John George Brown | Genre painter

From Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum:

John George Brown (November 11, 1831 – February 8, 1913), the son of an impoverished lawyer, was born near Durham, England.

At fourteen he began a seven-year apprenticeship as a glass-cutter in Newcastle-on-Tyne, studying at night from 1849-1852 with William Bell Scott at the School of Design.

From 1852-53 he worked at the Holyrood Glass Works, Edinburgh, studying evenings at the Trustees Academy with Robert Scott Lauder.

Niccolò Paganini: "La felicità non esiste ma la si canta!"

▻ "The violin is my mistress, but the guitar is my master".

▻ "Paganini non ripete!"

▻ "Paganini does not repeat!"

▻ "My secret, if I can call it secret, will indicate the violinists the way to penetrate the instrument much better than what has been done until now and it can demonstrate them, that violin is much more full of opportunities than what is commonly believed.

This discovery is not due to chance, but it is due to a deep study and applying it will no longer be necessary to practice four or five hours a day, it will remove the current scholar method, which studies to make the instrument difficult instead of teaching it".

Barney Seale | A head of Niccolo Paganini, 1782-1840

Meredith Marsone, 1977 | Abstracted Love

Meredith Marsone's (formerly Collins) paintings and drawings explore questions of heritage and identity.

At times there is a tension in her works that reference her Pakeha and Māori heritage, ta moko or floral designs delicately adorn faces of her subjects. Heritage as well as the continuity of one's lineage are depicted in Meredith's works which often feature her with her daughters.

Crystal Ardern, curator Waikato Museum, describes Meredith's work as "Striking, captivating, and beautiful paintings - yet hinting at something more, something uneasy even. She has explored intimate, sometimes painful issues through paint and canvas, but she has been able to veil her work enough so that she is not completely exposed".

William Logsdail | Genre painter

William Logsdail (1859-1944) was a prolific British landscape, portrait and genre painter of large scale metropolitan scenes, particularly London landmarks.

He exhibited at the Royal Academy, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Grosvenor Gallery, the New Gallery (London), and others.

He is notable for his realistic London and Venice scenes and his plein air style.

Daniel Maclise (1806-1870) | History painter

Daniel Maclise was born to a family of Scottish descent. After a brief period working in a bank, Maclise’s passion for drawing led him to pursue a career in art which he studied at the Cork Society of Arts.

His lifelong interest in antiquities began through his acquaintance with the antiquarian Richard Sainthill and folklorist Thomas Crofton Croker.

Maclise copied from their collections, and they secured commissions for the young artist from their circle of wealthy and influential friends.

Kríton Athanasoúlis | Brano dal mio Testamento/Απόσπασμα από την διαθήκη μου

Herodotus | The father of History

Non voglio che tu sia lo zimbello del mondo.

Ti lascio il sole che lasciò mio padre a me.

Le stelle brilleranno uguali ed uguali ti indurranno

le notti a dolce sonno.

Il mare t'empirà di sogni. Ti lascio

il mio sorriso amareggiato: fanne scialo

ma non tradirmi. Il mondo è povero

oggi. S'è tanto insanguinato questo mondo

ed è rimasto povero. Diventa ricco

tu guadagnando l'amore del mondo.

Mike Savad | Digital painter

"I was born in Texas, in an army base. I've always had a camera in my hand, mostly to keep me busy. It wasn't until about 20 years ago or so, when I got my first digital camera that I could experiment and learn how to do photography".

"Photo realistic is what people think of first. There are many themes, flowers, porches, and local Suburban Scenes, some city, some urban. I also have many Job inspired images that cover a quite a range. My art is inspired by Norman Rockwell 1894-1978🎨 and paintings from the time of the Renaissance🎨".

Michael Fitzpatrick | Figurative painter

Californian artist Michael Fitzpatrick started his art career in the mid sixties by attending Art Center College of Design in L.A. After graduating he went to work for D’Arcy, McManus, Masius Advertising in New York as an art director.

Next he moved back to the coast where he started and ran his own ad agency: Fitzpatrick and Walker adv. Drawing and design were always a large part of Michael’s daily activity.