Ikenaga Yasunari 池永康晟, 1965

Calm, subtle and dreamy portraits of contemporary women, decorated with floral patterns - this is how we can describe the illustrations by Ikenaga Yasunari.

The portraits are painted in the traditional Japanese style called Nihonga, slightly modified by the artist.

Cath Riley, 1952 | Hyperrealist Illustrator

Cath (Catherine) Riley, was born in Keighley. She gained a first class honours degree in embroidery and a MA in fine art from Manchester Polytechnic and quickly gained attention for her three-dimensional art work.

In 1979, for example, George Melly purchased her mixed media collage, "The lady with the hat", for the Arts Council Collection, and other pieces have been acquired by Granada Television, North West Arts, and for Calderdale Museums and Galleries.

Guillaume Seignac (1870-1924) | Academic painter

Guillaume was born in Rennes, France. He started training at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he spent 1889 through 1895. He had many teachers there, including Gabriel Ferrier, William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury.

In addition to his training in the academic style, much of Seignac's work displayed classical themes and style, for example, his use of diaphanous drapery covering a woman's body is reminiscent of classical style, in particular the sculptor Phidias.

Robert Doesburg, 1945 | Square style painter

Dutch painter🎨 Robert Doesburg is playing with styles, colours and light. He is working out of his feeling and intuition.

His speciality is the square style.

Ancient Egypt

The culture and monuments of ancient Egypt🎨 have left a lasting legacy on the world. The cult of the goddess Isis, for example, became popular in the Roman Empire, as obelisks and other relics were transported back to Rome.

The Romans also imported building materials from Egypt to erect Egyptian-style structures. Early historians such as Herodotus, Strabo, and Diodorus Siculus studied and wrote about the land, which Romans came to view as a place of mystery.

Thutmose | The Sculptor of the bust of Nefertiti

The King's Favourite and Master of Works, the Sculptor Thutmose - (also spelled Djhutmose and Thutmosis), flourished 1350 BC, is thought to have been the official court sculptor of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten in the latter part of his reign.

German archaeological expedition digging in Akhenaten's deserted city of Akhetaten, at Amarna, found a ruined house and studio complex (labeled P47.1-3) in early December 1912; the building was identified as that of Thutmose based on an ivory horse blinker found in a rubbish pit in the courtyard inscribed with his name and job title.

André Henri Dargelas | Le tour du monde, 1860

André Henri Dargelas (1828-1906) was an French🎨 genre painter. He was born in Bordeaux on 11 October 1828.

He entered l’Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1854 and began exhibiting at the Paris Salon in the same year.

A regular exhibitor at the Paris Salon, Dargelas was beloved during his lifetime for his sentimental and playful depictions of children.

Małgorzata Chodakowska, 1965 | Water Statues

Małgorzata Chodakowska🎨 works primarily in wood and bronze and is well known for the seductive balance of her figures.

But, she doesn't just stop there…

Małgorzata Chodakowska🎨 creates unusual statues, which bring water and bronze together to form spectacular fountains. Initially, she carves the statue from a large oak trunk, forming the general shape she wishes to create. As Małgorzata carves away layer by layer, the large pieces of wood transform into magnificent statues.

Dean Bowlby, 1961 | Cityscapes / Figurative painter

Dean Bowlby was born in Denver, Colorado. BA Degree from Regis College.

Dean was raised in the Roaring Fork Valley of Western Colorado. The rural upbringing encouraged a wonder and innate love for his surroundings. This has been carried through to his career as an artist.