Work from life forms the foundation of the program and sets its overall direction, reflecting the core principles of the realist academic tradition. Through sustained practice in drawing and painting, particularly in figure and portrait studies, students develop a direct and disciplined relationship with observation.

This is complemented by extensive still-life practice, which provides essential experiential grounding.  Hands-on engagement with still life empowers students to adeptly select materials for composition, depict them accurately, and apply them in sculptural resolution. These skills form the basis for more complex figurative projects. The foundation for successful compositional work lies in skills honed through still-life practice, formal composition lessons, and regular analysis of student sketches.

The program also includes an exploration of monumental techniques and material practices, expanding the student’s understanding beyond easel painting.
 

Particular attention is given to the relationship between contemporary realist art and the classical tradition, encouraging students to engage with both as part of a continuous artistic language. Painting is approached not as imitation, but as a means of expression -- students are not trained to reproduce, but to think and speak through visual form.

In this context, the study of historical masters becomes a form of dialogue. Artists such as Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Matisse, or Picasso are approached not as distant figures, but as teachers whose methods and visual thinking can be understood, questioned, and reinterpreted.

Together, these elements provide students with a strong and versatile foundation, equipping them with the skills and understanding necessary to work across easel, monumental, and contemporary forms of painting.