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Jeffrey Lynn Koons is an American artist recognized for his work dealing with popular culture and his sculptures depicting everyday objects, including balloon animals produced in stainless steel with mirror-finish surfaces. He lives and works in both New York City and his hometown of York, Pennsylvania. His works have sold for substantial sums, including at least two record auction prices for a work by a living artist: US$58.4 million for Balloon Dog (Orange) in 2013 and US$91.1 million for Rabbit in 2019.
Critics are sharply divided in their views of Koons. Some view his work as pioneering and of major art-historical importance. Others dismiss his work as kitsch, crass, and based on cynical self-merchandising. Koons has stated that there are no hidden meanings and critiques in his works.
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, a Dutch Baroque painter and printmaker, was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, Netherlands, and died on October 4, 1669, in Amsterdam. He is celebrated as one of the greatest storytellers in art history, acclaimed for his adept portrayal of human emotions and dramatic narratives. Rembrandt's extensive oeuvre includes portraits, self-portraits, landscapes, genre scenes, allegorical, historical, and biblical themes, as well as animal studies. His artistry shined during the Dutch Golden Age, a period marked by cultural and scientific achievements in the Netherlands.
Rembrandt's education in art began around the age of 10 when he left the Latin School in Leiden to train as an artist. He apprenticed with artists like Jacob van Swanenburg and Pieter Lastman, mastering various aspects of painting. He opened his own studio in Leiden around 1624 or 1625, sharing it with his colleague Jan Lievens. By 1631, he had moved to Amsterdam, where he achieved significant success and trained many important Dutch painters.
Among Rembrandt's notable works are "The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp" (1632), "The Night Watch" (1642), and "The Syndics of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild" (1662). He was also renowned for his self-portraits, creating around 80 over his lifetime, more than any other artist until the 20th century. These self-portraits were not just artistic endeavors but also experiments with facial expressions and lighting effects. Additionally, Rembrandt was a master etcher, transforming etching from a reproductive technique into an art form.
Rembrandt's painting style is characterized by its dramatic use of light and shadow, known as chiaroscuro. His ability to depict materials realistically was unparalleled; his portrayal of metals and fabrics was so lifelike that they appeared to glow and be tangible. He was also known for his impasto technique, applying paint thickly to the canvas, adding a three-dimensional quality to his works.
Despite his artistic prowess, Rembrandt faced financial difficulties and personal tragedies throughout his life. He declared bankruptcy in 1656, a downfall attributed partly to his extensive collection of art objects and curiosities. His masterpieces, however, continued to garner appreciation and influence generations of artists that followed.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Rembrandt's works represent a pinnacle of artistic achievement in the Dutch Golden Age. His mastery in portraying the human condition and his innovative techniques in painting and etching make his works highly prized and influential in the art world.
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Canaletto, born Giovanni Antonio Canal, was an illustrious Italian painter celebrated for his masterful cityscapes, particularly of Venice and London. Emerging as a topographical painter after 1719, Canaletto became renowned for his detailed and atmospheric views, known as vedute, which captured the essence of Venice and London with a unique blend of accuracy and artistic embellishment. Despite using a camera obscura to achieve precision in his architectural details, Canaletto often infused his paintings with creative adjustments to enhance their appeal.
His early works, such as "The Stonemason's Yard," are particularly prized for their vivid portrayal of Venice's daily life and architectural beauty. Canaletto's paintings were highly sought after by English aristocrats during their Grand Tours, leading him to spend a significant period in England, where he continued to produce esteemed works capturing the English landscape and urban scenes.
Despite his international success, Canaletto's work was less appreciated in his native Venice during his lifetime, only gaining broader recognition and appreciation in later years. His legacy, however, has had a lasting impact on landscape painting, influencing future generations of artists.
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Caspar Netscher was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age of Dutch painting, known for his portraits. Netscher chose subjects from the life of the Dutch elegant and wealthy class; he painted many small portraits - mostly of women; some of them historical. After spending some time in Paris, he painted several persons belonging to the court of Louis XIV. In addition to the above-mentioned usual subjects, he depicted sometimes historical and biblical scenes.
Caspar Netscher's paintings were kept in many art galleries: in the Louvre, Amsterdam, Florence, in several private collections in England and in many other places. In the Hermitage at the beginning of the 20th century there were six of his paintings, including a portrait of the artist himself and a portrait of Mary Stuart, painted in 1683; today only two works have survived.
Jean Philippe Arthur Dubuffet, a pioneering French painter and sculptor, revolutionized the post-war art scene with his radical Matterism movement. He defied the conventional aesthetics of his time, championing "low art" and propelling a more genuine, humanistic image-making approach.
Dubuffet, born in Le Havre, France, in 1901, was a prominent figure at the Ecole de Paris and an advocate for Art Brut, or "raw art", which sought to capture art's purest form. His works were characterized by a rough, unrefined aesthetic, which eschewed academic norms in favor of spontaneity and authenticity.
Art enthusiasts and experts can view Dubuffet's innovative works at institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, where his legacy as a groundbreaking artist continues to be celebrated. His Matterism philosophy has left an indelible mark on the art world, inspiring generations of artists to embrace the beauty in the unconventional.
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Charles Dickens, full name Charles John Huffam Dickens, is the most famous British writer of the Victorian era, a classic of world literature.
From childhood the future writer learned all the hardships of life in poverty: his father in prison for debts, hard work in a factory. Then service stenographer in court and reporter developed in him a strong attachment to journalism and contempt for both the law and parliament.
Dickens had many talents: in addition to literary work, he was an actor, published periodicals, arranged numerous literary readings, where he reveled in the admiration and love of the public. Fecund and versatile, Charles Dickens wrote many brilliant and often comic works. His novels cover a wide range of social, moral, emotional and other aspects. As a subtle psychologist, he is also very interested in the most ordinary people, but also the eccentric, the flawed, and even the insane.
