Paul Gauguin | Nature Morte Aux Mangos, 1891-93

The present work was probably executed in Tahiti during Gauguin's first trip to the Island in 1891-93, although Georges Wildenstein suggests that it may date to his second visit to the South Seas, circa 1896.

Inspired by the lush environment that surrounded him, "Nature morte aux mangos" epitomises the artist’s life-long search for the primitive and displays the same vividness and sensuous atmosphere and the bright, warm palette that characterised his celebrated Tahitian landscapes and figure paintings. | © Sotheby's

Paul Delaroche | Academic / History painter

Paul Delaroche (17 July 1797 – 4 November 1856) was a French painter who achieved his greater successes painting historical scenes. He became famous in Europe for his melodramatic depictions that often portrayed subjects from English and French history.

The emotions emphasised in Delaroche's paintings appeal to Romanticism while the detail of his work along with the deglorified portrayal of historic figures follow the trends of Academicism and Neoclassicism.

Delaroche aimed to depict his subjects and history with pragmatic realism.

He did not consider popular ideals and norms in his creations, but rather painted all his subjects in the same light whether they were historical figures like Marie-Antoinette, figures of Christianity, or people of his time like Napoleon Bonaparte.

Delaroche was a leading pupil of Antoine-Jean Gros and later mentored a number of notable artists such as Thomas Couture, Jean-Léon Gérôme and Jean-François Millet.

Paul Delaroche | Joan d'Arc being interrogated, 1824

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 | A beauty of nature, 1900

Guillaume Seignac’s graceful model reflects the Academic ideals that earned his fame in the nineteenth century, and those of his teacher at the Académie Julien, William Bouguereau.

Embracing the classical subject matter and technical mastery of the Renaissance, the nineteenth century production of allegorical scenes of beautiful women in classical dress found critical success at the Paris Salons, and Seignac’s work earned a place in the great private collections of Europe and America.

Guillaume Seignac | A beauty of nature, 1900 | Sotheby's