Sandro Botticelli | The Map of Hell, 1480-1490

The Divine Comedy Illustrated by Botticelli is a manuscript of the Divine Comedy by Dante, illustrated by 92 full-page pictures by Sandro Botticelli that are considered masterpieces and amongst the best works of the Renaissance painter.

The images are mostly not taken beyond silverpoint drawings, many worked over in ink, but four pages are fully coloured.

The manuscript eventually disappeared and most of it was rediscovered in the late nineteenth century, having been detected in the collection of the Duke of Hamilton by Gustav Friedrich Waagen, with a few other pages being found in the Vatican Library.

Sandro Botticelli | The Map of Hell, 1480-1490 | Vatican Museums

Johannes Vermeer | Tecnica pittorica

Il pittore Olandese Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) era in grado di ottenere colori trasparenti applicando sulle tele il colore a punti piccoli e ravvicinati, tecnica nota come pointillé, da non confondere con il pointillisme.

La sua tecnica punta a una resa più vivida possibile, con effetti, soprattutto di colore, che egli ricerca con un interesse quasi scientifico, considerando il soggetto una sorta di espediente: "le pitture di Vermeer sono vere nature morte con esseri umani".

Non ci sono disegni attribuibili con certezza all'artista e i suoi quadri presentano pochi indizi dei suoi metodi preparatori.

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.

Henry Tonks | Impressionist painter

Henry Tonks, FRCS (9 April 1862 - 8 January 1937) was a British surgeon and later draughtsman and painter of figure subjects, chiefly interiors, and a caricaturist.

He became an influential art teacher.

He was one of the first British artists to be influenced by the French Impressionists; he exhibited with the New English Art Club, and was an associate of many of the more progressive artists of late Victorian Britain, including James McNeill Whistler, Walter Sickert, John Singer Sargent and George Clausen.

Howard Pyle (1853-1911)

Pyle viene considerato uno degli illustratori ed artisti più importanti.

Vincent van Gogh scrisse una lettera a suo fratello Theo, affermando che i lavori di Pyle "lo avevano stupito"

Howard Pyle (Wilmington, 5 marzo 1853 - Firenze, 9 novembre 1911) è stato un illustratore e scrittore statunitense, autore di romanzi per giovani.

Howard Pyle nacque a Wilmington, in Delaware, figlio di William Pyle e Margaret Churchman Painter.

Da bambino, frequentò scuole private e si interessò sin dalla tenera età al disegno e alla scrittura.

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).