KIRILL VIKENTIEVICH LEMOKA  1841-1910

From 1851 to 1856, Lemoka studied at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture under Yegor Yakovlevich Vasiliev. In 1856, he entered the Imperial Academy of Arts, where he studied history painting with Pyotr Basin and Alexey Tarasovich Markov Seven years later, in 1863, he participated in what came to be known as the "Revolt of the Fourteen", a protest by those who preferred the Realistic style over the Classical style being promoted by the Academy. As a result, he withdrew from the Academy with the degree of Artist Second-Class. He joined the Artel of Artists, led by Ivan Kramskoi. Five years later, he entered an Academy competition and became an Artist FirstClass. From that point on, he earned his living by giving drawing lessons to aristocratic families. He accepted an invitation to give private drawing lessons to the children of future Tsar Alexander III and continued to do so for many years. He became a member of the Academy in 1893, received a life pension and became a curator for the art collection at the Russian Museum until his retirement in 1909.



HENRY RAEBURN  1756-1823

Sir Henry Raeburn was born in 1756 and was a Scottish portrait painter. He served as portrait painter to King George IV in Scotland. Raeburn was elected a member of the Royal Academy in London in 1815, he was knighted by King George IV and given the post of His Majesty’s Limner in Scotland. He was guided by leading portrait artist David Martin. He went to London and met Sir Joshua Reynolds who advised him to study in Italy which he did for two years. He returned to Edinburgh in 1787 and set up a studio. His reputation spread beyond Edinburgh. Raeburn is considered the founder of the Scottish School of Painting.



GUSTAVE COURBET  1819-1877

Gustave Courbet’s paintings are among the most powerful and controversial of the 19th century. Courbet was born in the remote town of Ornans in France. He moved to Paris at the age of 20 and struggled for years to gain recognition as an artist. His chance came after the 1848 revolution where he was hailed as a leader of the new Realist school. His larger than life personality was almost as startling as his art. He gained acclaim as well as notoriety until his involvement in the revolutionary commune of 1871 led to his exile. He died in Switzerland aged 58.



EUGENIO ZAMPIGHI  1859-1944

Biography Eugenio Zampighni was an Italian painter who painted mainly genre subjects. At the young age of 13 he entered the local academy of design eventually becoming one of the most decorated students. When he was 20 years old he won a scholarship and spent 3 years in Rome. In 1884 he settled in Florence, he had begun to paint genre works that eventually placed him with the leading artists of Italy. As an artist he worked on a commission basis refusing to participate in official showings so much of his work entered private collections in England, America and Australia. He was awarded the degree of Professor by the Academy in Modena.



STANHOPE A. FORBES  1857-1947

Stanhope Forbes was born in Dublin in 1857. He travelled to Paris to study under Bonnat and went to Brittany in 1881. In 1884 he went to Cornwall and became one of the central figures of the Newlyn School. Forbes represents three figures; an elderly woman weighing potatoes; a pretty girl ladling milk for a child symbolizing the three stages of a woman’s life.



RICHARD THOMAS MOYNAN  1856-1906

Irish born artist Richard Thomas Moynan was born in 1856. He studied medicine but then attended the Metropolitan School of Art between 1883 to 1885. He training at Antwerp Academy where he won 1st prize in painting from life. In 1882 he won RHA silver and bronze medals. Sadly, he would give way to the abuse of alcohol consumption which wrecked his career and health. Today his most sought after pictures depict the innocence of 19th Century domestic life, through the activities of children e.g. Tug of War. He died in 1906.



GEORGE MORLAND  1763-1804

George Morland was an English painter born in 1763 in London. His best composition focus on rustic scenes, farms/hunting, smugglers, gypsies, rice textured landscapes, informed by the “Dutch Golden” age of paintings. He died in 1804.



PETER LELY  1618-1680

Peter Lely was a Dutchman born in Germany. He spent most of his working life in England. He lived through the Civil War and is inseparably linked with the restoration of the court of Charles II and it is through his eyes that we see it. One of his works “The Cotton Family – 1660) with the richness of colour that marks the work of his finest period. In the painting, The Cotton’s daughter, Jane who is bringing flowers to her mother, there is a feeling of simplicity and tenderness. Lely was knighted shortly before his death in 1680.



JUDITH LEYSTER  1609-1660

Leyster specialized in genre paintings in the 17th century. She came under the influence of Hals and was one of the most talented genre painters of the 17th century. She is the first recorded female artist to be admitted to the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. She was the only contemporary painter who attempted to emulate his impressionistic technique.



PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR  1841-1919

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (commonly known as Auguste Renoir) was born in 1841 in Limoges, France. In 1919, Renoir visited the Louvre to see his paintings hanging with those of the Old Masters. Before he enrolled in Art School he also painted hangings for overseas missionaries and decorations on fans. His first success at the Salon was in 1868 with his painting “Lise with a Parasol” 1867 and hangs in a museum in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. In later life he suffered from painful arthritis in his hands and needed assistance to place the brush into his hand. In December 1919 he suffered a heart attack and died aged 78 years old.



FRANS HALS  1582-1666

Frans Hals was born in Antwerp, although his family settled in Haarlem in the Netherlands. The first documented reference to Hals occurs in 1610 becoming a member of the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke. The 1630s were Hal’s most successful years. By then he was in constant demand both for single portraits and family groups. He was commissioned to paint 3 large militia pieces. Hals success continued until the end of his life but most of his life he lived in poverty. His most recognisable portraits are “The Laughing Cavalier” 1624 and the “Boy with a Flute” 1623. Hals died in 1666 at 84 years of age.



JULES BRETON  1827-1906

Known as one of the first “peasant painters”, Breton created beautiful scenes of rural French life. He painted peasant women and men performing their daily activities. Reward and Official decorations were heaped upon him, his paintings were purchased not only by the Emperor but also by collectors in America, Britain & Ireland. However, Breton’s work became eclipsed by the avant-garde movements of the 20th Century and he was eventually forgotten.