A lot of people have a subconscious belief that artistic ability is based solely on supernatural talent. But what if I told you that you can draw like this?

Yes, I mean you. I can hear your guffaws and giggles from here, but give me a chance and keep reading.

You see, the problem with the belief that art is only a supernatural talent is that would mean that it can not be learned… or taught.

But first:

The Florence Academy of Russian Art…

Is not for Russians (only).

Is not for Italians (only).

Classes are in English.

As a matter of fact, students are from all over the world (a recent guest said it was like the UN, when meeting with students), and very few are from Russia or Italy.

With the Russian art method- there is (perhaps most importantly), a method. This is shockingly what makes the program different than so much art education that is offered around the world. And if a student puts in the work, their level will improve, regardless of whether they start out as a beginner or have already studied art elsewhere. As I heard one student at the academy recently stated: “I learned more in my first 5 days here than in 5 years at my previous institute(!)”.

The academy’s founder, Nadezhda Mologuva, has taken the classic Russian art method and training system and adapted it into a 3-year program that the academy now offers the world.

Although I am not an artist, I was blown away during my recent visit to the academy to see how the students quickly improve their level- growing from learning the principles of drawing a cube to drawing a full figure (like the image above). Don’t get me wrong, the students work hard. But the result is clear.

I made a simple video about the experience for the Planet Russia Facebook page:

The academy offers a 3-year degree, but also offers 3 week courses throughout the year, such as the Anatomy Course that will start on January 8, 2018. It’s pretty cool that you can take advantage of the secrets of the Russian Art Method and improve your level, no matter your background.

And, as I have at least one child who is interested in art, I am also thinking about what their career path would be after completing this type of art training. The Russian art education method provides a quality base for many career paths including architecture, design, illustration, animation and more. That means, that in the modern workplace where careers seem to change as often as the seasons, a graduate with this kind of background and base will be nimble enough to be able to find work in many directions.

The Russian art education system has so many incredible things to offer. And, as I hinted at in the video, Florence isn’t the worst place in the world to take advantage of this world-class education.

And since you have read to the end of this post, here is a bonus video, where you can check out the city of Florence, the academy, and also meet a few of the students and teachers. Enjoy!