Great Artists Collection

Renoir was renowned for his works with their vibrant light and color and the harmony of the lines he portrayed within his landscapes, and figure paintings. At the beginning of his prolific career he employed the Impressionist techniques, where detail was denied, and replaced with soft fusions between characters and their surroundings. While he moved away from this style in the middle of his career – known as his Ingres Period, where he concentrated on more definition like the conventional and traditional painters – he returned to the softness of his earlier style toward the end of his life. Renoir was greatly influenced by artists such as Rubens, Titian, Raphael, Eugène Delacroix and his contemporary and friend, Claude Monet (1840-1926). Alongside Monet, he became obsessed with painting en plein air and exploring the subject matter provided by the open countryside toward the late 1860s. He firmly believed that black did not produce a shadow, but that shadows were reflected color of the objects surrounding them.

Gauguin was instrumental in a fundamental move toward a modernism, not seen in art since the Impressionists themselves took shape. He believed in Cézanne's geometric and Bernard's Cloisonnism, but he also believed in himself, his own abilities and the potential he had to become a great artist. Gauguin was unafraid to push the boundaries of art history with a move away from the traditional, into a world of daring, insight and paintings which could be regarded as well before their time. He began his painting career in Europe during the later part of the 19th century at a time when huge industrial technological change was taking place. While some artists reveled in these new developments, Gauguin was less impressed with these technological advances and veered away from what he saw as a "modern" world – however, at the same time, he was embarking on new innovations of his own. Gauguin used an Impressionist style for a time with patches of color applied through large brushstrokes, but he resisted the changing modernized world and chose instead a simpler, less cluttered approach. As cities like Paris grew and developed, Gauguin chose to base himself in the French countryside where a more rural way of life suited his palette and the life he wished to capture through his oils. Later, this search for a more primitive existence would lead him to the South Pacific, and Tahiti, before finally finding himself in the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia. His association, collaboration and friendship with Vincent Van Gogh is probably one of the most important periods of Gauguin's life. It may have been just nine weeks at the Studio of the South – Van Gogh's vision for a group of likeminded artists – and there may have only been two of them, but the time these artists spent together, before they violently quarreled, was to prove invaluable in the history and development of art.

Paul Cézanne was highly revered by not just his contemporaries (although this took some time to materialize), but also the 20th- and 21st-century artists that were to follow him. Perhaps this is because his paintings and great works were universal and easy to interpret, with monumental great landscapes, still life, and portraitures, or perhaps it is because he brought something fresh, exciting, and new. Described as the "Father of Modernism," Cezanne's style and influences changed from his early "darker" palettes to colorful and vibrant pieces, largely owing to his association with fellow artist Camille Pissarro. The paintings from the 1870s developed through Impressionism – still widely regarded as one of the greatest movements in the art world – to his later works into the 20th century, with their foundations firmly and geometrically routed in Cubism. He lived and worked through a time when Impressionism was in its heyday, and he often used these techniques, but he is more often than not considered a Post-Impressionist. He had a firm belief that everything in existence could be formed using cylinders, cones, and spheres – geometrical shapes would play a huge part in his development as a leading artist and would point toward a Cubist movement. It took almost all of the 45 years of Cezanne's career for him to achieve the recognition and acclaimed criticism that he deserved, but it came around 1900, just six years before his death, leaving the French artist with an enduring legacy and a prominent place in art history.

Vincent van Gogh was one of the world's most famous and prolific 19th century painters, yet, only sold one painting in his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, (1888) for 400 Francs. The painting, which sold in Brussels just a few months before van Gogh's death at the age of 37, was to provide the artist with a legacy that would see him become a global inspiration for the future of art. Through sheer commitment, and determination, Van Gogh created an artistic phenomenon that would capture the hearts of millions of art lovers for many generations to come. Van Gogh began working in November 1881 at the age of 28, believing that to become a great artist he needed to master the art of drawing before adding color. He drew and practiced drawing for a year before he evolved as an artist, and over the course of 10 years, he created more than 2,000 works of art including his most popular paintings; Sunflowers, Poppies, The Potato Eaters, Starry Night, Irises, The Bedroom, The Mulberry Tree and Blossoming Almond Tree. Bold color would become synonymous with the paintings of Van Gogh in later works and the painter predicted that the great painter of the future "would know how to use color" and produce works of art like no other. Interestingly, it appears that van Gogh did not think he would be the great influential artist of the future, rather, someone who would encourage and do all he could to ensure that this "painter of the future" would prevail. However, Theo van Gogh was convinced of his brother's legacy as a great painter and believed that his older sibling would one day be rightly acknowledged for his talents. Theo's beliefs were to be proven beyond doubt.

