This course seeks to provide the intellectual, creative, and physical environment in Florence, Italy that best fosters excellence in painting and drawing for students. The Drawing and Painting Curriculum provides a firm basis for students to develop a professional involvement with their work. Our students learn directly under the guidance of professors. A balance is sought between the acquisition of studio skills and the development of a critical intelligence. Students are encouraged, through the rigor of studio activity, to understand the breath of art in both its traditional and contemporary forms, and to gain increasing authority in their own work.

Courses evolve from the study of basic working methods and concepts to the refinements of personal vision and aesthetic judgment. In the final semester, each student is required to complete a thesis project, which culminates in a formal presentation and an exhibition of a coordinated body of work.

The faculty of practicing professional artists represent a diversity of attitudes and ideals. Through the format of studio instruction, dialogue, and critique, they seek to instill in each student a habit of self-instruction, which will serve far beyond the program. Studio activity is augmented by lectures, symposia, seminars, visiting artists, and field trips to museums and galleries.