year two, these methodologies are applied to painting, through increasingly challenging studio work with the cast and in the model room.
The curriculum in both years is comprehensive and intense: Classes are conducted five days a week, from 9 am until 9 pm, with weekly supplementary instruction in anatomy, sculpture, and the histories of art. Landscape, still life, and portraiture are included in the program, as are dedicated explorations of the properties of light and form. In addition to faculty and guest lectures, intimate class sizes allow for in-studio demonstrations and individualized critiques, as well as museum and gallery visits. Students who choose to pursue their studies at the Academy past the second year may stay for a third and fourth year of advanced study. During this time, students will work to further hone their skills and develop a unique visual vocabulary that represents their own artistic intentions.
Integrated into this instructional framework is the progressive philosophy of the Academy, and its commitment to preparing each student for their future in the arts: By instilling confidence through the disciplined learning of skills and technique, and through an appreciation of the history, process, and potential of their craft, Academy students are equipped not merely to engage with today’s art world, but also to influence and shape it.
