portrait by photo
Willem van Mieris is a Dutch portrait painter who painted historical and genre scenes. He worked in the tradition of the Leiden art school founded by Gerard Dou.
Willem van Mieris became a member of Leiden's Guild of Artists of St. Luke's in 1683, after studying at his father's studio. In 1687, 1698, 1704 and 1708, he was the administrator of the Guild, and in 1699 he was elected its president.
In 1694, van Meeris, together with the painters Jacob Toorenvliet and Carel de Moor, founded the Leidse Tekenacademie, which existed in Leiden until 1736. Around this time Willem van Mieris became blind and stopped painting.
Arnulf Rainer is an Austrian artist who painted in the genre of informal abstract art.
From his early works the artist was inspired by the ideas of Surrealism. He also created works of art where he applied paint over photographs and works of other artists.
In the 1950s, Rainer painted a series of blindfold paintings in the technique of Surrealist automatism. In 1978 he received the Austrian Grand National Prize. Rainer has exhibited in New York, London, Vienna, Paris, Berlin and Munich. His works are in the collections of the Albertina, the Pompidou Center, the Stedelijk Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art.