Title of the week

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is one of the few painters whose works have left such a huge mark on the 20^th-century art. Underestimated and unknown to many during his lifetime, he became famous and appreciated only after his premature death.

Eugène Delacroix is the epitome of romantic painting. He created paintings commenting on the key contemporary political and religious events and showing historical scenes, of which the most famous one is “Liberty Leading the People” with the personification of Marianne, one of the French national symbols.

A life full of passion, poverty, substance and alcohol abuse, society scandals, pre-mature death of the artist, and the tragedy of his partner were juicy bits for literature and cinema. The life of Amadeo Modigliani has been the subject matter of several more-or-less faithful biographies, novels, and films.

Paul Gauguin (1848–1903) – one of the top ten best-selling painters at auctions lived to the fullest, although not always comfortably. A collection of the sudden turns of his career could inspire more than one adventure books. 

Diego Velázquez is one of the most outstanding 17^th-century portraitists. Appointed the court painter of King Philip IV, he presented in his paintings members of the large Spanish royal family. 

Rembrandt jest powszechnie uważany za jednego z najwybitniejszych artystów w dziejach sztuki. W malarstwie poruszał tematykę biblijną, mitologiczną, jednak szczególnym zamiłowaniem darzył portrety, które oprócz cech fizycznych w wyjątkowy sposób odzwierciedlały stan duszy portretowanych. 

Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) is one of the few painters whose works have left such a huge mark on the 20^th-century art. Underestimated and unknown to many during his lifetime, he became famous and appreciated only after his premature death.

Dante Rossetti is one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who modelled their art on the art of the early Italian renaissance. Rossetti reflected the Brotherhood’s principles to perfection in his magnificent paintings The Beloved and The Day Dream. The artist’s work is characterised by admiration for female beauty, which was manifested to the fullest once he met his first model and wife-to-be, Elisabeth Siddal.

Rafael Santi, along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, is one of the main representatives of the Italian Renaissance. He was an extremely talented artist. Already as a child, he learned to paint, first under his father’s eye, then Pietro Perugino’s, whose style he followed at the beginning of his own career. 

Paul Cézanne is often referred to as the father of all painters due to his modern take on art and his works that combined impressionism with cubism. He was particularly fond of the nature and topics of portraits, still lifes, and landscapes. 

Edvard Munch is one of the most famous artists, and his painting “The Scream” is an iconic work recognised all over the world. As a child, the artist lost his mother, and soon also his sister.