john ward (1938)
John Ward is a British artist and ceramist.
John Ward is a British artist and ceramist.
John Ward is a British artist and ceramist.
John Singleton Copley was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. After becoming well-established as a portrait painter of the wealthy in colonial New England, he moved to London in 1774, never returning to America. In London, he met considerable success as a portraitist for the next two decades, and also painted a number of large history paintings, which were innovative in their readiness to depict modern subjects and modern dress. His later years were less successful, and he died heavily in debt.
Paul Gauguin, a French artist born in Paris in 1848, is renowned for his significant contributions to Post-Impressionism, Primitivism, and Synthetism. Gauguin's art is distinguished by his experimental use of color and style, which set him apart from the traditional Impressionist movement.
Gauguin's early life was marked by a period in Peru, which influenced his artistic perspective. Initially, he pursued a career in stockbroking but soon turned to art, driven by financial necessity and a growing passion. His artistic journey began under the mentorship of Impressionist artist Camille Pissarro and through exposure to the works of other avant-garde artists.
The hallmark of Gauguin's work is his exploration of non-Western cultures, particularly during his time in Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands. This period saw the creation of some of his most famous works, including "Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?" His paintings from this era, characterized by vivid colors and Symbolist themes, reflect a fusion of cultural influences and his quest for a "primitive" expression of spiritual and emotional states.
Despite his innovative style, Gauguin struggled with financial difficulties and health issues throughout his life. His work received little recognition during his lifetime, but posthumously, he gained acclaim for influencing modern artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.
Today, Gauguin's works are celebrated in galleries and museums worldwide for their unique blend of cultural influences and artistic innovation. His enduring legacy is a testament to his unique vision and the profound impact he had on the art world.
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John Christopher Wood was an English painter.
William Shakespeare was a British poet and playwright and writer.
William's father, John Shakespeare, was a merchant and official in Stratford. There are reports that he was a sailor for a time before joining a theater company in London. Beginning in the 1590s, Shakespeare began writing plays, and in 1593 he published a poem, Venus and Adonis, which became popular. He dedicated it to the Duke of Southampton, who was a philanthropist and patron of talent, and soon his business was booming.
From 1592 to 1600 Shakespeare wrote his dramas and romantic comedies "Richard III", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Romeo and Juliet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Merchant of Venice", as well as the comedies "Much Ado About Nothing", "Twelfth Night" and the tragedy "Julius Caesar". The playwright's business was so successful that he even bought a large house in Stratford. In 1599, Shakespeare became one of the owners, playwright and actor of the new theater "Globe". In 1603 King James took Shakespeare's troupe under his direct patronage. In the mature period, the great playwright turned to tragedies, there were "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear", "Macbeth" and others.
Although in the 19th century researchers had some doubts about the authorship of many of these works, William Shakespeare is considered the greatest English playwright, one of the best playwrights in the world. His plays have been translated into all major languages and to this day form the basis of the world theatrical repertoire, most of them have been screened many times. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Shakespeare remains the world's best-selling playwright, and his plays and poems have sold more than 4 billion copies in the nearly 400 years since his death.
Lucian Michael Freud was a British painter and draughtsman, specialising in figurative art, and is known as one of the foremost 20th-century English portraitists. He was born in Berlin, the son of Jewish architect Ernst L. Freud and the grandson of Sigmund Freud. Freud got his first name "Lucian" from his mother in memory of the ancient writer Lucian of Samosata. His family moved to England in 1933 to escape the rise of Nazism. From 1942 to 1943 he attended Goldsmiths College, London. He served at sea with the British Merchant Navy during the Second World War.
George Gershwin, born Jacob Gershwin, is an American composer and pianist.
George's parents emigrated from Russia to the United States in 1891, and he was about 12 years old at the piano, becoming virtually self-taught. Gershwin published his first song in 1916, but it was Swanee, written by a 20-year-old Gershwin in 1918, that made him famous. The income he received for it allowed Gershwin to concentrate on musical theater. In the 1920s, however, George, along with his older brother Ira, were major songwriters and hit songwriters on Broadway. The lyrics for all of Gershwin's films were written by Ira Gershwin, as were the lyrics for most of his musicals, although early in his career Gershwin worked with other lyric writers, including Irving Caesar and Buddy De Silva.
The Gershwin brothers' first Broadway hit was the song Lady Be Good in 1924. In his songs, Broadway shows, and movie scores, composer George Gershwin achieved unprecedented success with his masterful mastery of jazz, classical, and popular music styles. These include "Rhapsody in Blue" in 1924, "Concerto in F" in 1925, "An American in Paris" in 1928, and "Second Rhapsody" in 1931. Between 1919 and 1935. Gershwin wrote music for 31 musicals, one of which - Of Thee I Sing - in 1932 became the first musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Dramaturgy. Gershwin's songs have also been used in numerous films and award-winning musicals over the years.
The opera Porgy and Bess, co-written with Dubose, Dorothy Hayward, and Ira Gershwin, was the Gershwin brothers' most ambitious project, combining memorable songs with drama. It was first performed in Boston in 1935 and was made into a movie in 1959.
In 1937, at the age of only 39, the brilliant composer died of a brain tumor. George Gershwin was at the height of his career, leaving a significant and lasting mark on the world of classical music. Today, his orchestral works are performed by most of the world's prestigious symphony orchestras. Ira Gershwin, who was two years older, lived 46 years after George's death.
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics. Relativity and quantum mechanics are together the two pillars of modern physics. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from relativity theory, has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". His work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect", a pivotal step in the development of quantum theory. His intellectual achievements and originality resulted in "Einstein" becoming synonymous with "genius".
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix was a French Romantic artist, celebrated for revolutionizing the art world with his expressive brushstrokes and masterful use of color. Delacroix's art is characterized by its emotional intensity, vibrant colors, and dramatic themes, often drawing inspiration from historical, literary, and exotic sources. His innovative techniques and passion for expressive content made him a pivotal figure in the transition from the Neoclassical to the Romantic movement, influencing both the Impressionist and Symbolist movements that followed.
Delacroix's fascination with the exotic and the sublime led him to North Africa in 1832, where he captured the spirit and colors of Moroccan life, influencing his later works with themes of orientalism. This trip inspired masterpieces such as "Women of Algiers in their Apartment" (1847-1849), showcasing his ability to blend vivid color with intricate detail to evoke a sense of place and culture. His masterpiece, "Liberty Leading the People" (1830), is emblematic of his political engagement and artistic audacity, capturing the spirit of the 1830 revolution with a realism and fervor that resonated with the public and critics alike.
Delacroix's legacy extends beyond his paintings. As a muralist and lithographer, he left a significant mark on public and private art collections, with works displayed in prestigious institutions like the Louvre. His impact on the art world is seen in his influence on subsequent generations of artists, from the Impressionists' exploration of color and light to the Symbolists' fascination with dreamlike and exotic themes.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Delacroix represents not only a high point in Romantic art but also a bridge to modern artistic expressions. His works, housed in museums around the world, continue to inspire and captivate audiences with their intensity and beauty.
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