François-Auguste Ravier | Romantic landscape painter

François-Auguste Ravier (1814 - 1895) was born in Lyons in 1814. His father, a confectioner, wanted him to pursue a career as a notary, and the young Ravier went off to Paris in 1832 to study law. His spare time was taken up with drawing and painting, and he has been said to have attended the studios of Jules Coignet (1798-1860) and Aligny (q.v.). But according to Nathalie Favier, an expert on this painter, it is possible that Ravier received advice from a number of artists without having pursued any traditional artistic training. In 1837-38 he painted in the Paris area, in the forest of Fontainebleau, and in the Dauphiné and the Bugey, a region to the east of Lyons. In Royat, in 1839, he met Corot (q.v.), whom he revered the most. Between 1840-1847, no doubt following Corot's advice, Ravier went on a number of lengthy trips to Italy to draw and paint in the Roman countryside.

Arthur Braginsky, 1965

L'arte astratta di Arthur Braginsky rappresenta un'evoluzione cruciale del suo stile, integrando la sua solida formazione accademica e teatrale con una ricerca spirituale fondata sull'equilibrio e sull'armonia cromatica.

Sebbene l'artista contemporaneo sia celebre soprattutto per i suoi ritratti figurativi e le opere di ispirazione preraffaellita, la sua produzione astratta gioca un ruolo chiave nel definire la sua visione estetica complessiva.

Utilizza quasi esclusivamente l'olio su tela, applicando stratificazioni spesse, texture visibili e velature per dare tridimensionalità alle forme indistinte.

Marlene Dietrich 1901-1992

John Bramblitt, 1971 | Palette Knife painting from a blind artist

John Bramblitt is a blind painter living in Denton Texas. He began painting after losing his sight in 2001 after a series of severe seizures. His art has been sold in over twenty countries and he has appeared internationally in print, TV and radio. He has appeared on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC, and BBC Radio, and he's been featured in The New York Times and Psychology Today. He's the subject of the award winning documentary shorts "Line of Sight' and "Bramblitt". His work has received much recognition including the ‘Most Inspirational Video of 2008′ from YouTube and three Presidential Service Awards for his innovative art workshops.

Edgar Payne | Plein Air painter

Edgar Alwin Payne (1 March 1883 - 8 April 1947) was an American Western landscape painter and muralist. Payne was born in Washburn, Barry County, Missouri, in the heart of the Ozarks. Washburn is in southwest Missouri, only nine miles from the Arkansas border. But that wouldn't stop this turn-of-the-century Missouri teenager from seeing the world. Before Edgar was done he would crisscross the United States, travel to Mexico, Canada, and Europe and even spend the summer in the Alps. But, like John Muir before him, and Ansel Adams after, it was the American West that most appealed to his heart.

Pablo Picasso | The Portraits

The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50.000, comprising 1.885 paintings, 1.228 sculptures, 2.880 ceramics, roughly 12.000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs.

At the time of his death many of his paintings were in his possession, as he had kept off the art market what he did not need to sell.

Pablo Ruiz y Picasso was exceptionally prolific throughout his long lifetime. One of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, he is widely known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore.