Firmin Girard (1838-1921) Academic painter

Marie-François Firmin-Girard, known as Firmin-Girard, was a painter of history, religious subjects, genre scenes, portraits, landscapes, still lifes and flowers.

Firmin-Girard entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts at the tender age of 16 before continuing his studies at Gleyre’s atelier.

He made his debut at the Paris Salon at the age of 21 where his choice of exhibits showed him to be a talented young man, however as yet to find a defining style.

John Pitre, 1942 | Visinoary / Surrealist painter

Educated in the fine arts at the prestigious Art Students League in New York City, John Pitre, evolved to become a master of Fantasy and Surrealism🎨. Pitre has been a significant influence in the art world for over thirty years, and carries the distinction of being one of the most widely published artists in modern history.

Andrei Belichenko / Maria Boohtiyarova | Figurative painters

Andrei Belichenko / Андрей Беличенко and Maria Boohtiyarova / Мария Бахтиярова are two contemporary Russian artists, known for working in the Figurative style.

Andrei Belichenko (Karaganda, Kazakhstan, 1974) is a graduate of the Republican Art School in 1990, and after school - the Academy of Arts. Andrei studied in the Graphic Department of the Academy of Arts.

Henri Biva | Naturalist painter

Henri Biva (1848-1928) was a French artist, known for his landscape paintings and still lifes.

He focused primarily on the western suburbs of Paris, painting outdoors in the plein-air tradition; his style ranging between Post-Impressionism and Realism with a strong Naturalist component.

Sir Thomas Lawrence | Romantic painter

Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830) was the leading British portrait painter of the early 19th century, portraying most of the important personalities of the day in his polished and flattering style.

He was a child prodigy and largely self-taught; at the age of 10 he was making accomplished portraits in crayon.

He was influenced by Sir Joshua Reynolds during his youth; his style developed very little throughout his life.

Paul Peel | Academic painter

Paul Peel (1860-1892) was a Canadian academic painter. Having won a medal at the 1890 Paris Salon, he became one of the first Canadian artists to receive international recognition in his lifetime.

Peel was born in London, Ontario, and received his art training from his father from a young age.

Later he studied under William Lees Judson and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under Thomas Eakins.

Gustave Loiseau | Post-impressionist painter

Gustave Loiseau was born in Paris, 3rd October 1865; he was to become one of the foremost of Post-Impressionist painters. Following his military service and having worked for the family firm, Loiseau visited Pont Aven in 1890, where he worked under the tutelage of Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), following the latter’s return from his first visit to Tahiti.

Although taught by Gauguin, Loiseau was a disciple of Claude Monet (1840-1926), adopting a Post-Impressionist style that owed a significant debt to Monet, seen clearly in his views along the Seine, his portrayals of the cliffs at Dieppe and Étretat and the towns and landscapes of the Dordogne Valley.

In 1893 Loiseau first exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Indépendants and in 1895 at the Salon Nationale.

Dirk Smorenberg (1883-1960) | Art Déco painter

Dirk Smorenberg is considered as one of the few Dutch Art Déco🎨 painters.

Smorenberg was born in Alkmaar, North Holland. He started painting in 1906 on a professional base.

He travelled to St. Ives as an artist/painter in the beginning of the World War I.

He also worked in Switzerland not far from Montreux and in 1910-1911 in the USA.