Our Story
Nelson Shank's Vision in Our Hands
Mission
Studio Incamminati provides a rigorous and comprehensive foundation in realist painting, drawing upon deep Humanist values and remaining committed to making programs accessible to all who wish to learn. Modeled on both the traditional Italian art accademia and the French atelier, Studio Incamminati’s integrated curriculum produces highly skilled artists who can call upon their abilities to create art with depth of purpose. It is our hope that our students will go on to inspire others with their art and their teaching, and to make meaningful contributions to society with their talents.
Described as “one of the nation’s top art academies” by Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, Studio Incamminati serves a variety of representational art programs; including workshops, night classes, lectures, drop-in model sessions, the core Advanced Fine Arts Program, and a BFA track with Rowan University. Founded in Philadelphia by the world-renowned portraitist Nelson Shanks, Studio Incamminati’s Advanced Fine Art Program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, which commits the school to quality standards while allowing student-artists access to national grants, scholarships, student loans, GI Bill® benefits, and F1 visas to international students, among other benefits.
History
For two decades, Studio Incamminati has been at the forefront of the contemporary realist art movement. Founded by Nelson and Leona Shanks, it is now recognized internationally for its rigorous curriculum, accomplished instructors, diverse outreach efforts, and committed, passionate students who develop their skills here. In fact, “Incamminati” means “those who are progressing” – named after the Accademia degli Incamminati founded by Renaissance painter Annibale Carracci in 1582 Italy. Considered the first major art school based on life drawing, the Accademia degli Incamminati archetype became the standard on which later European art schools would be based. The Carracci’s (Annibale, his brother, and cousin) professed the superiority of direct observation of live models and aimed to combine high quality draftsmanship with rich color – they sought innovation, invention, and artistry, in addition to the craft element of figurative painting. The modern Studio Incamminati is rooted in their principles with an evolution that mirrors the French atelier – a largely European arrangement that grew out of the guild system wherein eager students would apprentice for masters and hone their skills. in 2002, Nelson Shanks opened his atelier with a small group of apprentices training under him. As time went on and more and more students came to learn, the atelier grew, his apprentices became the teachers, and the institution evolved to become the modern school it is today.
Studio Incamminati is committed to the belief that the mastery of technique empowers creative expression. It aims to enable artists to call upon their training and abilities in order to create art with depth of purpose and invention. The school centers on an innovative curriculum that heightens the student’s sense of perception while utilizing repeated exercises to make the process of realist art-making feel natural; this freedom enables the artist to produce a fresh, contemporary sensibility when fusing the classical traditions of the Renaissance with the luminous color of the Impressionists.
The only school both approved by the Art Renewal Center and accredited by the National Associations of Schools of Art and Design, Studio Incamminati seeks to be accessible to all artists who strive to achieve their full potential in the realm of contemporary realist art. At the school’s core are its 4-year Advanced Fine Art Program as well as a BFA track offered through Rowan University. Its other programming includes intensive workshops, taught both in Philadelphia and nationwide through the “In Your Town” extramural initiative, night classes, drop-in model sessions, professional courses for art educators, and guest lectures. Studio Incamminati also works with community partners to create catered programming for high schools, after school programs, senior living centers, hospitals, and organizations combatting homelessness, among others.
Founders
Nelson Shanks (1937 – 2015) — painter, art historian, teacher, connoisseur, and collector– distilled the foundational principles of Studio Incamminati from his lifelong experience with, and devotion to the arts.
Among his notable portrait sitters are President William Jefferson Clinton; Diana, Princess of Wales; Charles, Lord Spencer; and His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Significant commissions include Luciano Pavarotti for the Metropolitan Opera, Mstislav Rostropovich for the Kennedy Center, and Denyce Graves for the National Portrait Gallery. His work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Kensington Palace in London, and Fortezza Firmafede in Sarzana (IT), Kensington Palace in London, the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Russian Academy of Art in Moscow. For more on Nelson Shanks, click here.
Leona Shanks
Leona Shanks, a Studio Incamminati instructor, was awarded First Place in juried competition of Inspiring Figures: American Women and Figurative Art. Her work also was featured in the accompanying exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art.
Leon Shanks was a top finalist in the Art Renewal Center’s International ARC Salon worldwide competition. Her solo exhibition, Searching the Soul, was featured at Dacia Gallery in New York.
Also an accomplished sculptor, Leona won the Edmund Stewardson Award for Sculpture. Her works hang in many private collections and have been widely exhibited.
