ROME ART WORKSHOP, SUMMER 2023
A voyage of art making and artistic discovery | 12-20 JUNE
Rome, a constant source of surprises.
Rome is for me, a constant source of surprises.
I lived in this beautiful City for a few months, when I was in my early 20’s, exploring it quite a bit and I keep going back to visit it. Back then, I saw Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ‘s frescoes before the restoration, and also years later, after the restoration, seeing a new incarnation of a magnificent painting I thought I knew well.
There was no line to enter the Coliseum back then, and it was a bit neglected but dignified and still majestic, with hordes of feral cats roaming its meandering interior.
Today, the few remaining cats are collared and plump, the access to Coliseum is regulated and the 2,000 years old monument is well cared for and still elicits a sense of awe.
Back then, You could sit on the steps of the Trevi fountain and chat with your friends, stand up, walk around the fountain to admire from closer distance its sculptures, then go back to sit in the same spot you were sitting 10 minutes earlier.
Today the steps of the fountain are not visible anymore because of the great number of visitors that seems to occupy them permanently, but it is also very nice to see so many people so interested in History and enthusiastic about Art.
Renaissance & Roman Cuisine: A perfect combination!
During the last workshop I held in Rome, we discovered an incredible place, a restaurant in the vicinity of the Spanish Steps, that was once the studio of the Neoclassical sculptor Canova and eventually his assistant Tadolini.
The place is incredible, full of sculptures, casts and studies.
The many rooms distributed over the two floors of the studio still have libraries, artworks on the walls, little studies of sculptures on the shelves and tables for the clients that can enjoy excellent food and artistic atmosphere. I still can’t believe we dined in Canova’s studio!
At another well known restaurant near the Isola Tiberina, the owner told us how his father, during WW2, helped many people escape an infamous Nazi and Fascist raid that eventually claimed the life of 2,000 other people.
We went there to enjoy typical Roman cuisine but we were also given the honor to share a very intimate, personal and at the same time historical experience. Rome is a solid scaffolding upon which new narratives continue to develop. Every time I visit, this great Baroque theatre presents me with a new story, a new show to witness.
Rome Art Workshop, Summer 2023
This New Renaissance Atelier Summer Workshop is dedicated draw the human figure with daily Figure Drawing sessions with male and female models, and study the way the human body was depicted during the millennia by visiting amazing museums that display some of the most famous sculptures and paintings that depict the human figure. We will also tour the city, searching for its iconic landmarks, unique restaurants and the many little known places that are nonetheless charming, unique, unmissable.
Each day will start with a 4 ½ hours Figure Drawing session, alternating male and female models daily.
After lunch, we will go for a museum tour choosing from the many that Rome has to offer: the Musei Vaticani with its infinite collection of works from antiquity to today.
Galleria Borghese, Palazzo Barberini, Doria Pamphilj, are now museums but they used to be the residencies of Popes and Roman Nobility, the noble family Doria Pamphilj still owns the Palace. The Musei Capitolini display iconic bronzes like he She-wolf nursing Romulus and Remus, or the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius.
At the relatively not well known Museo Nazionale Romano, you can also find two intact, stunning bronzes: the Hellenistic Prince and the Quirinale Boxer, just these two works are worth the trip to this Museum that also contain a great number of inestimable and beautiful works.
The days are long in Summer, and after the Museum visit there is still plenty of time for city excursions: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Coliseum, the Imperial Forum,the Colle Palatino where the Emperors’ villas are, the Pantheon where Raphael’s tomb is located, the place where Cesar was assassinated, the Circo Massimo, the Mouth of Truth, the various arches, columns and obelisks, the fantastic Caravaggio tour, where we can admire 6 Caravaggio paintings still located in thein 3 churches that commissioned them, the Cappella Cornaro where you can find Bernini’s St. Theresa in ecstasy.
This workshop also includes two field trips, one at the Bomarzo Gardens, created during the mid 16th Century by count Orsini, and Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli, the luxurious abode where the II century Emperor resided. All transportation from the hotel to the museums and to the locations of the field trips will be by cab or minivan and is included in the cost of the workshop.
This workshop is a full immersion artistic experience, where you will create, study and enjoy art, discover some of the many historical and artistic landmarks Rome offers and share this experience with other art enthusiasts like you, while enjoying typical Roman cuisine after a day of artmaking, wonder and wondering.
PROGRAM
- Hotel Check-in
- Welcome Drink
- Workshop's Participants Meeting
- Dinner
- After Dinner: Evening Art Talk
- 8:30-1:00: Figure Drawing in studio with male model
- 1:00-2:00: Lunch
- 2:00-5:30: visit to Castel S. Angelo
- 5:30 to evening: discovering Rome, possible visits to Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Doria Pamphily museum
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- 8:30-1:00- Figure Drawing in studio with female model
- 1:00-2:00 Lunch
- 2:00-5:30: visit at the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica (Palazzo Barberini)
- 5:30 to evening: discovering Rome, possible visits to Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Cappella Cornaro (Bernini’s St. Theresa in Ecstasy)
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM circa: field trip at the Gardens of Bomarzo transportation to the site with van included. This is a great occasion to do some watercolor painting or sketching of one of the most mysterious and fascinating gardens in Italy.
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- 8:30- 1:00: Figure Drawing in studio with female model
- 1:30-2:30: Lunch
- 2:30-5:30: visit at the Fori imperiali and the Colosseo
- 5:30 to evening: discovering Rome, possible Caravaggio’s Tour, Museo Nazionale Arte Romana
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- 8:30-1:30: Tivoli, Villa Adriana. Transportation with mini van included.
- 1:30-2:30: Lunch
- 3:00- 7:00: Figure Drawing in studio with Female model
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- 8:30-1:00: Figure Drawing in studio with male model
- 1:00-2:00: Lunch
- 3:00-to evening: visit at the Musei Vaticani and Basilica S. Pietro, possibly climbing the Cupola of the Vatican Basilica. From up there, you can have a wide panoramic view of Rome and the distant hills.
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- • 9:00-1:30: Figure Drawing in studio with male model
- 1:30-2:30: Lunch
- 3:00-to evening: discovering Rome, possible visits to Villa Borghese, musei Capitolini, Trastevere
- Evening: Dinner at the Hotel or in Rome, independently or as group
- Morning: Free Morning
- Departure
RATES
8 Days in BB Accomodation
What is Included
- Travel Insurance
- Hotel stay with breakfast
- Art Instruction
- City Transfers
- Museum tickets
- Studio Space
- Models
What is Not Included
- Air fare
- Transfer Airport/Hotel
- Lunch/Dinner
Things to Know
- The cost of the air ticket is usually around $800
- The cost an average lunch or dinner is about $15/30 per meal.
- We will be staying at the BV Oly hotel. The Hotel is a 5 minutes subway ride from the city center
