Atelier Melbourne Art Academy (ARC approved) was established to provide instruction in high levels of technical drawing and painting skills, to help students who wish to excel in classical realism or representational art...
Our Story
AMAA was founded in 2019 with the goal of creating a unique platform in Australia to provide rigorous, in-depth training and knowledge, that is inspired by centuries of studio practice. The vision of the academy emerged due to the lack of technical training within Australia. For many Art Students it is unimaginable to afford the time and the expense of training overseas. AMAA was established to support the needs of students seeking a traditional art education inspired by Renaissance & 19th Century European Academies, combined with a modern approach.
Our founder Surya Murali has worked to establish an academy that would offer a complete skills based education based on practical training and the methods of various academies of the 19th & 21st centuries. His vision was to create a place of selfless education, where only the progress of the student matters. It was essential to have professional teachers who share similar beliefs. AMAA does not promote a specific art style, but rather teaches strong foundational & technical skills, to allow students to discover their own signature styles. In 2023 we are in our third year and also moved into a larger studio space in Oakleigh, Melbourne with a vision to provide a dedicated studio focussing on classical realism.
We got the accreditation from ARC (Art Renewal Centre, USA) in March 2024 as an approved school by meeting the strict standards of ARC to be a skill-based school focusing on Classical Realism following the masters methods of drawing and painting.
Why Atelier Melbourne Art Academy ?
AMAA is an Art Academy strictly focussing on improving the drawing skills of our students. We are the first ARC approved school (Art Renewal Centre) in Melbourne for classical art training. Our teachers provide world class training, with methods used by ateliers in Europe and USA. We have an extensive collection of casts imported from Florence, Italy, which are used in the development of the student's observational skills . Our teachers are professional artists who encourage and challenge students to continuously improve their skills through our specialised skills-based training.
With a faculty of academically trained artists from The Florence Academy of Art and The Swedish Academy of Realist Art, we offer a comprehensive, multi-staged fine art course of disciplined study. We integrate rigorous studio instruction in drawing and painting with a twenty-first century approach to practicing art.
By providing one on one critiques and an individualised approach, our teaching emphasises the students personal growth, skills and creativity.
Who is it for ?
Keen students who are seeking to learn highest level of drawing and painting through skills based education. Studying at AMAA focuses and emphasise the importance of drawing (particularly from nature and model), as a means to gaining skill in drawing and painting. Through intense observation, students are able to develop a visual literacy and skill they need to express their artistic ideas, creativity and reach their greatest potential that will not only serve the artists as a professional in the fine arts but also play a part in revival of realism. Students are not required to have had any previous training for entry into Lev-1 (Beginners). Only requirement is to have a passion to learn art in the classical realism style. Students seeking direct entry into Lev-2 (Intermediate) will need to have training from a similar atelier like AMAA.
