2025 AUTUMN INTENSIVE | Painting Program

“Only nature well-seen, well-studied can give you the original brilliance and genuine knowledge that distinguishes the superior man from the common one. I say ‘well-seen’ because if you do not look unceasingly with a comparing eye as I’ve asked you to, you’ll get nowhere.”

“La nature bien vue, bien étudiée vous peut seule donner ces lumières originales qui distinguent l’homme supérieur d’avec l’homme commun. Je dis bien vue, car si vous ne la voyez sans cesse avec ces yeux de comparaison que je vous demande, il n’y a rien de fait.”

– Jean Baptiste Oudry, Réflexions sur la manière d’étudier la couleur (1749)

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LOCATION:	The 2025 AUTUMN INTENSIVE will be held in the Intensive Course Studio, on our campus in Argenton-Chateau (79), a medieval town north of Bordeaux, south of the Loire Valley, in the Poitou-Charentes region of southwest France. Argenton-Chateau is situated 2.5 hours from Paris-Montparnasse (total travel time: TGV train + program shuttlebus). Please see our FACILITIES page for complete details on the Intensive Course Studio.
CLASS DATES:	Thursday, 4 SEPTEMBER – Saturday, 18 OCTOBER 2025 Group arrival: 5:00PM Thursday, 4 September 2025, Gare SNCF de Angers/ St Laud, France
CLASS SCHEDULE:	The daily schedule is 6 hours of life-model, 5 days a week (Sunday – Thursday, 9am – 6pm). Figure poses will vary in length between 3 hrs. and 30+ hrs. The course will offer lecture-demonstrations 1-2x weekly and in-studio critique, 3-4 days per week.
CLASS SIZE:	12 + instructor
WHO is ELIGIBLE?	Anyone may apply. New students and alumni of all levels are encouraged. All students must enroll full-time for this course. There is no option for part-time enrollment, or late arrival.
TUITION PRICE:	3750, shared 2BR housing included
HOUSING:	6 weeks of shared 2-bedroom housing in Argenton-Chateau included. Private lodging costs +500 EUR extra (minimum), depending on size and availability . Students live in program housing, assigned starting July 15, in the order applications were received. Please see our LODGING page for complete details on housing in Argenton-Chateau.
APPLICATION DEADLINE:	31 JANUARY 2025
ADMISSIONS DECISIONS SENT:	2 FEBRUARY 2025
TUITION PAYMENT DUE:	8 FEBRUARY 2025
HOW to APPLY:	Admissions for the 2025 AUTUMN INTENSIVE will open soon. Please review the ADMISSIONS page for general information about the application process. Desktop and laptop users can apply ONLINE. COMING SOON Smartphone and tablet users can apply OFFLINE. Request the course application using the link below:

 

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:  “Painting and the Principles of Living Form”

The Autumn Intensive course is a full-time, structured curriculum with an emphasis on long-pose figure painting.

There is no option for part-time enrollmet, or late arrival.

Figure sessions meet for 6 weeks painting the human figure from life, 30 hrs. per week.

Figure poses will vary in length between 3 and 30 hours total, primarily painting the human figure, using a limited palette underpainting technique, as well as a contemporary prismatic palette for various “wet-into-wet” techniques (e.g. “au premier coup”, “alla prima”, “in-painting” or “form painting”).

It will be taught by visiting faculty Tobias Hall.

Please review frequently asked questions on our FAQS page.

Advice on how to get to Argenton-Chateau is on the TRAVEL to FRANCE page.