Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898) English
Beardsley died at the age of 25 from tuberculosis; he had 6 years of concerted art work and was primarily an illustrator and writer. He was friends with Oscar Wilde and illustrated his play Salome in 1893. Beardsley was the most controversial artist of the Art Nouveau period but that had as much to do with his personal life as it did with his art. He scandalized much of London and Paris with his dark erotica.

Beardsley: pillow

Front: Cover for Smithers Catalogue of Rare Books

Cover for Smithers Catalogue of Rare Books: Leonard Smithers was Beardsley's publisher and often used his illustrations for promotions. This particular illustration shows a young woman reading a book on a dramatically drafted striped settee. He makes much use of the large negative space balancing it with the exotic cockatoo on the far right.
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Vincent Van Gogh: (1853-1890) Dutch
Van Gogh was born to a religious and cultured family but was always a highly emotional child. His early work is typically dark and somber in color and subject. While in Paris he met Gauguin and Monet and began painting in the Impressionist style. He suffered from epilepsy and fits of madness finally going to an asylum for treatment. In 1890, 2 months after being released, he shot himself "...for the good of all." During his life he sold one painting. His work work is characterized by bold color, swirling masses, an almost frenzied application of paint. The true, mad genius left us a legacy rarely matched by anyone.

Van Gogh: pillow
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Front: "Almond Blossoms" 1890

Almond Blossoms: 1890. One of his last works painted for the birth of his brother's son. Each stroke is imapassioned, with great movement of line, with a strong Japanese print influence. This is one of his best known paintings and held in high regard by his family. In one of his letters he wrote "...I started right away to make a picture for Theo's son to hang in his bedroom, big branches of white almond blossoms against a blue sky." This painting was a statement of hope and renewed life.
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Van Gogh: pillow
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Front: 12 Sunflowers

12 Sunflowers: In a letter to his sister-in-law "....I feel the desire to renew myself and to try to apologize for the fact that my pictures are after all almost a cry of anguish, although in the rustic sunflowers they symbolize gratitude." Van Gogh painted numerous pictures of sunflowers, all very similar, as if he were trying to capture the very soul of this common flower. The series is one beloved by multitudes and, after Starry Night, are the most popular of his works.
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Jan Vermeer (1632-1675) Dutch
Verneer lived and worked in Delft his entire life with only 35 paintings attributed to him. He is known best for his brilliant use of light and the effects it creates in his portraits. He is certainly the master of Dutch baroque. He specialized in domestic interior scenes of daily life. Little is known of his personal life except that he married and left his wife and eleven children in debt upon his death at 43.

Jan Vermeer: pillow
private collection

Front:“The Girl with the Pearl Earing” 1665

Girl with the Pearl Earring: Known as the Mona Lisa of the North. This is an intensely intimate portrait, the young girl looking at us over her shoulder for almost 350 years. No one knows who she was although many speculate it was his eldest daughter, Maria. She is dressed in an exotic costume and much has been made of the elaborate turban she wears. Vermeer painted 11 female subjects all wearing pearls which he painted with weight, substance and an unbelievable quality of light, in a few deft strokes.
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