Vincent van Gogh | Irises, 1889-1890

Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) returned to irises again and again in the final year of his life.

While staying at the psychiatric institution in Saint-Rémy (1889-1890), the garden became one of his main sources of inspiration.

He painted several studies of irises over the course of about a year.

Sometimes a single flower, sometimes overflowing bouquets.

He experimented with colour, rhythm and composition.

A small detail: the irises we see as blue today were originally painted a vibrant purple.

Over time, some of Van Gogh’s pigments faded, subtly changing the colours.

Vincent van Gogh | Irises, 1889 | Getty Museum

Aaron Coberly, 1971 | Figurative Impressionist painter

Aaron Coberly, American painter, was born in Seattle.

He has been drawing for as long as he can remember.

He started taking art seriously as a teenager after being invited to attend a life drawing class.

Living and traveling in Europe further inspired him.

He began oil painting in 1999.

Alan Douar, 1963 | Quando ti chiedi cos'è l'amore... / When you ask what love is

Quando ti chiedi cos'è l'amore,

immagina due mani ardenti

che si incontrano,

due sguardi perduti l'uno nell'altro,

due cuori che tremano

di fronte all'immensità di un sentimento,

e poche parole

per rendere eterno un istante.

Dorina Costras

Charlene Van Den Eng, 1971 | Portrait painter

Dutch painter Van Den Eng Charlene studied at some of the most prestigious art institutes in the Netherlands, including the Amsterdam Art/Fashion Institute AMFI.

Her main technique is oil painting and over the years she gradually focused her work in portraits.

Before she starts her paintings, she captures a series of photographs in locations significant for the subject.

Sung Sam Park, 1949 | Neo-Impressionist painter

Korean painter Sung Sam Park was born in Soeul, where he began painting at the age of twelve.

His talent and teaching abilities were quickly recognized and by the age of thirteen, while still a junior high school student, Park taught painting at the local high school.

Early on, Park attracted the attention of prominent artists and heads of state.

Byen Si-Jin, former university president of Jo-Joo Island, was his private art teacher and mentor.

The former president of South Korea, Yoon Bo-Sun, personally awarded him many First Places in the national competitions of the Mok-Woo Art Society.

Leon Richman | Figurative sculptor

Beginning in medium to large-scale marble figures, his passion to explore the beauty of the human form in all dimensions soon led him to a more pliable medium, allowing more freedom in the creative process.

The result has been an inspired body of work, each piece possessing its own unique spirit and personality.

Leon Richman is a California artist with a formal education from the renowned Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and years of practical experience in the field of commercial art, but his soul and passion have always been deeply rooted in the finer arts.

Jin Hongjun, 1937 | Traditional Chinese painter

Mr. Jin Hongjun / 靳洪軍 is a native of Beijing.

His family are descendants of the Emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

He studied Chinese painting with many well-known artists such as Li Kuchan and Li Keran in the Chinese Painting Department, Central Art College of China.

As a professional artist at the Beijing Painting Institute, Professor Jin particularly specialized in fine brushwork.

His paintings have been collected by the China National Art Museum and by the Chinese government and many important organizations.

Dalai Lama: "Quando perdi, non perdere la lezione"!

• Ci sono solo due giorni all’anno in cui non puoi fare niente: uno si chiama ieri, l’altro si chiama domani, perciò oggi è il giorno giusto per amare, credere, fare e, principalmente, vivere.

• La felicità è una combinazione di pace interiore, disponibilità economiche e, soprattutto, pace mondiale.

• Benché ci si possa trovare in un ambiente ostile, se l'atteggiamento mentale è fermo e stabile, l'ostilità non sarà causa di grande disturbo.

Carl Payne, 1969 | Figurative sculptor

British sculptor Carl Payne was born in Staffordshire.

During his education he studied Figurative Sculpture and began on his first commission in 2000.

Since then, Payne has compiled an extensive ensemble of commissions including 'Ride a Cock Horse to Banbury Cross' and 'King George and Queen Mary' which were unveiled by George Best, Bobby Moore and Pele and by Princess Anne at Banbury respectively.

Today he has a wide variety of collectors throughout the world.