The Charles Cecil Studios in Florence is one of the few art schools that use the traditional sight-size technique, a practice used by many master portraitists since the seventeenth century.
From May 27 to June 27, the work of three graduating students, George William Clark, Isabella Watling and Rupert Knox, made with the sight-size technique, will be on display in the British Institute Harold Acton Library,
The three artists featured in the exhibition, Portraits from the Atelier, note that the sight-size method is an optimal way to achieve the traditional portrait style of the great masters yet also allows their individual style to shine through.
Knox noted that working from a live model, rather than a photo, is preferable: ‘If the model moves, you can move with them, but the light and perspectives will change. Ultimately, you can capture the best version of what you were hoping to capture of that person.’
Charles Cecil, the school’s founder and director, who works closely with the atelier’s students, explained that he ‘fosters personal style within the boundaries of the technique.’
Although students at the Cecil atelier, they are already accomplished artists. Watling’s work has been displayed at the prestigious BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in London, UK. This year, her portrait Gina and Cristiano has been selected as the poster picture for the competition.
For more information, email BIF100@britishinstitute.it.
