A New Realism

The millennium has ushered in a renaissance of fine art. Students dissatisfied with the modern art instruction available at major colleges and universities have sought out smaller private academies and artist studios. These schools are clustered for the most part in major American coastal cities, or in select areas of Europe, such as Florence, Italy. For most potential students of these schools, attending would require relocation, full-time participation, and expensive tuition fees upfront.

Online Training

The founder of Classical Art Online (CAO), Jonathan Hardesty, trained at Pantura Studios, under masters Hans-Peter Szameit and Sanna Tomac. Jon founded CAO in 2008 realizing that the Internet offered a unique opportunity to bring the same quality of classical art training he received to anyone.

“My vision is to use technology to make classical art training accessible to anybody who wants it. The traditional atelier process works, but is certainly not an option for everyone. ClassicalArtOnline.com allows students to receive the same quality classical instruction from the comfort of their homes. That’s what CAO is all about. That’s what I provide.” – Jonathan Hardesty

I was the first student to enroll at CAO in 2008, and in the fall of 2009 I joined the staff as an instructor. In the two years I have studied under Jon, he has dramatically altered my understanding of the fundamentals of drawing and painting. Now I enjoy passing on those same critical lessons to my students.