Philippe Augé, 1935 | Surrealist painter

With unusually high praise from the modern master, George Braque, the young French artist Philippe Augé embarked on a painting career which, since the 1950’s has catapulted him into a meaningful position in the contemporary art arena.

Braque’s assessment represents the quintessence of all the qualities associated with Augé’s work today.

Recognized primarily for his delicately balanced figures and lush still lifes, his paintings vibrate with a gamut of rich color which recalls instantly the panoply of Renaissance painting.

Salvador Dalì ~ Toreador allucinogeno

Bronze and brass 82 x 12 x 12 inches, c. 1971-75; published c. 1989

Ancient Petra | Hellenistic architecture

Petra is known primarily for its Hellenistic architecture.

The facades of the tombs in Petra are commonly rendered in Hellenistic style, reflecting the number of diverse cultures which the Nabataens traded, all of which were in turn influenced by Greek culture.

Most of these tombs contain small burials niches carved into the stone.

Perhaps the best example of the Hellenistic style is seen in the Treasury, which is 24 meters (79 ft) wide and 37 meters (121 ft) tall and references the architecture of Alexandria.

Angel of Grief /L'Angelo del dolore, 1894

William Wetmore Story [1819-1895] was an American sculptor, art critic, poet and editor. Angel of Grief is an 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story which serves as the grave stone of the artist and his wife at the Protestant Cemetery, Rome.

A replica located in Palo Alto, California was made in 1901 to honor Henry Lathrop, brother to Jane Stanford, Stanford University co-founder, but was severely damaged in the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, leading to its replacement in 1908. After years of neglect, the 1908 replacement was fully restored in 2001. This style of monument is also referred to as "Weeping Angel".

Jake Baddeley, 1964 | Magic Realism painter

Baddeley combines a masterful technique with provocative imagery in which he invites the viewer into a strange and magical world of his own.

Artist Statement: "All is proportion. I am sitting, a cup of tea, some good music, a brush in hand and i am gone.

There is nothing better: I forget where I am, who I am, and all sense of time.

As Picasso once said: "I leave my body outside the studio." Or something like that...

I am working on a picture of a lady on a mechanical horse.