Tina Spratt, 1976 | Figurative painter

British painter🎨 Tina Spratt is best known for her paintings of the female figure, either in oils or pastel, her subjects are often lost in introspection, or surrounded by the fascinating textures of a myriad of fabrics.

"I have always been drawn to the female figure in my work", she has said, "and I hope to recreate the beauty and integrity of a simple, everyday intimacy".

With an emphasis on beautiful fabrics or domestic scenes , she is influenced by artists such as Andrew Wyeth🎨, Rembrandt🎨 and Vermeer🎨.

Kieta Nuij, 1960 | Abstract sculptor

Dutch artist🎨 Kieta Nuij was born in Heerlen in the south of the Netherlands. She is a graduate of the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts. She started working as an artist - she became a sculptor🎨 in 1984, just after graduating. Initially, she worked in clay, and now she has been creating bronze sculptures for over 25 years.

Characteristic for her art is the use of materials marked by the destructive effects of time - pieces of material, ropes, wood.

Zig Ziglar: "Non esiste un ascensore per il successo.."

"Non esiste un ascensore per il successo, devi prendere le scale!"

"There is no elevator to success, you have to take the stairs!"

-Zig Ziglar (1926-2012) Scrittore e speaker motivazionale statunitense.

Edmund Blair Leighton (1852-1922) | Pre-Raphaelite painter

Although his name is not commonly known, Edmund Blair Leighton's most famous works are among the most widely recognized paintings of the period.

His works of Godspeed (1900) and the Accolade (1901), can be seen in almost every poster shop around the world and are used as the epitome of medieval iconography. If one looks at the visual elements in Godspeed for example, it becomes evident that very few paintings encapsulate with such a strong a sense, the sensibilities of this genre.

The beautiful maiden on the steps of a stone castle, the knight in shining armor, the white steed, and the sense of immediate peril which threatens the subjects contentment almost define our modern day conception of Medieval legend and romantic sentiment.

Gerolamo Induno (1825-1890) | History / Genre painter

Gerolamo Induno (13 December 1825 - 18 December 1890) was an Italian painter🎨 and soldier, best known for his military scenes. His older brother, Domenico, was also a well-known artist and they often worked together.

He was born in Milan, where his father was a chef and butler at the Milanese court.

He took his first formal art lessons at the Brera Academy, where he studied with Luigi Sabatelli from 1839-1846.

His first exhibit was in 1845; composed of portraits and a scene from The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni (now lost).

Carl von Stetten (1857-1942) | Genre painter

Carl Ernst von Stetten was a German-French🎨 portrait and genre painter🎨 who worked in France and joined the Parisian atelier of Jean-Léon Gérôme🎨 in the 1880s.

He went to Paris in the 1870s for training, and there met Courtois and Dagnan-Bouveret🎨 at the studio of Gérôme; it was for Courtois and Stetten the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

The young Stetten posed for several portraits and was a model for works by his friend (and probable lover).

Albert Bloch (1882-1961) | Expressionist painter

Albert Bloch was the only American artist associated with Der Blaue Reiter - The Blue Rider, a group of early 20th-century European modernists.

He was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He first studied art at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts. In 1901-03 he produced comic strips and cartoons for the St. Louis Star newspaper.