Adolf von Becker | Something for the Cat, 1882

Adolf von Becker (1831-1909) was a Finnish genre painter and art professor of German descent, one of the first Finnish artists to study in Paris, who taught many of the young artists of the Golden Age of Finnish Art.

Becker was born in Helsinki, where he began his artistic studies at the newly founded Finnish Art Society Drawing School; he also studied law.

In 1853, he completed his law degree and became a trainee at the Court of Appeals in Turku.

Adolf von Becker | Something for the Cat, 1882 | Paris Salon, 1882 | Finnish National Gallery

Tomaso Albinoni | Oboe concerto in D minor op. 9

"Oboe Concerto in D minor" has long been regarded as one of the finest concertos composed for the instrument.

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (1671-1751) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era.

His output includes operas, concertos, sonatas for one to six instruments, sinfonias, and solo cantatas.

While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is known today for his instrumental music, especially his concertos.

Samuel Scott | London, a view of the Thames and Old Westminster Bridge looking towards Westminster Abbey

Vincenzo Migliaro | Mercato del pesce a Porta Capuana, 1893

Vincenzo Migliaro (1858-1938) was an Italian painter born in Naples.

After learning the art of wood carving at courses held by the Società Centrale Operaia Napoletana and working in the studio of Stanislao Lista, Migliaro enrolled in 1875 at the Naples Institute of Fine Arts, where his masters included Domenico Morelli.

Eugenia Gapchinska, 1974 | Lisa and her Dreams

Evgeniya Hennadiyivna Haptschynska, internationally known as Eugenia Gapchinska / Євгенія Гапчинська, was born on November 15, 1974 in Kharkiv.

She is the fifth child in the family. At the age of five, she went to school.

At the age of 13, she became a student at Kharkiv Art College.

Graduate of the Institute of Industrial Arts in Kharkiv, Eugenia Gapchinska is doing her internship at the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg (Germany).

Hugues Merle | The Forgotten, 1850

Hugues Merle (1822–1881) has long been associated with his friend and possible rival, William Bouguereau (1825-1905).

Merle was just two years older than Bouguereau, and their thematic and artistic concerns and meticulous degree of finish resulted in comparison from critics and collectors alike.

Merle began exhibiting at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1847 and went on to become to teacher of Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau, Bouguereau's wife and a talented painter in her own right.

Hugues Merle | The Forgotten, 1850 | Sotheby's

Francesco Lojacono | Marina palermitana

Francesco Lojacono (Palermo, 1838-1915) è stato un pittore Italiano, considerato il più importante paesaggista dell'Ottocento siciliano.

Fu tra i primi pittori ad utilizzare la fotografia come riferimento per realizzare le sue opere.

Lojacono fu iniziato alla pittura dal padre Luigi, pittore a sua volta. Fu poi allievo di Salvatore Lo Forte.

Nel 1856, a 18 anni, si trasferì a Napoli, dove affinò le sue doti frequentando diversi pittori viaggiatori e soprattutto entrando nella scuola dei fratelli Giuseppe e Filippo Palizzi.

Carlotta Edwards | Le Cygne

Carlotta Edwards (1894-1977) era figlia dell'artista Francese Ferdinand Pourrier.

Studiò alla St. John's Wood Art School e si specializzò in soggetti di danza classica, assistendo alle prove per realizzare schizzi per i suoi dipinti.

Espose alla Royal Society of Portrait Painters ed al Salon di Parigi.

Le sue scene di balletto un tempo adornavano le camere da letto di bambine (e grandi) in tutta l'Inghilterra ma erano molto popolari in Australia e Nuova Zelanda.