George A. Morgan

George Anthony Morton is an Atlanta-based award-winning and internationally recognized artist, specializing in classical drawing, painting and most recently filmmaking. George nurtured his craft and unique artistic ability in his twenties, while serving a ten year sentence in federal prison, spending his time rigorously studying the Classical-Realist tradition that emanated from immortal Renaissance painters and creating his own stunning works.  After his release, George secured a spot at the prestigious Florence Academy of Art, where he continued to hone his skills. While attending the Academy, George traveled to museums across Europe to study and deconstruct paintings by revered Renaissance and Golden Age  painters. In 2019, he founded his studio, Atelier South, with the mission of bringing Renaissance-based art to the metropolitan Atlanta area. Through Atelier South, George offers painting students of all levels timeless principles from the 17th century Golden Age of Art, and seeks to emphasize craft-oriented and skill-based art rooted in a solid classical tradition. Through his studio George provides a “healing through creative practice” curriculum that emphasizes self improvement outreach to incarcerated individuals and has also led several trips to Egypt seeking the timeless principles and African origins of art. George co-created the award-winning documentary Master of Light, a portrait of George as an artist, which lyrically shines a light on racial injustice, intergenerational trauma, and resilience. Master of Light has already won top awards including best Documentary at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival, 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival and 2022 Sheffield International Film Festival as well as three Emmy nominations.