(born Niko Pirosmanashvili; May 5, 1862-1918) was a Georgian primitivist painter. Pirosmani was born in the Georgian village of Mirzaani to a pleasant family in the Kakheti province. His family owned a small vineyard. He was later orphaned and put in the care of his two elder sisters. He moved with them to Tbilisi in 1870. In 1872 he worked as a servant for wealthy families and learned to read and write Russian and Georgian. In 1876 he returned to Mirzaani and worked as a herdsman. Pirosmani gradually taught himself to paint. One of his specialties was painting directly into black oilcloth. In 1882 he opened a workshop in Tbilisi which was unsuccessful. In 1890 he worked as a railroad conductor, and in 1895 worked creating signboards. In 1893 he co-founded a dairy farm in Tbilisi which he left in 1901. Throughout his life Pirosmani, who was always poor, was willing to take up ordinary jobs including housepainting and whitewashing buildings. Although his paintings had some local popularity (about 200 survive) his relationship with professional artists remained uneasy; making a living was always more important to him than abstract aesthetics.  Related Paintings of Niko Pirosmanashvili :. | A Family of Deer | A Sitting Yellow Lion | A Robber with a Stolen Horse | Shepherd in a Sheepskin Cloak on a Red Background | A Family Celebration |
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Philip Charles Hardwick
English architect , (1822-1892), was a notable English architect of the 19th century who was once described as "a careful and industrious student of mediaeval art". He was born in Westminster and was the son of the architect Philip Hardwick (1792-1870), grandson of Thomas Hardwick (junior) (1752-1825) and great grandson of Thomas Hardwick Senior (1725-1825); the Hardwicks' architectural work spanned over 100 years, making them one of the most successful architectural families in British history. Hardwick's mother was also from an eminent architectural family: the Shaws. His maternal grandfather was John Shaw Senior (1776-1832) and his uncle was John Shaw Jr (1803-1870) - both architects known for their work at Christ's Hospital and at Ramsgate harbour. Philip Charles trained under his father and also in Edward Blore's office during which time he visited Belgium and Germany. Hardwick exhibited regularly at the Royal Academy between 1848 and 1854. Like his father, Philip Charles was employed in the 'Square Mile' of the City of London, where he became the leading architect of grandiose banking offices, mainly in an Italianate manner, setting the pattern for suburban and provincial designs for almost three decades. He designed five City banks, including Drummond's in Trafalgar Square (1879-81), and was architect to the Bank of England from 1855 to 1883. However, he was more employed outside London, designing branch offices at Hull (1856) and Leeds (1862-65). His best known work was the Great Hall of London's Euston railway station (opened on 27 May 1849). The Great Hall was demolished in 1962 to make way for construction of the current Euston Station building. Philip Charles was the last Hardwick Surveyor to St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and was a major benefactor of the hospital.
Charles-Amable Lenoir
(22 October 1860 - 1926) was a French painter. Like his mentor, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, he was an academic painter and painted realistic portraits as well as mythological and religious scenes. His artistic career was so prestigious that he won the Prix de Rome twice and was awarded the Legion d'honneur. Lenoir was born in Châtellaillon, a small town just outside of La Rochelle. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a customs officer. When he was young, his father was reassigned and the family moved to Fouras. He did not start out in life as an artist, but instead began his education at a teachers' college in La Rochelle. Upon graduation, he worked as a teacher and supervisor at the lycee in Rochefort. In August 1883 he was accepted into the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, he also joined the Academie Julian where he was a student of William-Adolphe Bouguereau and Tony Robert-Fleury. Lenoir made his artistic debut at the Salon in 1887 and continued to exhibit there until his death. He was quickly noticed in the art world, and in 1889 won the Second Prix de Rome for his painting, Jesus et le paralytique (Jesus and a Sick Man with Palsy), and he won the First Prix de Rome the following year for Le Reniement de Saint Pierre (The Denial of St. Peter).His awards did not stop with the Prix de Rome; works shown at the Salons also won prizes, and he received a third-class medal in 1892 for Le Grenier a Vingt Ans (The Garret at twenty years) and a second-class medal in 1896 for La Mort de Sappho (The Death of Sappho).
Maud Humphrey
Illustrator-figure . American , 1865-1940