Paul Corfield, 1970 | Naïf Style Landscape painter

Born in Bournemouth, Dorset Paul Corfield has lived within 10 miles of his birthplace all his life. He worked at an engineering firm and painted in the evenings believing that painting would only ever be a hobby and not a career. But in 2002 an opportunity arose for Paul to take voluntary redundancy and hatched a plan was to use the redundancy money to live off that for a year while he painted and painted - he has never looked back!

Rembrandt | Saul and David, 1655-1660

According to the Hebrew Bible, Saul was the first king of a united Kingdom of Israel and Judah. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, would have marked a switch from a tribal society to statehood.

After Samuel tells Saul that God has rejected him as king, David, a son of Jesse, from the tribe of Judah, enters the story: from this point on Saul's story is largely the account of his increasingly troubled relationship with David.

Wyndham Lewis | Vorticism Art Movement (1912-1915)

Wyndham Lewis, in full Percy Wyndham Lewis (born November 18, 1882, on a yacht near Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada - died March 7, 1957, London, England), English artist and writer who founded the Vorticist movement, which sought to relate art and literature to the industrial process.

About 1893 Lewis moved to London with his mother after his parents separated. At age 16 he won a scholarship to London’s Slade School of Fine Art, but he left three years later without completing his course. Instead, he went to Paris, where he practiced painting and attended lectures at the Sorbonne. While in Paris, Lewis became interested in Cubist and Expressionist art; he was one of the first British artists to do so.

John Melhuish Strudwick | Pre-Raphaelite painter

John Melhuish Strudwick (1849-1935) studied at the Royal Academy Schools, where he was not a successful student. Following this, he worked as a studio assistant to Burne-Jones and Stanhope. The influence of Burne-Jones is clearly visible in his work. Stanhope was a highly talented individual in his own right, however, and his paintings may be judged on their own considerable merits.

Pier Augusto Breccia, 1943 | Hermeneutic painting

So far Pier Augusto Breccia held around 60 one-man-shows, produced 1150 works and about 700 of his works have been purchased by Collectors all over the world.

Because of his very personal style and his original philosophy, he is actually considered and recognized as the "father" of "Hermeneutic Painting".

Pier Augusto Breccia was born in Trento (Italy), the son of Elsa Faini of Trento and Angelo Breccia of Porano (Orvieto).

Since 1948 he has been living in Rome, where he has pursued the full curriculum of studies.

Rett Ashby, 1961 | Plein Air painter

“As I paint, I recall memories from my youth, visiting relatives and playing in barns and old houses. I enjoy the history of old houses in the rural west and researching the history of those who lived there. My oil paintings represent this history, both my own and that of others, as I strive to capture the fundamental beauty that is inherent in these rural lands and structures” - Rett Ashby.

Rembrandt | Danaë, 1636

Danaë is Rembrandt's painting from the collection of Pierre Crozat which since the 18th century has resided in the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

It is a life-sized depiction of the character Danaë from Greek mythology, the mother of Perseus.

She is presumably depicted as welcoming Zeus, who impregnated her in the form of a shower of gold.

Given that this is one of Rembrandt's most magnificent paintings, it is not out of the question that he cherished it, but it also may have been difficult to sell because of its eight-by-ten-foot size.

Davide Cambrìa, 1986 | Abstract Portrait painter

Italian born, London based artist Davide Cambria is an painter, who originally started his career in architecture. After deciding to venture into painting, Cambria taught himself to do what is now his full-time job. His work has become part of private collections across Europe, United States, Asia and Australia.

Victor Nizovtsev /Виктор Низовцев, 1965 | Fantasy painter

Russian-American artist Victor Nizovtsev /Виктор Низовцев is a masterful oil painter of theatrical figurative composition, fantasy, landscapes, and still life. While his professional art training occurred in Russia, as an artist Victor is a student of rich and diverse experiences. Inspiration for Victor’s art comes from all he sees and touches. It can be Greek mythology, Russian folklore, childhood memories, great Masters of the past, or routine daily life.

For biographical notes -in english and italian- and other works by Victor see Victor Nizovtsev, 1965 ~ Siren song.

Nathan Brutsky, 1963

Nathan was only 10 years old when his father, a man interested and knowledgeable in art, looked at some pictures his son had made in school and decided that Nathan was talented enough to study art.

The son preferred soccer to painting, of course, but his decisive father prevailed, and soon the son was spending 2 and 3 hours, daily, drawing and painting.

He painted everything he saw, without distinction, and from that day on he was rarely seen without pencil and paper.

This rich experience turned out to be very vital when, years later, Nathan began to create complex compositions, with multiple elements.

Titti Garelli,1948 | Pop Surrealism /Gothic style painter

Titti Garelli was born in Turin, Italy. She studied art at the Turin artistic lyceum, under realist painter Sergio Saroni, and at the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts.

An exceptional watercolorist, Garelli exhibits her work at prestigious Italian and international art galleries. Her illustrations are also sought after by publishing houses and leading international marketing firms. An outstanding portrait artist, Garelli employs in her work also the oil, acrylic and pastel techniques.

Denis Sarazhin, 1982 | Realist painter

Денис Саражин was born in Nikopol, Ukraine.

He attended the Kharkov Art and Design Academy, graduating in 2008.

He specialized in painting and was a pupil of Ganozkiy V. L., Chaus V. N., and Vintayev V. N.

Sarazhin was awarded with the 1st Degree Diploma Award for Excellence in Painting from the Ukrainian Art Academy.

Giuliana Lazzerini | Tuscan landscape

Giuliana Lazzerini was born in Seravezza near Pietrasanta in Tuscany. Between 1962 and 1968 she was a student at the Istituto D'Arte Stagio Stagi in Pietrasanta, gaining a Master of Arts Diploma. This was followed by a further four years studying painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara.

Giuliana moved to Yorkshire, England in 1987 and now lives in York.

William Oxer | Classical style painter

William Oxer is a British artist of portraits, portrait commissions, abstracts, landscapes and seascapes, using gold leaf and classical techniques to produce contemporary artwork.

His primary work is in figurative art; portraiture, classical studies of figures and landscape painting, although commissioned work has included large scale abstracts. He paints mainly with acrylic or oil paints on canvas and his style can be immediately recognised as romantic and classical.

Vu Cao Dam | Modern Figurative painter

Vũ Cao Đàm (1908-2000) was a Vietnamese painter.

He was one of the alumni of Victor Tardieu's École des Beaux-Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi in the 1930s, along with Mai Trung Thứ, Lê Phổ and woman painter Lê Thị Lựu to emigrate to France and make a career in Paris.

Childhood

Vũ Cao Đàm was born on January 8, 1908 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

A member of a large Catholic family, the artist was the fifth of fourteen children.

His father, Vu Ding Thi, was an intellectual and talented artist who excelled in Chinese calligraphy at an early age.