David Teniers the Younger | Baroque painter

Biography from: Museo del Prado

Teniers the Younger, David (Antwerp, 1610 - Brussels, 1690) was born into a family of artists and his father, David Teniers "the Elder", was his first master; indeed, he is referred to by scholars as "David Teniers II".

He joined the Guild of St Luke in 1633 and began to sign and date his paintings that same year.

During the early stage of his career his genre paintings were inspired by Brouwer and his landscapes display the influence of Momper and Bril.

Max Nonnenbruch (1857-1922) | Symbolist painter

Max Nonnenbruch was a German painter from the Munich School, a group mostly known for their Neoclassicism and Symbolism scenes.

From 1875, he studied for two years at the Academy of Arts in Düsseldorf, then in 1877 at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Munich.

He also attended the Fine Arts School and the Académie Julian in Paris. In 1880, the artist made several trips to Paris and Italy with his friends painters Hans Olde and Claus Meyer.

Max Nonnenbruch was very involved in Munich's artistic life. He was president of the Munich Association for Artists Support and a member of the General German Art Cooperative. He was also secretary of the exhibition committee at the 1892 International Art Exhibition at the Munich Glass Palace.

In the 1890s, the artist travelled several times to England and France.

Léon de Smet (1881-1966) Pointillist painter

Léon de Smet was a Flemish painter🎨 and the younger brother of painter Gustave de Smet (1877-1943), also a renowned painter.

He was born in Ghent, Belgium and received his artistic training at the Royal Academy of Art.

Together with his brother, he belonged to the so-called "Sint-Martens-Latem painters", a group of artists who were active around the area of the same name.

Lyubena Fox / Любена Фокс, 1994 | Classical painter

Bulgarian painter Lyubena Fox / Любена Фокс is born in Sofia. In 2013 she graduates from the Bulgarian National School of Fine Arts, specializing in Illustration.

The same year she starts her studies with John M.Angel, moving to Florence, Italy and in 2016 graduates from the Angel Academy Florence.

Right after, she has a study session with Alessandro Dari.

Vladimir Kush, 1965 | Flamenco Dancer

Dance is an ecstatic state that changes the dancers, igniting their passion and, one and all, placing them on fire in the flame of love.

The metamorphosis of people into plants or vice versa was widely used in the mythopoetic ideas of the ancients.

"It is only the gods who taste of death," remarked Oscar Wilde, "Apollo has passed away, but Hyacinth, whom men say he slew, lives on. Nero and Narcissus are always with us".

Edward Okun | Symbolist / Art Nouveau painter

Edward Okuń (1872-1945) was a Polish Art Nouveau painter and freemason.

He painted landscapes, portraits, designed covers and llustrated magazines, including the German magazine "Jugend".

Biography

Okuń was born to a noble family and was orphaned early. He grew up with his grandparents on the maternal side.

After inheriting a large fortune, he soon began drawing lessons with great painters. In 1891 he studied at the Warsaw School of Drawing.

From 1891-1893 he studied under the direction of Isidore Jablonski and Jan Matejko at the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts.

He continued his studies in Munich and Paris.

Lydia Velasco, 1942 | Figurative painter

Lydia Velasco was born in the town of Navotas, Philippines. Velasco’s love for the arts is an innate calling she traces back to her childhood.

She pursued Fine Arts major in advertising at University of Santo Tomas and then worked for many years as an artist for an advertising agency wherein her art directors turned out to be H.R. Ocampo and Cesar Legazpi, who are both national artists now.

Velasco is regarded as one of the top women artists in the Philippines today.

Johann Jakob Frey (1813-1865) | Paysages painter

Johann Jakob Frey, a Swiss landscape painter, a native of Basle, studied principally in Italy, and his views of that country are much valued.

He was first taught by his father, the painter and lithographer Samuel Frey (1785-1836). He later studied in Paris (1830) and in Munich (1834), the most vibrant artistic centre in Germany.

After travelling in Italy and Egypt, he settled in Rome where he specialised in landscape painting.

From Egypt, whither he accompanied Professor Lepsius, he brought many excellent sketches of the Pyramids, Labyrinths, ecc.