Art History Lecture w/ Erica Arcudi - Designing the Viewer’s Experience

An Installment in the Art History related content on The FAA Collective Patreon

Thank you for your support, and a warm welcome to our new patrons! This week we are excited to present you with an Art History lecture given by Erica Arcudi, a principal instructor at The Florence Academy of Art.

This lecture, titled “Designing the Viewer’s Experience,” is an exploration of three examples of artwork which at a first glance seem to have very little to do with each other. However, through the diligent investigation of these works Erica neatly ties together the overarching elements that are found in them all: the quality of their design, and the attention and care put into them which creates a deeply evocative experience. 

For each individual work we are guided through the various components that make them uniquely remarkable. Our journey beings with a spirited analysis on the history and design of a room from the Villa of Livia (39 BCE) which is now installed in Palazzo Massimo in Rome. This particular room features a fresco that covers the walls depicting natural spaces. The lively and lush nature ‘contained’ in the room completely surrounds the viewer, inducing an illusory effect in direct opposition to the reality of the subterranean space- an impression that is further enhanced with the use of atmospheric perspective in the design of the abundant garden scenes. 

The second work we are guided through is La Gorgone e gli eroi (Gorgon and the Heroes) (1890–1899) a painting by Giulio Aristide Sartorio which is also found in Rome, at the Galleria Nazionale. Erica Arcudi speaks on the range of paint application, color, and sensibility within the painting, in addition to making direct comparisons of the final artwork to Sartorio’s study for it. 

The third and final work Erica discusses is Crepuscolo (Dusk) by Giorgio Belloni, an amazing landscape painted in 1912. This painting is found in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. She touches on its delicate color handling, the influence of naturalistic and impressionist currents evident in the artwork, and how the application of even the smallest details create a beautiful, tangible atmosphere. 

We hope you thoroughly enjoy this lecture! 

Erica Arcudi is a principal instructor at The Florence Academy of Art in the 6-Week Intensive Course and a working artist based in Florence, Italy. 

In college, Erica pursued her love of visual art, Latin and Italian languages, and Roman and Greek mythology and art history. Her studies included a year abroad in Florence. In 2014, she graduated with distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, earning a BA in Classical Archaeology with a second major in Studio Art. Following graduation she was quick to return to Florence to pursue a career as a realist painter. In 2017, Erica graduated from FAA’s three-year Drawing & Painting program where she was awarded “Best Intermediate Cast Drawing” in her second year. Erica continues post graduate studies and is eager to share the methods and tools she has acquired with students from around the world. When Erica is not teaching, she is busy painting in her private studio in Florence. 

See Erica’s work on Instagram: @ericaarcudifineart https://www.instagram.com/ericaarcudifineart/?hl=en