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Bernardino Luini, born in Runo, Lombardy around 1481, remains a significant figure in the 16th-century Lombard school of painting. A key member of the Milanese second Leonardo movement, he, along with Cesare da Sesto and Giampietrino Francesco Melzi, contributed to the essence of this artistic era. Luini's journey into art was accompanied by his marriage to Margherita Lomazzo in 1510. Among their four sons, Giovan Pietro and Aurelio followed their father's footsteps, becoming painters themselves. Influenced profoundly by Raphael's work, Melozzo da Forlì, and Leonardo da Vinci, Luini skillfully blended Leonardo's techniques with his own innovations. His Salome with the Beheading of John the Baptist (Uffizi) draws inspiration from Leonardo's La Scapigliata, while his Holy Family with the Infant John (Prado) echoes Leonardo's lost original sketch of affectionate children.
Luini's artistic journey began with the disputed but noteworthy Madonna with the Child and Two Saints (1507), now exhibited in Paris's Musée Jacquemart-André. One of his remarkable works, Madonna della Buonanotte, can be found in the Chiaravalle Milanese monastery. This painting held a unique purpose – after evening prayers, passing monks would be greeted by the artwork, offering them a peaceful night's rest. In later years, Luini's focus shifted to fresco painting. Notably, his captivating depictions of the Crucifixion in Lugano's Santa Maria degli Angioli church and the small-scale Crucifixion in San Nazario in Dino, a subdivision of Sonvico, are celebrated masterpieces that showcase his skill.
Bernardino Luini's legacy endures as a testament to his mastery of Lombard Renaissance art. His fusion of Leonardo's influence with his own creative brilliance left an indelible mark on the artistic landscape of the 16th century, making him an integral part of the Milanese second Leonardo movement.
Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the surrealist, avant-garde, and Dadaist movements; and one of the most influential figures in early 20th-century art as a whole. The National Observer suggested that, “of the artistic generation whose daring gave birth to Twentieth Century Art, Cocteau came closest to being a Renaissance man.”
George Washington is the first popularly elected president of the United States of America and one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Born into a noble family in colonial Virginia in February 1732, George Washington served as a Virginian officer with British troops during the French-Indian War (1754-1763) from 1754-1758. This was a territorial war fought largely between the colonies of Britain and France that escalated into a worldwide conflict between the two countries. J. Washington was at the center of the conflicts in the disputed Ohio River Valley area.
In June 1775, he was elected commander-in-chief of the Continental forces in the war already for independence from Great Britain. He commanded American troops throughout the war, becoming famous for his perseverance and bravery.
In 1787, J. Washington represented the state of Virginia as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention. This convention created the Constitution of the United States. In 1789, the Electoral College unanimously elected George Washington president, and in 1792 he was re-elected for a second term. Thus George Washington was in office as President of the United States from April 30, 1789 to March 4, 1797.
As head of state, he helped to strengthen the Union, implement the principles of the Constitution and build the capital of the United States. He was engaged in the formation of the central authorities and system of government, created precedents for the institution of presidents, encouraged the development of the economy, maintained friendly relations with Congress. In foreign policy Washington avoided interference in the affairs of European states.
After leaving the post of president, George Washington lived in Mount Vernon Manor.
Jan Erasmus Quellinus was a Flemish painter and draughtsman, one of the last prominent representatives of the Flemish school of historical and portrait painting of the 17th century.
Jan came from a famous family of painters and sculptors, his father, the painter Erasmus Quellinus II (1607-1678), being his first and principal teacher. Later in Italy, he became a member of the Bentvueghels, a group of mainly Dutch and Flemish artists working in Rome. Back in Antwerp, Jan Quellinus received many commissions for churches in the city and throughout Flanders, and he also had many pupils.
Around 1680, Quellinus worked in Vienna at the Habsburg court as court painter to Emperor Leopold I. Among his other important works was a series of fifteen ceiling paintings of events in the life of Charles V. Some of these works are now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.