As a part of the growing atelier movement, the Dutch Atelier of Realist Art is a neoclassical art school that offers a skill-based education in figurative drawing and painting. We teach both the sight-size and comparative measurement methods, and work only from direct observation or from reproductions of old master works. We generally do not teach nor encourage the use of photographic reference in our classes. Currently, we offer two study options: a part-time programme led by our core instructors, as well as 5-day workshops led by visiting artists.
Our part-time programme consists of a variety of courses that run during evenings and weekends. Our school year is divided into 3-month trimesters, and students may enroll in one or more part-time classes at the beginning of the Fall, Winter, or Spring trimesters. Students are required to sign up for a full trimester at a time. Each of our part-time courses are designed to be successive: all new students start at the foundation level, while those who return to a course for a second or third trimester will advance to progressively more challenging projects.
We strongly encourage students who have never been exposed to atelier training to enroll in our "Introduction to Classical Drawing" course for a minimum of one to two trimesters, which serves as the basis to all other classes and workshops offered at DARA.
Our workshops offer the opportunity for highly intensive study within a short one-week time frame. Led by classically trained international artists, many of whom teach at renowned ateliers around the world, our workshops are offered year-round in a multitude of painting disciplines. Each workshop has been selected in accordance with our studio philosophy, and consists of 5 full days of instruction (6 hours of instruction in the mornings & afternoons, with a 1-hour break for lunch in between sessions).
What's Next: Our future vision for DARA includes the eventual implementation of a full-time neoclassical atelier programme.The traditional academic training that European artists of the 17th to 19th centuries would have pursued fell heavily out of favor in the western world during the 20th century, and still remains relatively nonexistent within the Netherlands today. Nonetheless, due to the rapid growth of the so-called "atelier movement," neoclassical art schools have been steadily increasing in popularity around the world as more and more serious artists have discovered the integral role that academic training plays in high artistic achievement. We remain optimistic that as our studio continues to grow, our mission of establishing a full-time atelier programme in the Netherlands will become possible in the near future.
