Ippolito Caffi | Carnival night in via del Corso in Rome, 1845-1847

The origins of carnival date back to the Roman Saturnalia, festivities and Religious ancient Rome characterized by public amusements, orgiastic rites, sacrifices, dances and the presence of masks.

The Roman Carnival has however its maximum explosion, in the Middle Ages, after the election of Pope Paul II, who, after the transfer of the papal residence at Palazzo Venezia, concentrated in the historic center and particularly in Via Lata (now the Via del Corso), most of the carnival festivities.

The main form of the Roman carnival was Rugantino, but there were also various Norcini, Aquilani and Meo Patacca and General Damn.

Fausto Zonaro | Orientalist painter

Italian painter Fausto Zonaro (18 September 1854 - 19 July 1929) painted portraits, landscapes and historical paintings, best known for his Realist style paintings of life and history of the Ottoman Empire.

It is claimed that:

"Zonaro was one of those who made a major contribution to the development of western style art in Turkey".

He was a prolific artist who created hundreds of works, most of which are of the Ottoman Empire. An exhibition of his work in Florence in 1977 "received wide acclaim in the art world".

Armand Point | Symbolist painter | Drawing

Armand Point🎨 was a French🎨 Symbolist painter, engraver and designer.

Point's earliest works were orientalist scenes of markets and musicians and the street life of his youth in Algeria. In 1888 he travelled to Paris where he studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Auguste Herst and Fernand Cormon.

He was linked to Numa Gillet. From 1890 he exhibited at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.

Gurbuz Dogan Eksioglu, 1954 | Surrealist painter

Gürbüz Doğan Ekşioğlu was born in Mesudiye in Ordu Province, Turkey. He studied graphics at the State College of Fine Arts in İstanbul named Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts today, where he is still teaching as an assistant professor.

He has been drawing cartoons since 1977 and holds a total of 64 awards, 23 of which are international.

Louis Valtat | Fauve painter

Louis Valtat (1869-1952) was born in Dieppe. He studied at le Lycée Hoche in Versailles where his parents lived. In 1886, when he was 17 years old, he applied for admission at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and completed his training at the Académie Julian where he made friends with Albert André and Pierre Bonnard.

In 1890, he won the Jauvin d’Attainville prize; he then set up his workshop at rue de La Glacière in Paris.

In 1893, he took part in the Salon des Artistes Indépendants for the first time. His paintings covered one main theme: the life in the neighbouring streets such as “Sur le boulevard” which Félix Fénéon duly noted.