Schuylkill Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia
 

This Sunday I visited the annual open house of a school gaining a strong foothold as the leading center of the classical art training tradition in Philadelphia; an art education market niche the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts formerly dominated. Two friends of mine, Kevin P. Lewellen, and Stuart Mark Feldman founded this Schuylkill Academy of Fine Art about five years ago after instructing for many years at the Pennsylvania Academy. Although this classical tradition is quintessentially Philadelphian and had it's American origins right here over two hundred years ago, in recent years these essential traditions had become somewhat relaxed and marginalized, and thus there was a need for a new Academy restoring the rigorous training and classical focus of our academic forebears.

I applaud their sincere effort. I am seeing great strides in portrait and figural painting and drawing, and this is a wonderful place to get a well-rounded solid foundation in figurative sculpture like no other place in Philadelphia. The rigorous disciplined study of light and form in classical plaster casts is applied here too. It is assuring to know the classical academic painting drawing and sculpture traditions remain alive and vital, with a brighter future continuing forward from the Philadelphia root source.

In their own words from their website :

"...in the Classic Tradition

Schuylkill Academy of Fine Art is a not-for-profit, educational institution committed to the disciplined instruction of drawing, painting, and sculpture within the classically based figurative traditions for students seeking professional expertise in the fine arts.


Schuylkill Academy of Fine Art
cordially invites you to attend its

4th Annual Open House
and
Exhibition of Student Works
Sunday, May 20, 2007, 1

More noted student works: I met a self-assured seven year old girl, Rose, at the open house, who proudly pointed out the exquisite portrait drawing below was indeed of her. I love it!

1. Brett Edenton, detail from a life model painting.
2. Brett Edenton, portrait drawing of Rose. Soft vine charcoal and Pitt White on Hahnemuhle Ingres laid paper.
3. (detail of above)
4. Julia Levitina McGeehan, bronze patinated figure sculpture.

Garth

The bar is raised ever higher.

That little girl is a killer! What a great portrait of a girl, without all the usual attendant treacle.

I hope these young dedicated people rescue this fine profession from its present moribund state and raise it to the heights reached in Sargent's time. It is finally time for the well trained painters of the next generation, who have the skills from excellent training, to wrest the profession from the demands of ignorant clients. With this kind of training they will be able to do so, because they will have the total respect of the clients.

Thank you, Garth for sharing this.
This portrait of a little girl is particularly exquisite.

Hi Steven, Sharon, and Marina,

Steven, your praise means a lot!

Sharon, and Marina, I agree. That's an exquisite portrait. My jaw dropped when I saw it; and then the actual girl walked in beside me. Brett really caught her.

Garth

That little girl is marvelous. I may have to steal that pose. I mean, allude to it!