PAUL CEZANNE (French, 1839-1906)

Paul Cézanne was a French Post-Impressionist painter known for bridging the gap between Impressionism and Cubism. His work laid the foundation for modern art, influencing artists like Picasso and Matisse. Cézanne is famous for his still life, landscapes, and portraits, often characterised by bold colours, thick brushstrokes, and a focus on geometric forms. Cézanne’s approach to form and structure revolutionised painting, leading to new ways of representing depth and perspective.

MARC CHAGALL (Russian-French, 1887-1985)

Marc Chagall was a Russian-French artist known for his dreamlike, whimsical paintings that blended folklore, fantasy, and modernist styles. Influenced by Cubism, Fauvism, and Symbolism, his work often featured floating figures, animals, and vibrant colours, reflecting themes of love, Jewish heritage, and nostalgia for his hometown, Vitebsk. He worked across various mediums, including painting, stained glass, and murals. Chagall lived through both World Wars and left a lasting mark on 20th-century art before passing away in 1985 at 97.

SALVADOR DALI (Spanish, 1904-1989)

Salvador Dalí was a Spanish surrealist artist known for his dreamlike, bizarre imagery and technical precision. His most famous work, The Persistence of Memory (with its melting clocks), epitomises his exploration of the subconscious, time, and reality. Influenced by Freud and the Surrealist movement, Dalí also worked in film, sculpture, and fashion. His eccentric personality and self-promotion made him both famous and controversial. Though expelled from Surrealism for his political views, he remained a major figure in modern art until his death in 1989.

EDGAR DEGAS (French, 1834-1917)

Edgar Degas was a French artist known for his paintings, sculptures, and prints, particularly his depictions of ballet dancers. A key figure in Impressionism, he preferred to call himself a Realist, focusing on movement, composition, and light rather than outdoor scenes. His works also captured horse races, theatre, and everyday Parisian life. Though celebrated, he was known for his difficult personality and misogynistic views. Degas gradually lost his eyesight later in life but continued working until his death in 1917.

RAOUL DUFY (French, 1877-1953)

Raoul Dufy was a French painter and designer known for his bright, decorative style that captured the energy of cityscapes, regattas, and social events. Influenced by Fauvism, his works used bold colours and loose brushwork to create a sense of movement and joy. He also worked in textiles, ceramics, and book illustrations. Though sometimes criticised as overly decorative, his art remains celebrated for its lightness and vibrancy. Dufy continued creating until his death in 1953.

PAUL GAUGUIN (French, 1848-1903)

Paul Gauguin was a French Post-Impressionist painter known for bold colours, expressive forms, and a primitivist style. Influencing Fauvism and Expressionism, he broke from Western conventions, using flat planes, strong outlines, and symbolic themes. A former stockbroker, he turned to painting in the 1880s, later seeking a spiritual approach. Disillusioned with Europe, he moved to Tahiti in 1891, creating idealised works blending reality and myth. Despite artistic success, he struggled financially and faced criticism for his Tahitian relationships. He died in 1903, leaving a lasting impact on modern art, inspiring Picasso and Matisse.

WINSLOW HOMER (American, 1836-1910)

Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836, Winslow Homer’s artistic career began as a printmaker in the 1850s. In the 1870s, Homer turned to painting, as he depicted idyllic images nostalgic of the past. In 1873, he began to experiment seriously with watercolour, a medium in which he would become perhaps the greatest American master. His lush watercolours portray heroic fishermen, majestic seascapes, tropical settings, and mountain wilderness. Perhaps one of the most original American painters of his time, Winslow Homer and his work draw an admiring crowd to the Museum’s American Paintings galleries every year.

EDWARD HOPPER (American, 1882-1967)

Having studied painting in New York, young Edward Hopper spent several years in Europe before focusing on a realist style based upon everyday life in America. His works depict wistful images of lonely figures, and vacant urban and seashore scenes that evoke a sense of melancholy. Countered by contrasting areas of light and warmth, however, these works reveal a delicate balance, placing the viewer at a calm and tranquil stance.

