Course Description

Buried under two days of the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, ‘The Villa of Mysteries’ in Pompeii, Italy, lived frozen beneath time and space until archaeological digs exposed its wonder in the 19^th & 20^th centuries. True to its name, the magnificently painted room of the “Villa” contains mysteries upon mysteries. Based upon the firsthand knowledge and experience of the three Instructors’ recent travels to draw onsite from this suite of frescos, this Marathon will look to unlock Pompeii’s vitality and potent story through the act of painting and drawing in New York City this summer. This two-week Painting Marathon, will use the Roman wall paintings to guide to our personal and collective journeys in class. By working with live models, personal narratives, and transcription imagery, we will create original paintings in dialogue with these uniquely timeless works of humanity. This Marathon will explore color, composition, site specificity, scale, proportion, human gesture, form, volume, weight, story, and will expand in search of poetry, sound, theatre and mystery. Over the arc of the course, participants will better understand notions of time and rhythm in painting, and what it means to construct a dynamic room of potent imagery. Made with a particularity to place, our work will unearth individual meaning and significance of purpose.