Ousmane Sow | The Auguste Rodin of Senegal

Ousmane Sow, Sculptor of Larger-Than-Life Figures, Dies at 81

By William Grimesdec. 1, 2016 © The New York Times, December 2, 2016

Ousmane Sow, often called the Auguste Rodin* of Senegal, who earned an international reputation for his expressive sculptures of the Nuba, Masai and other African peoples, died on Thursday in Dakar, Senegal. He was 81.

Mr. Sow (pronounced So) spent much of his life as a physical therapist but in his 50s became a full-time sculptor.

Claude Monet | Nymphéas / Water Lilies

Water Lilies / Nymphéas is a series of approximately 250 oil paintings by French Impressionist Claude Monet (1840-1926).

The paintings depict Monet's flower garden at his home in Giverny, and were the main focus of Monet's artistic production during the last thirty years of his life.

Many of the works were painted while Monet suffered from cataracts.

La Mano del Desierto / The Hand of the Desert, 1992

The "Mano de Desierto", or "Hand of the Desert", or "Mano del Desierto" is a large-scale sculpture of a hand located in the Atacama Desert in Chile, 75 km to the south of the city of Antofagasta, on the Panamerican Highway. The nearest point of reference is the "Ciudad Empresarial La Negra", La Negra Business City.

The sculpture was constructed by the Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal* at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level. Irarrázabal used the human figure to express emotions like injustice loneliness, sorrow and torture.

Its exaggerated size of is said to emphasize human vulnerability and helplessness. The work has a base of iron and cement, and stands 11 metres (36 ft) tall.

Funded by Corporación Pro Antofagasta, a local booster organization, the sculpture was inaugurated on March 28, 1992.

Winslow Homer | The Poet of the Sea

American painter Winslow Homer (1836-1910) is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in american art.

Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator.

He subsequently took up oil painting and produced major studio works characterized by the weight and density he exploited from the medium.

He also worked extensively in watercolor, creating a fluid and prolific oeuvre, primarily chronicling his working vacations.

Some major artists create popular stereotypes that last for decades; others never reach into popular culture at all.

Jimmy Law, 1970 | Abstract portrait painter

Jimmy Law is a self-taught artist and painter of expressive portraits and resides in Cape Town, South Africa.

'- I was born in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State on 26 September 1970. I matriculated in 1989.

In 1990 I enrolled to study a three year Graphic Design Diploma course at the Technicon of the Orange Free State.

After my studies I was conscripted for National Service in the South African National Defence Force for one year'.

George Bodine | Figurative / Cityscape painter

George Bodine paints landscapes, cityscapes and people.

Recently, he has been travelling extensively in Europe, and his paintings reflect his unique vision here and abroad.

He paints almost exclusively in oils, many of which are from small, niche manufacturers.

George often hand stretches Belgian linen sized with rabbit-skin glue and primed with white lead, techniques dating from the 16th. century.

Dmitri Spiros, 1971 | Impressionist painter

Dmitri Spiros is a Russian contemporary Impressionist artist. Dmitri comes from a family with Greek roots.

From ancient times onward there has formed a small Greek population in the Southern part of Russia on the shores of the Black Sea.

Spiros was born in Tashkent, in one of the former USSR republics, and lived there until 1998.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir | Bal du moulin de la Galette, 1876

Author: Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)
Title: Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette
Date: 1876
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: H. 131; W. 175 cm
Current location: © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Jean-Gilles Berizzi

Bal du moulin de la Galette [Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette] is doubtless Renoir's* most important work of the mid 1870's and was shown at the Impressionist* exhibition in 1877.