Elizabeth Ralph-Smith
ARC application Essay
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Until my discovery of the Florence Academy of Art, I did not know that academic painting was still being taught around the world. Growing up in New Zealand, I felt bombarded by the modern art world and isolated in my love for art that could be a true expression of both nature and humanity. Inspired greatly by the Pre-Raphaelite movement—especially the idea that art should not only be technically beautiful, but also a reaction to the world— I followed my love for the realist tradition to Florence.
With lockdowns postponing the completion of my academic training at The Florence Academy Art, it is my desire to use the ARC scholarship to finance my final term and graduate in December 2022 so that I may expand my technical knowledge of this craft which I have fallen in love with. I have also applied for a Graduate In Residence position in the hope that with the continued support of my instructors, I can explore a deeper element of painting which speaks to the humanity in people through its honest representation of nature.
Like music and poetry, painting is a timeless and beautiful language which holds an important place in history. I would like to eventually take the knowledge I have acquired here in Florence back with me to New Zealand, contributing to the realist tradition by sharing with others to tools to depict the complexities of human emotion and express in the most beautiful way, what it means to be alive today.