From classical to contemporary: egg tempera painting
Weekend-long practical course
3 February 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm4 February 2018 10.30am - 5.30pm
The Life Room, Royal Academy Schools
£420. Includes all materials, lunch and wine reception at the end of the second day.
Terms and conditions
Artist and past President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters Robin-Lee Hall leads an exclusive course exploring different techniques in egg tempera painting, a traditional medium applied using a modern approach.
Egg tempera is an ancient medium dating back to the first century AD. Popular during the Renaissance period with artists like Botticelli, Raphael and Verrocchio, it was the primary method of painting until around 1500, when it was superseded by the invention of oil paint.
The process of creating an egg tempera painting is unlike any other painting medium. Pure pigment and egg yolk are built up over many layers to create a luminous colour and saturated finish. It is both a painstaking and rewarding medium.
The versatility of egg tempera means that it can be used in many different ways. During the weekend, Robin-Lee Hall will show participants how to make paint and explore different techniques, looking at both traditional and contemporary approaches to the medium. Participants will then create a final painting, working either with still life objects or source material.
About the course
In this exclusive weekend-long, expert-led course, participants will learn about the fascinating history of the ancient medium of egg tempera as well as contemporary applications – considering artists’ styles past and present for inspiration.
The course will cover an introduction to pigments, methods, tools and techniques, and each participant will receive specialist advice on how to make their own paint. Participants will explore the different properties of the medium and then develop a unique piece of work from either still-life objects or personal source material.
This course is suitable for all levels, preferably with some prior experience of drawing, painting or creative practice in general.
This course is for you if:
• You have some prior knowledge of drawing and/or painting and would like to extend your skills.
• You would like a new perspective in your approach to painting.
• You are keen and open to experiment with a new painting medium and have a little patience!
• You are interested in the methods and techniques of egg tempera painters past and present.
• You would like the opportunity to develop your skills and ideas in a small group setting, with a highly trained tutor and artist in the historical setting of the Royal Academy.
Minimum age 18
The number of participants is strictly limited to enable detailed feedback from the course tutor for each participant and the work that they create.
Price: £420
Saturday 3 – Sunday 4 February 2018
10.30am – 5.30pm on both days
Includes:
• An introduction to the process of egg tempera painting, referencing painters and relevant works in the Collection
• The opportunity to work with a specialist in the medium
• All specialist practical materials
• Lunch and refreshments served on both days
• A drinks reception at the end of the second day
• A certificate of participation upon course completion
About the tutor
Robin-Lee Hall
Robin-Lee Hall is a practicing artist specialising in egg tempera. She is a portrait painter, past President of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and winner of the Ondaatje Prize for Portraiture.
In 2009, Robin took part in Antony Gormley RA’s One and Other Project, which saw her standing on top of the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square at midnight painting a view of the National Gallery. She has exhibited widely - including at the BP Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery, and the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition - and most recently a film of her demonstrating drawing techniques was used in the exhibition The Encounter: Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt at the National Portrait Gallery.
In addition to portraits she paints still life paintings of British confectionery, toys and cakes.
About the space
The Life Room
The Royal Academy’s historic Life Room sits at the heart of the RA Schools. Usually closed to the public, this unique and significant space was designed in the 1860s, when the galleries and art school first moved to Burlington Gardens.
The semi-circular seating arrangement, based on an ancient design, traces its British history back to Hogarth’s Academy in St Martin’s Lane, c.1730. Directional light is used to enhance the delineation of the model’s musculature and aid life drawing, which has been practised in this room by generations of Royal Academy artists and students
Our courses and classes programme
Our programme of short courses and classes offers the opportunity to explore a range of subjects, led by expert tutors and practising artists.