René Magritte | Le Préméditation, 1943

"Before the war, my paintings expressed anxiety", René Magritte explained, "but the experiences of war have taught me that what matters in art is to express charm.

"I live in a very disagreeable world, and my work is meant as a counter-offensive".

Painted during the final months of 1943, Le Préméditation is one of the earliest in a series known as Le Surréalisme en plein soleil (Surrealism in sunshine), created by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte (1898-1967) during the turbulent years of the Second World War in the hope of re-enchanting daily life.

A radiant bouquet of springtime flowers all improbably sprouting from the same plant, Le Préméditation captures a magnificent vision of optimism and hope.

René Magritte | Premeditation, 1943 | Christie’s

Francesco Hayez | Melancholy, 1841-1842

Melancholy is an oil-on-canvas painting created during 1841-1842 by Francesco Hayez (Italian Romantic painter, 1791-1882).

The painting, measuring 138,6 x 104cm, is part of the collection of the Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan.

The work, executed between 1840 and 1842, is full of erudite references to the Italian and European pictorial tradition: from reflections on the 16th-century painting of the Veneto exemplified by the treatment of the clothing, which echoes the textural effects of Savoldo and Titian, to the citation of Flemish still lifes.

Painted for Marquis Filippo Ala Ponzoni, a patron of the arts, patriot and follower of Giuseppe Mazzini, this picture owed its popularity both to its outstanding quality and to its emblematic value, making it a symbol of the restlessness of Romanticism.

Francesco Hayez (Italian, 1791-1882) | Malinconia, 1841-1842 | Pinacoteca di Brera

Salvatore Quasimodo | Antico inverno / Ancient Winter

Desiderio delle tue mani chiare

nella penombra della fiamma:

sapevano di rovere e di rose;

di morte. Antico inverno.

Alfred Sisley | Snow Effect in Louveciennes, 1874 | Museum Barberini, Potsdam

Antonio Mancini | La lacrima, 1883-1890

Dopo un duro ricovero nel manicomio Provinciale di Napoli nel 1881, Antonio Mancini (1852-1930) trovò ospitalità a Roma, presso gli zii Andrea e Noemi, e durante il suo soggiorno in città può dedicarsi alla pittura utilizzando i nipoti come modelli.

In questa tela si vede infatti Agrippina, con lo sguardo delicato e sofferente e gli occhi lucidi inumiditi dalle lacrime.

Proprio questo dettaglio dà il titolo all’opera, e si dice fosse stato un rimprovero del pittore a far scaturire il pianto.

Antonio Mancini | La lacrima, 1883-1890 (detail) | GAM - Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Milano

Massimo D'Azeglio | A vendetta, 1834-1835

"A Vendetta" is an oil on canvas by Massimo D'Azeglio, created in 1834-1835.

The painting, measuring 179 x 225 cm, is part of the collection of the GAM - Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Milano.

Massimo Taparelli, Marquess of Azeglio (24 October 1798 - 15 January 1866), commonly called Massimo d'Azeglio, was an artist, writer and minister during the Italian Risorgimento.

A vendetta belongs to the historical landscape genre - this refers to landscape paintings drawn "from life" or in a realistic fashion, but populated with figures from history or literature.

Massimo D'Azeglio | Una vendetta, 1834-1835 | GAM - Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Milano

Marco d'Oggiono | Elevazione della Maddalena, 1522-1524

Elevazione della Maddalena was created in 1522-1524 by Marco d'Oggiono (1470-1540), Italian Renaissance painter and a chief pupil of Leonardo da Vinci.

The painting, measuring cm 146x103, is part of the collection of the Pinacoteca Brera, Milano.

The artwork, on a stylistic level is noted for, other than Leonardo’s influences, also the peaceful sweetness of Raphael and the sensuality of Correggio, represents Saint Mary Magdalene elevated to heaven by a multitude of angels.

Marco d'Oggiono | Elevazione della Maddalena, 1522-24 | Pinacoteca Brera, Milano

Claude Monet | Deux femmes en barque, 1887

In 1883, Claude Monet (1840-1926) acquired a property in Giverny, a small village in his native Normandy.

Over the next several decades, the artist transformed the isolated, overgrown grounds that surrounded his new home into a lush private paradise, replete with overflowing flowerbeds, sweeping willow trees, wisteria vines, and an infamous waterlily pond.

This curated gardenscape would ultimately inspire some of the artist’s most infamous works in the second half of his career.

Claude Monet | Deux femmes en barque, 1887 | Christie's