WASSILY KANDINSKY (Russian, 1866-1944)

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist, widely regarded as a pioneer of abstract art. Influenced by music, spirituality, and colour theory, he believed art should evoke emotions rather than depict reality. His early works were Expressionist, but he later developed purely abstract compositions. A key member of Der Blaue Reiter and later the Bauhaus school, Kandinsky’s ideas shaped modern art. He continued innovating until his death in 1944.

PAUL KLEE (Swiss-German, 1879-1940)

Paul Klee was a Swiss-German artist known for his imaginative, abstract works that blended colour, symbolism, and musical influences. Inspired by movements like Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism, his style was highly personal, often featuring playful shapes, symbols, and dreamlike compositions .A Bauhaus teacher, he deeply influenced modern art theory. Despite Nazi persecution of his work, he continued creating until his death in 1940.

GUSTAV KLIMT (Austrian, 1862-1918)

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian symbolist painter and a key figure in the Vienna Secession movement. He is best known for his ornate, decorative style, often featuring gold leaf, intricate patterns, and sensual themes. His most famous works include The Kiss (1907–1908) and Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907), both showcasing his signature golden aesthetic. Klimt’s art often explored themes of love, eroticism, and femininity, drawing inspiration from Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints, and Art Nouveau. His “Golden Phase” produced some of his most celebrated works, characterized by lavish use of gold and silver.

AUGUST MACKE (German, 1887-1914)

August Macke was a German Expressionist painter and a key member of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group. His work blended bright colours, bold shapes, and a sense of harmony, influenced by Fauvism, Cubism, and Impressionism. Macke often painted everyday scenes, focusing on light, movement, and modern life. His career was cut short when he died in World War I at just 27 in 1914, but his vibrant style left a lasting impact on modern art.

FRANZ MARC (German, 1880-1916)

Franz Marc was a German painter and one of the key figures in the Expressionist movement, particularly associated with the Blue Rider group (Der Blaue Reiter), which he co-founded with Wassily Kandinsky in 1911. Marc is best known for his vivid, colourful depictions of animals, which he often used as symbols of spirituality and purity. He believed that animals, being untouched by human civilization, embodied a deeper, more primal connection to nature. His work often employed bold colours and abstract forms to convey emotional and symbolic meanings. His animals are portrayed in bright, unnatural colours to evoke intense emotional responses. Marc’s career was tragically cut short when he was killed in World War I at the age of 36, but his legacy in modern art remains significant.

HENRI MATISSE (French, 1869-1954)

Henri Matisse was a French artist known for his bold use of colour and fluid forms, making him a leading figure in Fauvism. His work emphasised expression through vibrant, simplified shapes. Later in life, he pioneered cut-out collage techniques, creating masterpieces like The Blue Nude. Though often compared to Picasso, Matisse’s style focused more on harmony and joy. He remained influential until his death in 1954.

JOAN MIRO (Catalan Spanish, 1893-1983)

Joan Miró was a Spanish artist known for his surreal, playful, and abstract works that blended dreamlike imagery with bold colours and organic shapes. Influenced by Surrealism, he developed a unique style combining symbols, lines, and biomorphic forms. He also worked in sculpture, ceramics, and murals. Miró sought to break traditional artistic conventions, inspiring later modern and abstract art. He remained active until his death in 1983.

CLAUDE MONET (French, 1840-1926)

It was not until the 1890s that fin de siècle France began to praise the work of Parisian-born Claude Monet. Along with Renoir, Degas, Pissarro, and other like-minded artists who focused their work on the softening effects of sunlight, Monet had struggled to establish Impressionism, which slowly emerged as an avantgarde movement in the 1860s. Throughout his works, Monet depicts the subtle hues and gradations of colour with complete mastery. Our prints and posters represent a sampling of the extraordinary body of work Monet completed during his lifetime, works that the MFA proudly houses in its European Paintings collection.

