Edvard Munch | Summer Day, 1908

Munch began working on "Summer Day" in 1903, as part of a major commission by Dr Max Linde, for his children’s nursery room at their family home at Lübeck.

Linde (1862-1940) was an ophthalmologist and one of Munch’s devoted patrons. The artist first met Linde in 1902, and later that year was commissioned to produce graphic work for the Linde Portfolio of etchings of his house and garden and the members of his family.

In 1903 Linde published a book Edvard Munch und die Kunst der Zukunft and, alongside Gustav Schiefler, was to become the artist’s main supporter in Germany.

Edvard Munch | Summer Day or Embrace on the Beach (The Linde Frieze) 1908

Frida Kahlo | Non ti chiedo di darmi un bacio..

I'm not asking you to kiss me,

nor apologize to me when I think you're wrong.

I won't even ask you to hug me when I need it most.

I don't ask you to tell me how beautiful I am,

even if it's a lie, nor write me anything beautiful.

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

Dante Alighieri | Ladies that have intelligence in love / Donne ch’avete intelletto d’amore..

Ladies that have intelligence in love,

⁠Of mine own lady I would speak with you;

⁠Not that I hope to count her praises through,

⁠But telling what I may, to ease my mind.

And I declare that when I speak thereof,

Love sheds such perfect sweetness over me

That if my courage failed not, certainly

⁠To him my listeners must be all resign'd.

Henry Holiday | Dante meets Beatrice a Ponte Santa Trinita, 1883 | Walker Art Gallery Liverpool

Paolo and Francesca | Dante Alighieri ~ Inferno, Canto V

Divina Commedia | Inferno| Canto quinto

Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona,

mi prese del costui piacer sì forte,

che, come vedi, ancor non m’abbandona.

Amor condusse noi ad una morte.

Caina attende chi a vita ci spense".

Queste parole da lor ci fuor porte.

Quand’io intesi quell’anime offense,

china’ il viso, e tanto il tenni basso,

fin che ’l poeta mi disse: "Che pense?".

Auguste Rodin | The Kiss (Paolo and Francesca) detail | Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen

Douglas Kirkland, 1934 | Hollywood's photographer

Douglas Kirkland is a Canadian photographer based in the United States.

Douglas Kirkland is the legendary photographer who captured Hollywood elite.

Kirkland has been the cutting edge of fashion, photojournalism and portraiture, working for the world’s most reputable magazines for more than 50 years.

As a young photographer in 1961 he was assigned to shoot Marilyn Monroe during several hours in a closed studio one night, captured a stunning portfolio of alluring and intimate images that survive to this day as a testament to her beauty and vulnerability.

Douglas Kirkland | Marilyn Monroe, 1961

David Gray, 1970 | Classical Realist painter

David's Gray signature style reveals a personal and contemporary expression of beauty and order which pays homage to the Classical Tradition in its craftsmanship. Collectors of David's work often relate that his painting provoke a sense of peace, stillness, or a contemplative mood.

His award winning works have been covered by major art publications including Southwest Art, Art of the West, and American Art Collector.

David also teaches several workshops per year in portraiture and still life painting throughout the United States and abroad.

In addition to his well known signature style, David is also currently exploring a more contemporary sensibility in recent works. Keep an eye out for more new paintings to be released in this exciting, organic style.

Edoardo Ettore Forti | Neo-Pompeian painter

Edoardo Ettore Forti (1850-1940) was an Italian painter, active late 19th century - early 20th century.

was an Italian painter, who was prolific in depicting realistic Neo-Pompeian scenes of Ancient Roman life and events. These subjects were popular in the late-Victorian period, as exemplified by the popularity of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

He concentrated on ancient Roman subjects, which were rarely based on actual historical events.

Eugeniusz Żak / Post-Impressionist painter

Eugeniusz Żak (1884-1926), also known as Eugène Zak and Eugene Zak, was a Polish artist, born to a family of Polish Jews in Minsk, Belarus.

As a boy he moved to Warsaw, where he graduated from a non-classical secondary school.

In 1902, he left for Paris to undertake studies, first at the École des Beaux-Arts in the studio of the aged master of academism Jean-Léon Gerôme, and then at Académie Colarossi in the studio of Albert Besnard.

In 1903, he traveled to Italy and toward the end of the year to Munich, where he entered a private school run by the Slovenian Anton Ažbé. His fame grew rapidly.