Labor Day Weekend Sales - 15% Off All Prints!

5 August, 2013

Hard Work by Georges Laugee

Treat yourself, your friends and your family to stunning reproductions while supporting ARC! All proceeds from the ARC Store are used to expand the ARC Museum and ARC Programs. To view a list of our most popular prints, click here. Most images in the ARC Museum are also available. To search the ARC Museum, click here. Use coupon code "laborday13" at checkout.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau and the Craft of Picture-making

3 August, 2013

The next article from the Classical Realism Journal, the original publication of the Contemporary Realist Movement, is now available on ARC. Volume I, Issue I, article 3, by Mark Steven Walker titled "William-Adolphe Bouguereau and the Craft of Picture-making" is now available for online viewing. "The singular goal of traditional art instruction was to endow artists with the skills essential for the convincing pictorial actualization of their imagined visions. The Croquis, figure drawings, compositional sketches, color studies, and cartoons were all logical steps in a process that, at the end, magically congealed separate. studied details into an impressive, illusionistic and unified ensemble." To view the full article on ARC, click here.

William Bouguereau Return from the Harvest, 1878

Ed Copley Interview

2 August, 2013

ARC Associate Living Master™ Ed Copley was recently interviewed on The Terry Gilberg Show KFYI Fox News Radio.

Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley

To view the interview on YouTube, click here. Ed Copley has undertaken a quest to paint his version of Watson and the Shark, in the style of John Singleton Copley, of whom he is a direct descendant. 100% of the proceeds will go to victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. John Singleton Copley (1737-1815) became a famous American painter. Born in Boston, the Copley Square shown in almost every map of the bombing, was named after J.S. Copley.

IlluXCon 2013

5 August, 2013

September 11 - 15, 2013 The IlluXCon Main Show and Weekend Salon, as well as select programming throughout the length of the show will be held at The Allentown Art Museum (AAM), Wednesday, September 11th, through Sunday, September 15th. IlluXCon is the first, ground-breaking symposium dedicated solely to the art of the fantastic (imaginative realism)—bringing artists, students, collectors, and art fans together for an annual gathering intended to inspire and create further awareness and zeal for imaginative realism and all that's encompassed in the realm of the fantastic. Allentown Art Museum - 31 North Fifth Street, Allentown, PA 18101 To register, click here. To view more on this and other exhibitions, click here.

I Like You by Anthony Palumbo

Giacomo Grosso (1869 – 1938) added to ARC

3 August, 2013

Ave Maria Gratia Plena by Giacomo Grosso

Italian artist Giacomo Grosso was an undeniable talent. Although his name is not well known, the quality of his work speaks for itself. Grosso was an Italian artist who studied at the Accademia Albertina, an institution of higher education in Turin, Italy. He was also a pupil of Andrea Gastaldi. To view his new page on ARC, click here.

GCA’s Portrait Sketch Competition Kicks Off August 27

5 August, 2013

The Grand Central Academy's new annual three-day Portrait Sketch Competition will run August 27 – 29. Ten portrait painters will compete for three days to paint six portraits. Portraits will be painted in single, four-hour sessions working from the same model. A panel will judge the portraits as a group and award First and Second Place winner $1,000 and $500, respectively. The painters who will be competing were selected from online applicants. The finalists are: Daniel Bilmes, Matthew James Collins, Kerry Dunn, Danny Ferland, David Gray, Greg Mortenson, Rick Piloco, Cesar Santos, Matthew Tarini and Joseph Todorovitch.

Study of Rosina Ferrara by John Singer Sargent

The event is open to the public for daily lunch-hour viewings August 27 – 29, and for a final viewing of all sixty portraits at the Awards Party, August 29, 7-9pm. In you are in the New York City area be sure to stop in. For the awards party, please RSVP: grandcentralacademy@gmail.com

ARC 2013 Scholarship Competition Update

3 August, 2013

Second Place Hayley by Sophie Merle Charcoal - 31 x 22 cm Instructor: Lynne Barton Angel Academy of Art Florence

The Judges for the 2013 ARC Scholarship Competition, Frederick C. Ross and Dr. Vern Swanson, will be making final decisions this up coming week on award winners. The ARC Scholarship will be giving out $30,000 in awards again this year to talented students attending ARC Approved Schools. Award announcements will go live on the ARC website no later than mid September.

Michael John Angel writes on Hans Holbein the Younger

2 August, 2013

ARC Living Master™ and head of Angel Academy, Michael John Angel, recently had an article published in the Epoch Times on Hans Holbein the Younger and his work method. "Holbein's influence has been huge throughout the centuries. In the 20th century, Pietro Annigoni (1910–1988) was one of the artists to be influenced by him; Annigoni's Self Portrait of 1946 is an obvious example. In spite of its being rejected many times by the Bond Street galleries in London in the 1950s because of the art establishment's huge prejudice against realism in contemporary painting, this is the portrait that led to Annigoni's commission to paint Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1954-1955." To read the full article, click here.

