Charles H. Cecil Open Studio

Just before the official end of the school year, Charles Cecil has opened the doors of his school to the public. Over the weekend, to not interrupt the normal school schedule, one could visit the school's facilities, based in the heart of San Frediano district in Florence. A special feature of the studio is that it is located in the former church of San Raffaello Archangelo which also hosts the Romanelli collection of casts:

A demonstration on the use of the sight-size method in portraiture has been given by instructor Nicholas Beer and one of the advanced students:

Charles Cecil also opened the doors to his private studio and gave an interesting discourse on the subject and meaning of his paintings. Technical explanations as well as intellectual reflections found their place in the discussion, which turned out to be quite inspiring. Here some impressions of his studio:

Last but not least the painting Charles has been working on for the past years, very elaborate and well executed:

All in all an interesting afternoon and though the three american schools rooted in the realistic and naturalistic tradition here in Florence are always in a (healthy) competition with each other it is nice and stimulating to have an exchange