Dickens was immensely popular around the world during his lifetime. His intellect, worldview, and deep reflections on society and its faults enriched his novels and made him one of the great figures of nineteenth-century literature, an influential spokesman for the conscience of his time.
Dickens' best-known and most popular novels are The Pickwick Club Posthumous Notes, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, Cold House, A Tale of Two Cities, Our Mutual Friend, Great Expectations, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
James Madison was an American politician and statesman, the fourth President of the United States (1809-1817).
Madison attended Princeton and studied history, government, and law. He participated in the drafting of the Virginia Constitution in 1776, and in 1780 was chosen to represent Virginia in the Continental Congress (1780-83 and 1786-88). James Madison contributed greatly to the ratification of the Constitution, writing, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, The Federalist (1788). He was later called the "father of the Constitution."
In 1792, Madison and Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) founded the Democratic-Republican Party, which has been called America's first opposition political party. When Jefferson became the third president of the United States, Madison served as his secretary of state. In Congress, he was involved in drafting the Bill of Rights and passing the first revenue legislation. As Secretary of State to President Jefferson (1801-1809), Madison protested to warring France and Great Britain that their seizure of American ships was contrary to international law.
Madison was elected president in 1808, succeeding Jefferson. Continued British interference in shipping, as well as other grievances, led to the War of 1812. During Madison's second term as president, the war was still ongoing, and he and his wife were even forced to flee in the face of advancing British troops who set Washington, D.C. on fire. Despite this, in 1815, the United States declared its victory in the war.
After the end of his second term, Madison remained active in public affairs. He edited his Journal of the Constitutional Convention, was co-chairman of the Virginia Constitutional Convention from 1829-1830, and chancellor of the University of Virginia from 1826-36. He was also Monroe's foreign policy advisor. Although Madison was a slave owner all his life, in the last years of his life he was active in the American Colonization Society, whose mission was to resettle slaves in Africa. James Madison died at the age of 85 in 1836.
John Jay was an American lawyer and diplomat, statesman, and one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Jay came from French Huguenots, after graduating from King's College (now Columbia University) he entered law school and was admitted to the bar in 1768. After the outbreak of hostilities in the spring of 1775, Jay continued to serve both in New York and in the Continental Congress, which elected him president in late 1778.
In the fall of 1779 he was appointed minister plenipotentiary to Spain, which had recently entered into an alliance with France against England. In May 1782 he traveled to Paris, where a treaty was concluded that formally ended the war with Great Britain in 1783. Before returning to America in July 1784, Jay was appointed secretary of foreign affairs.
In 1788, Jay actively advocated for the ratification of the U.S. Constitution by the state of New York. Together with future President James Madison and economist Alexander Hamilton, he participated in the creation of the famous book The Federalist (1788). Under the new Constitution, President Washington appointed John Jay Chief Justice of the United States in 1789, and in July 1795 he became Governor of New York. After completing his second term as governor in June 1801. Jay retired to his farm in Bedford, New York.
William Glackens was an American painter, illustrator, and journalist, one of the leading artists of American impressionism. In his youth he worked for a newspaper where he was an illustrator. Glackens later moved to New York City, where he worked as an artist and illustrator for the New York Herald and Philadelphia Press magazines and newspapers.
In the early twentieth century Glackens became known for his vivid and energetic paintings reflecting life in the city, theater productions, cafes, and parks. He was one of the founders of the Association of American Artists and was involved in the organization of the famous Armory Show in New York in 1913, which was an important event in American art history. In 1912 Gluckens met the French impressionist Pierre Auguste Renoir, who greatly influenced his style.
Gluckens was also inspired by the work of European artists Edouard Manet, Jean-Louis Forain and Gustave Caybotte. Gluckens left behind a rich legacy of vibrant, emotional works that to this day remain among the most significant in American art history.
John Quincy Adams was an American politician and statesman, the sixth President of the United States (March 4, 1825 - March 4, 1829).
John Quincy Adams was the son of John Adams, the second President of the United States, and, of course, public service was his destiny. As a child, in 1778 he traveled to France with his father, who was then U.S. Commissioner to France. At the age of 14, Adams became personal secretary to Francis Dana, the U.S. Minister to Russia, serving as his father's secretary as well during the negotiation of the Treaty of Paris (1783). In 1787, the twenty-year-old Adams graduated from Harvard University and, after studying law, began practicing in Boston.
In addition to numerous diplomatic appointments, Quincy Adams served as a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1803 to 1808. President James Madison appointed Adams U.S. minister to Russia in 1809, and Adams served until 1814. And under President James Monroe, he served as Secretary of State from 1817 to 1825 and is considered one of the best Secretaries of State in U.S. history.
John Quincy Adams won the 1824 presidential election in a four-way race against Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson. As president, Adams supported a program to modernize the U.S. economy. But his popularity declined because of his approach to Native Americans, whom he supported against the demands of settlers from the west.
After losing the 1828 presidential election to Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams was elected to the House of Representatives, where he served as a representative from Massachusetts for the next 17 years. In the House of Representatives, Adams became one of the most vocal opponents of slavery. He consistently defended abolitionist views and policies, denouncing slavery as an immoral institution and attacking the interests of Southern slaveholders. During the U.S.-Mexican War of 1848, Adams was a leading opponent of the annexation of Texas, farsightedly predicting that it would lead to civil war.
After suffering two strokes, Adams died on February 23, 1848, at the age of 80. Had fate not predestined him to pursue politics, John Quincy Adams would have become a famous poet. He spent his life composing poems in various genres. After his death, many of his poems were collected and published in Poems on Religion and Society (1848).