Self Portrait by Pietro Annigoni 18 x 14 inches Oil-tempera on panel prepared with canvas and Japanese paper 1946

<i>Classical Realism Journal</i> and <i>Classical Realism Quarterly</i> on ARC

5 August, 2013

The Original Publication of the Contemporary Realist Movement is now being republished by the Art Renewal Center. We have just released the first two original articles for the first time on the internet. It is interesting to note that the first issue of the Classical Realism Journal was dedicated solely to the work of William Bouguereau; demonstrating the importance he holds to the re-appreciation of traditional art and the Contemporary Realist Movement.

The Classical Realism Quarterly and its successor Classical Realism Journal are dedicated to promoting and preserving the works of the Old Masters: their techniques, their accumulated knowledge, and their vital relevance to art today. These publications came into existence in response to the marginalization of traditional art by proponents of the modernism and avant-garde movements of the 20th century. They provide a platform to help ensure traditional or "classical" art not only survives but also thrives, a beacon of light in an art world grown dark. Created by Richard F. Lack and published by Atelier Lack beginning in 1986, the Classical Realism Quarterly mailed to 400 supporters, by 1992 was transformed into the Classical Realism Journal published by The American Society of Classical Realism. By the time the CRJ stopped publications in 2003 it had reached thousands of people worldwide. To ensure the knowledge contained within these publications will continue to enlighten generations to come, the rights to reprint the CRQ and CRJ were given to the Art Renewal Center. - Gary Christensen Author, Richard F. Lack Catalogue Raisonné (current project) Founder and President, The American Society of Classical Realism (1989-2003) Publisher Classical Realism Quarterly (1989-1992) and Classical Realism Journal (1992-2003) To view this new section that will continue to grow, click here.

IGOR Fall Show

4 August, 2013

Congratulations to ARC Associate Living Master™ Jon Bøe Paulsen for his "Portrait of Two Souls” being accepted at International Guild of Realism’s annual art show, this time at the Tempe Center for the Arts, Scottsdale, AZ. Of the 350 entries of art from the members, about a hundred were finally selected. The show is scheduled for October 4th – November 30th, 2013. The public opening reception will be Saturday, October 5, 2013. IGOR is an ARC Allied Organization™. To view a list of ARC's Allied Organizations, click here.

Portrait of Two Souls by Jon Boe Paulsen

New ARC Allied Organization: CSOPA

3 August, 2013

Sophia by Jeanine Jackson

The Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, CSOPA, is a (501 (c) 3) nonprofit arts education organization, that serves local artists and patrons in and around Connecticut. Their mission is to promote the classic art of portraiture through symposia, workshops and exhibitions. Founded in 2002, CSOPA has grown to approximately one hundred active members from the established professional to the promising student. They mount a number of exhibitions and educational opportunities each year, some exclusively for our membership and others open to the public. "Faces of Winter" is their trademark biennial open juried exhibition featuring 70+ selected works on public view plus a 2-day portrait symposium that brings together outstanding faculty and portrait artists from around the country. Their next "Faces of Winter" exhibition will be February 6th through the 28th, 2013, with keynote speech by ARC Chairman, Fred Ross, and will be honoring Nelson Shanks. To view their new section on ARC, click here.

Opportunity to study with ARC Living Master&trade; Virgil Elliott

1 August, 2013

ARC Living Master™ Virgil Elliott will be teaching a three-day portrait/head study workshop, to be held August 21st, 22nd and 23rd at Linda Schroeter's studio at 21001 Geyserville Avenue, in Geyserville, California (Northern California Wine Country). Interested parties may contact him by telephone at (707) 664-8198, or send him an e-mail at virgilelliott@comcast.net. To view his gallery on ARC, click here or for additional information go to his website at www.virgilelliott.com.

Melancholy by Virgil Elliot

The ARC Website Is Now More Tablet Friendly

5 August, 2013

Thomas Kennington: Another Victorian Ace in Epoch Times

4 August, 2013

The latest article by Kara Lysandra Ross was recently published in the Epoch Times as part of their new project, Art Speaks. It is the Epoch Times’ global art exploration project. The goal of Art Speaks is to serve as a forum to diversify the public’s artistic appreciation and for writers and readers to gain from each other more pathways to explore traditional art. In Thomas Kennington: Another Victorian Ace, K. L. Ross discussed Kennignton's life and specifically one of his greatest known works, Ace of Hearts. To read the full article, click here.

The Ace of Hearts by Thomas Kennington