Albrecht Dürer | Hands study

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was a painter, printmaker and theorist of the German Renaissance.

Born in Nuremberg, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe when he was still in his twenties, due to his high-quality woodcut prints.

He was in communication with the major Italian artists of his time, including Raphael, Giovanni Bellini and Leonardo da Vinci, and from 1512 he was patronized by emperor Maximilian I.

Albert Carrier-Belleuse | La Melodie, 1887

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (born Albert-Ernest Carrier de Belleuse; 12 June 1824 - 4 June 1887) was a French sculptor. He was one of the founding members of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and was made an officer of the Legion of Honour.

His work encompassed all manner of sculptural subjects and materials, and his naturalism incorporated a breadth of styles: unembellished Realism, neo-Baroque exuberance, and Rococo elegance.

For biographical notes notes -in english and italian- on Carrier de Belleuse see Albert Carrier-Belleuse ~ Chryselephantine sculpture.

Albert Carrier-Belleuse | Rembrandt sitting with book

Albert Carrier-Belleuse (1824-1887) was instrumental in popularising the fashion for ideal portraits of historical personalities. After his return from England in 1855, he created a lively series of fantasy busts of great artists.

The Rembrandt was one of the first of the sculptor's series of busts and was exhibited at the 1863 Union Centrale in Faience with a bust of Durer. These two were soon followed by portraits of Beethoven, Mozart, Michelangelo and Raphael, and in 1874, Rubens, van Ostade, Velazquez and Murillo were added to the series.

Paul Gagni | Paris painting

Paul Gagni (1893-1962) was a Post-Impressionist Artist. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He exhibited at the Autumn Salon and the Salon of Independent Artists. He is well known for his Paris street scenes.

Arthur Schopenhauer: "No rose without a thorn but many a thorn without a rose"

• "Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see".

• "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident".

• "Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude".

• "If you want to know your true opinion of someone, watch the effect produced in you by the first sight of a letter from him".

Antonio Nunziante