In the latter part of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th century, Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was a forerunner of the Art Nouveau movement in Vienna, Austria. This new movement brought forth one of the most decorative, leading European artists, and greatest exponent of erotic art that the world had ever seen. Klimt began his career as a highly renowned academic painter, but he was propelled toward modern trends in art, which saw a development of the erotic, fantastical and eclectic. This led Klimt to co-found the Vienna Secession of which he became the first president. At the start of his career, the Austrian artist was commissioned to paint a number of public buildings, producing friezes and murals. However, the development of his own style would lead him to scandal, and accusations that his works were distasteful and pornographic in their portrayal of his themes and motifs. Klimt was greatly influenced by Greek, Egyptian and Byzantine art (evidence of which is found in works of his Golden Period or Phase), and he borrowed a number of motifs from these mediums. Klimt is often described as a Symbolist painter while another renowned feature of his works is his treatment of the erotic and his fascination with the female form.

Salvador Dali, the Spanish Surrealist painter was a highly-skilled draughtsman made famous by his striking and bizarre images. His most popular work, The Persistence of Memory, (1931) led him to critical acclaim, however, he was also well-known for his work in sculpture, photography, fashion, film and books. He was an eccentric artist whom was often known for his attention-seeking antics as he was for his work. Besides his 1931 The Persistence of Memory, Dali's other most important and influential works include Face of Mae West, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans – (Premonition of Civil War), Swans Reflecting Elephants, Ballerina in a Death's Head, and The Temptation of St Anthony. The Persistence of Memory is probably one of Dali's most recognizable works, which first introduced the image of soft melting pocket watches and his theory of "softness" and "hardness" which was central to his thinking during his Freudian phase in the early 1930s. Animals also featured widely in Dali's work including the elephant, lobster, and rhinoceros, which he believed symbolized the Virgin Mary. Dali found his favored muse and lifelong companion, Gala, early in his life. She was to be an inspiration in many of his works and was instrumental in bringing Dali the worldwide recognition he deserved, both during his lifetime and into the 21st century. Besides his 1931 The Persistence of Memory, Dali's other most important and influential works include Face of Mae West, Soft Construction with Boiled Beans – (Premonition of Civil War), Swans Reflecting Elephants, Ballerina in a Death's Head, and The Temptation of St Anthony. The Persistence of Memory is probably one of Dali's most recognizable works, which first introduced the image of soft melting pocket watches and his theory of "softness" and "hardness" which was central to his thinking during his Freudian phase in the early 1930s. Animals also featured widely in Dali's work including the elephant, lobster, and rhinoceros, which he believed symbolized the Virgin Mary. Dali found his favored muse and lifelong companion, Gala, early in his life. She was to be an inspiration in many of his works and was instrumental in bringing Dali the worldwide recognition he deserved, both during his lifetime and into the 21st century.

Monet is familiar to millions of people the world over. His works are much loved and admired so it's almost inconceivable to imagine that at the time he produced his first works, Monet enraged critics and the public alike.At times, the light Monet achieved in his paintings was almost the subject itself. The light enhanced the works and gave Monet's paintings a photographic quality, despite the "impression" of the subject of the piece. It was these impressions – rather than the subjects or themes – that established Monet as a revolutionary artist. Monet was the founder of the Impressionist movement and worked across more than six decades, to the point of obsession, to produce one of the largest volumes of oeuvres the world had ever seen. The Impressionists were keen to eliminate the color black from their palettes and encouraged this practice at every opportunity. It brought about a new color theory, which emphasized the presence of color, within shadows, and they worked to the rule that there was no black in nature, and therefore, it should not be included in their paintings. Monet is widely regarded as the forerunner of French Impressionism.