William-Adolphe Bouguereau | Pietà, 1876

Upon its exhibition at the Paris Salon of 1876, William Bouguereau's monumental Pietà received unanimous praise from critics for its sincere emotion and poignant devotion (Doucet, Les peintres français, Paris, n.d., p. 164).

More than a century later, the painting remains one of the most moving interpretations of, not only the Life of Christ, but of man's personal tragedy as well.

The immediate inspiration for Pietà came not from Bouguereau's devout Christianity, but from the painful loss of his eldest son Georges who died on July 19, 1875 at the age of sixteen.

After spending several months overwhelmed by grief, Bouguereau sought to lift his spirits by fully immersing himself in his art.

Helen McNicoll | Impressionist painter

Helen Galloway McNicoll (1879-1915) was a Canadian impressionist painter. She was one of the most notable female artists in Canada in the early twentieth century and achieved considerable internal success during her decade-long career.

She played an important role in popularizing Impressionism in Canada at a time when it was still relatively unknown.

McNicoll was born in Toronto to an affluent family. Her parents were David McNicoll and Emily Pashley.

Ulvi Liegi (1858-1939) | Vita ed opere

Ulvi Liegi (Livorno, 1858-1939) anagramma di Luigi Moisé Levi, nasce da una benestante famiglia ebraica a Livorno, dove inizia a formarsi.

Dai primi anni ’80 è a Firenze, frequenta l’Accademia di Belle Arti, ma anche pittori "macchiaioli" come Giovanni Fattori, e dipinge dal vero.

Prosegue la formazione a Parigi (1886) e Londra, qui espone alla I Esposizione Italiana (Londra, 1888) e all’Esposizione Universale di Parigi (1889), ma il suo legame con Livorno si mantiene: nel 1886 è alla Prima esposizione di Belle Arti in Livorno ai Bagni Pancaldi.

Francesco Ciusa | Il pane (Bread), 1907

After the great success at the Venice Art Biennale with the work entitled La madre dell’ucciso🎨 (The mother of the killed), the Sardinian modern sculptor Francesco Ciusa🎨 (Nuoro 1883 - Cagliari 1949), gave birth to a second masterpiece: Il pane (Bread, 1907).

Louis Picard (1861-1940) | The kiss

Louis Picard was a French Symbolist painter of the end of the 19th.

The elder brother of Georges Picard, Louis Picard studied in Paris with Gérôme at the École des Beaux-Arts.

He exhibited in Paris at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1882 and was awarded a commendation in 1887.

He received a silver medal and the Légion d'Honneur during the Exposition Universelle of 1900, and a silver medal in 1890 at the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts.

Claude Fossoux, 1946 | Impressionist painter

Claude Fossoux was born in Paris of a Savoyard father and a Parisian mother. After school, Claude obtained a grant to study at the Ecole Nationale Superieure Des Beaux Arts in Paris where he stayed for four years. During that time, he attended the studio of Chapelin-Midy and Pierre Caron. He was greatly influenced by the Impressionists🎨, particularly Sisley🎨, Pissarro🎨 and Renoir🎨.

Georges Picard | Romance under the blossom tree

Georges Gabriel Picard (1857-1946), dit Georges Picard was a French painter and illustrator.

He studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme and was also the protégé of the artist Albert Besnard.

For many years, he exhibited at the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts and was also its Treasurer.

Picard was commissioned to paint murals for the Casino at Monte Carlo, the French Embassy at Vienna, the Petit-Palais in Paris and most important of all, the Hotel de Ville in Paris.