The FAA Collective

⚜️ Art History Lecture w/ Matteo Persiani — Antonio Mancini’s La Verità ⚜️ FAA Graduate @matteopersianiart leads us into the deeply personal world of Antonio Mancini through “Veritas” (La Verità / Truth), one of the artist’s most psychologically charged and revealing paintings. Now on The FAA Collective Patreon, this lecture explores the symbolic richness, emotional intensity, and extraordinary technical mastery behind Mancini’s haunting masterpiece. Follow us on Patreon and @faacollective to learn more about our growing community of artists! For access to this lecture and all exclusive content from The FAA Collective, become a supporter at 🔗 /thefaacollective (link in bio!) #arthistory #antoniomancini #faacollective #painting #italianart

⚜️ Spotlight on Art: “Three Roses” by Elizabeth Ralph Smith ⚜️ Moving between observation and interpretation, and into the quiet spaces where petals unfold and fade, we had the pleasure of speaking with FAA Principal Instructor @elizabeth_ralphsmith_art Elizabeth Ralph-Smith about the inspiration behind her painting Three Roses, her process of working from life, and the subtle challenges of capturing both the structure and ephemerality of flowers on canvas. “When painting flowers, there is a kind of tension between solidity and fragility. The forms must feel substantial—solid—and carry depth, but at the same time, the painting must capture the fleeting, transient nature of the flower—an object that continuously moves and wilts with each passing hour.” Read the full article on The FAA Collective on Patreon at 🔗 /thefaacollective (link in bio!) Image: Elizabeth Ralph-Smith, Study of Three Roses, 35cm x 40cm, Oil on Linen, 2023 #florenceacademyofart #artfromlife #painting #flowers #faacollective

An etching of a Florentine villa by FAA Principal Instructor Cameron Marsh, on a 13 x 18 cm plate. ⚜️ @cmarshart Want to study etching with us? Join us this summer for our Etching: Masters of Line workshop! 🏛 Faculty: Principal Instructor Matteo Taverna 📍 Florence, Italy 🔗 www.florenceacademyofart.edu/workshops/etching-masters-of-line (check out the Workshops link in our bio!) 📅 June 29 – July 24, 2026 ⏳ Length: 4 weeks #florenceacademyofart #etching #workshop #printmaking #academicart

⚜️ Art History Lecture w/ Andrea Jiménez Carrasquillo - Visiting Bernini ⚜️ Recent FAA Graduate @drea_escultora Andrea Jiménez Carrasquillo takes us on a journey where we encounter Gian Lorenzo Bernini at the Villa Borghese. In this lecture available on The FAA Collective on Patreon, we study three sculptures “The Rape of Proserpina,” “Aeneas, Anchises, and Ascanius,” and “Apollo and Daphne,” while Andrea traces Bernini’s evolution and invites students to experience the Masters firsthand! Follow us on Patreon and @faacollective to find out more about our community of artists! For access to this lecture and the rest of the exclusive content available through The FAA Collective become a supporter at 🔗 /thefaacollective (link in bio!) #arthistory #florenceacademyofart #bernini #villaborghese #sculpture

⚜️ Spotlight on Art: The Making of The Fall of Jericho ⚜️ We had the pleasure of sitting down with FAA Principal Instructor @eirik_arnesen_art Eirik Arnesen to discuss the meaning behind his large, multifigural sculpture “The Fall of Jericho”, behind-the-scenes details of his process, and the obstacles he encountered while bringing it to life! “Capturing a frozen moment of violence in the immediate aftermath of Jericho’s fall, the sculpture confronts the viewer with both dynamism and gravity. The challenges inherent in creating such a complex, multi-figural work are considerable. From the initial drafting of the maquette to the execution of the final piece, each stage demanded careful foresight and planning.” Continue reading on The FAA Collective on Patreon at 🔗 /thefaacollective (link in bio!) #faacolletive #florenceacademyofart #artinterview #sculpture #figurativesculpture

In Florence with our dear friend @tominflorence in his studio, chatting about art education and @florenceacademyofart @faacollective

⚜️ They’re Back! Our studios are filling up, this time with FAA Alumni! ⚜️ A new weekly evening drawing class brings together graduates, faculty, and students to draw from life, with poses organized by our Painting Graduates in Residence. Painters and sculptors alike are returning to the academy, some now based in Florence, others joining whenever visiting the city! These sessions have become a joyful gathering of artists across generations, coming together through the fundamental practice and tradition that connects them. @faacollective Audio: Walking Indie Pop - Cheng Lee Reel by: Tatiana Popova @nisha_tanisha_

