Academic Methods, Part 1: John Michael Angel

The teaching methods of the ateliers and academies of the 19th century are undergoing something of a revival around the world. Various teachers have sought to recapture or preserve some of the classic approaches to drawing the figure and composing pictures.


The approach varies from school to school, and the methods are hotly contested among their aficionados. For the next two posts, I thought I would share two different approaches in the words of the teachers themselves.

First is Michael John Angel, whose studio in Florence I visited late last year. In a series of three short videos, he lays out his principles of academic pedagogy:






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Here are a bunch of links if you'd like to learn more:
Direct link to YouTube videos:Part 1: , Part 2:,  Part 3:
Angel Academy of Art
Michael John Angel
Charles Bargue Painting Course (Book from Amazon)
Pietro Annigoni on Wikipedia
Wikipedia on the Atelier Method & Sight-Size Drawing
Off the Coast of Utopia, http://offthecoastofutopia.blogspot.com/ fascinating blog by Martinho Isidro Correia, an instructor at Angel. Note in particular his post on Bouguereau deviating from a pure sight-size method.
Related GurneyJourney posts:
Angel Academy
    Academy of Realist Art, Toronto
    Grand Central Academy, New York