EDVARD MUNCH (Norwegian, 1863-1944)

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian painter and printmaker, best known for The Scream, an iconic work expressing anxiety and existential dread. Influenced by Symbolism and early Expressionism, his art explored themes of love, death, and human emotion, often using bold colours and dramatic compositions. His troubled childhood and personal struggles with mental health deeply shaped his work. Munch’s style had a lasting impact on modern art, and he continued creating until his death in 1944.

PABLO PICASSO (Spanish, 1881-1973)

Pablo Picasso was a Spanish artist and one of the most influential figures in 20th-century art. A co-founder of Cubism, he revolutionised modern painting. Constantly reinventing his style, he moved through periods like the Blue, Rose, and Surrealist phases. Though a visionary, he was also controversial for his exploitative relationships with women and domineering personality. Picasso was a prolific sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist, shaping modern art until his death in 1973 at 91.

PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (French, 1841-1919)

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, a founder of Impressionism, was born in Limoges to working-class parents. His education began at a free Catholic school in Paris, and at age 15, he began an apprenticeship with a porcelain painter. In 1862, he gained admission to the École des Beaux-Arts, where he studied with and met many of his influential contemporaries, including Monet, Pissarro, and Cézanne. Renoir’s contribution to the Impressionist movement includes bright depictions of flowers and copious bouquets, a favourite subject of visitors who frequent paintings galleries every year at springtime.

EGON SCHIELE (Austrian, 1890-1918)

Egon Schiele was an Austrian Expressionist painter and draftsman known for his raw, intense, and often provocative figurative works. He was a protégé of Gustav Klimt and became famous for his distorted, angular portraits and nudes, which conveyed deep emotion and psychological tension. His style featured exaggerated body proportions, sharp lines, and bold use of colour. Schiele’s career was cut short when he died at the age of 28 during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Despite his short life, he left a lasting impact on modern art, influencing later movements like Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism.

JOHN SINGER SARGENT (American, 1856-1925)

Born and educated in Europe, John Singer Sargent was an American who never resided in the United States. A loyal American abroad, this “expatriate Impressionist” achieved early recognition in the international arena, as his prodigious talent brought fame and fortune in juried exhibitions. His glamorous portraits of high society may be considered by some as defining works, however, Sargent’s use of a complex assimilation of various techniques show his gifted mastery of landscapes and the subtle abstractions of light.

ALFRED SISLEY (French, 1839-1899)

Alfred Sisley was a French Impressionist painter known for his serene and atmospheric landscapes. Born to British parents in France, he focused almost exclusively on capturing natural scenes with soft, vibrant colours and delicate brushwork. Unlike Monet or Renoir, he rarely painted people, emphasizing light, sky, and water instead. Though often overshadowed by his peers, his works are now highly regarded. He struggled financially throughout his life and died in 1899.

HENRI de TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (French, 1864-1901)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter and printmaker known for capturing Parisian nightlife, especially Montmartre’s cabarets and dance halls. His bold, expressive style blended Impressionism and Japanese influences. A genetic disorder left him with short legs, shaping both his perspective and work. Despite struggles with alcoholism, he was highly prolific, creating iconic posters for venues like the Moulin Rouge. He died at 36 in 1901, leaving a lasting impact on art.

VINCENT VAN GOGH (Dutch, 1853-1890)

A genius to some and a madman to others, Vincent van Gogh spent the final year of his life in Auvers-sur-Oise, a small village northwest of Paris. There, he painted feverishly to complete Houses at Auvers, which he worked on from a street near the home of his physician. This work was completed shortly before his death in 1890, when, tormented by mental illness, van Gogh shot himself at the age of thirty-seven. In his short life, van Gogh developed an inimitable style which created a lasting impact on twentieth century art.