An etching, “Bearded Man” by FAA Principal Instructor Matteo Taverna ⚜️ @matteotaverna25 Want to study etching with us? Join us this summer for our Etching: Masters of Line workshop! 🏛 Faculty: Principal Instructor Matteo Taverna 📍 Florence, Italy 🔗 www.florenceacademyofart.edu/workshops/etching-masters-of-line 📅 June 29 – July 24, 2026 ⏳ Length: 4 weeks #florenceacademyofart #etching #workshop #printmaking #academicart

A peek of some recent works being made in their shared on-campus studio by the FAA’s Painting Graduates in Residence: Silvia de Arcangelis, Laura Espinosa, Jikke ten Cate, and Andrea Kirlieva! ⚜️ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Every year, The Florence Academy of Art offers students from the graduating class an opportunity to bridge the gap between their education and an independent artistic career. After completing the three-year Drawing & Painting or Sculpture programs, a small number of students become Graduates in Residence and are offered a studio at the Academy for one more year. Read more about our current Graduates in Residence including sculptors Ronja Arleij and Gabriel Montechiari e Silva in a newly published blog post! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🔗 www.florenceacademyofart.edu/blog/the-faas-graduates-in-residence-of-2025-26 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ @ronjaarleij @gabrielmontechiari @silviadearcangelis @lauraespinosaart @jikke_cate @andreakirlieva Audio: Whatcha Gonna Do - The Valdons Reel by: Tatiana Popova @nisha_tanisha_ #florenceacademyofart #oilpainting #drawing #artfromlife #sculpture faacollective

⚜️ Spotlight on Art Interview: “Three Graces Reproduction by Thor Larsen” ⚜️ We sat down with Founder of @thorscastcollection and FAA Principal Instructor, @thor_sculp_thor Thor Larsen, who told us the interesting story of how he came to find and create a new cast of the famous “Three Graces” by Italian sculptor Antonio Canova (1757–1822). “I found a life-size cast of the ‘Three Graces’ [by Canova] with a friend almost ten years ago. We knew an antiques dealer who came across it while it was abandoned in some kind of factory building. The rain had been dripping on the sculpture, and no one had been taking any care of it. He wanted to move it to his antique shop and try to sell it there, but when they tried to pick it up to move it, the heads and all the small pieces began to crumble and fall apart [...]” Continue reading on The FAA Collective on Patreon at 🔗 /thefaacollective (link in bio!) Image: “Three Graces” by Canova, Reproduction by Thor Larsen

⚜️Art History Lecture w/ Ola Alaa El-Din - Fayum Mummy Portraits ⚜️ @ola_alaa_eldin Ola Alaa El-Din, Director of the Sculpture Drawing Program, presents the fascinating tradition of the Fayum Mummy Portraits, highlighting their significance as a unique crossroads of Egyptian spirituality, Greek culture, and Roman technique. Ola traces the historical origins of these works to Roman Egypt, distinguishing them from stylized funerary masks by their profound naturalism and individuality. Through close analysis, she discusses the specific materials and techniques used, contrasting the linear precision of tempera with the sculptural qualities of encaustic painting using hot beeswax. This lecture reveals the portraits’ spiritual purpose as a tool for the afterlife—an “act of resurrection through observation”—connecting the viewer to the fragile, mortal truth of people who lived two millennia ago. Follow us on Patreon and @faacollective  to find out more about our community of artists! For access to this lecture and the rest of the exclusive content available through The FAA Collective become a supporter at 🔗 /thefaacollective Image: Tondo of the Two Brothers (Antinoopolis Tondo) Roman Period, reign of Hadrian, (c. AD 117–138) Size: H. 24 cm, W. 38.5 cm Place of discovery: Middle Egypt, el-Sheikh Abada, (Antinoe) Material: Wood (unspecified), encaustic, pigment (unspecified) Collection of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt #faacollective #florenceacademyofart #arthistory #mummy #fayum

“El Antillano,” a portrait in bronze of Ramón Emeterio Betances y Alacán by FAA Alumna Andrea Jimenez Carrasquillo while a Graduate in Residence at The Florence academy of Art. An extraordinary figure of his time and known as “The Father of the Puerto Rican Nation,” Betances was an abolitionist, revolutionary, and physician to the poor. This challenging commission was first modeled in clay before being cast in bronze, and Andrea drew on extensive historical references to shape the posthumous likeness. ⚜️ @drea_escultora @faacollective #florenceacademyofart #portraitcommission #academicartwork #bronze #sculpture