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Early 20th century Woman Profile Portrait in a Red Dress.

Early 20th century

A Rare 17th-Century Portrait of John Calvin This small interesting portrait, of John Calvin (1509–1564) offers a rare glimpse into the enduring legacy of the French-Swiss reformer. P...

Eurasian woodcock wading in a Stream by Thure Wallner, Signed Th. Wallner, oil on panel. This charming small painting by Thure Wallner depicts an Eurasian woodcock wading in the flowing waters of a stream or brook. The bird is depicted navigating the shallow current in front of a large moss-covered stone, adding a sense of natural depth and tranquility to the composition. The soft, earthy tones and the movement of the water contribute to the atmospheric quality of the scene. Thure Vilhelm Wallner (1888–1965) was a Swedish painter and illustrator known for his meticulous depictions of Nordic wildlife and landscapes. He developed an early passion for drawing and painting, receiving private lessons from Artur Bianchini. Around 1910, he furthered his studies at Althins school of painting in Stockholm. Wallner suffered from poor health throughout his life, which led to isolation from other children. To occupy himself, he copied nature and animal studies from magazines, which later influenced his artistic direction. His first known work, a still life, was created in 1903. Over the years, he refined his technique, taking early inspiration from Bruno Liljefors, though his own style became highly detailed and realistic, with a deep focus on nature and wildlife. He primarily painted Swedish fauna and landscapes, particularly from Sörmland and the Swedish mountain...

Attributed to Godfried SCHALKEN (Made 1643 – The Hague 1706) Young fischer Oil on panel in one board H. 32.5 cm; L. 25.5 cm Around 1670/75 Related works: - Autograph version with nu...

The medium of choice for Do Byung-Kyu, born in Cheonan, Korea, is dolls: they are both his conceptions and his physical expression. At the same time dolls are also the perfect tool for communicating the artist’s inner self. Expressing himself by means of dolls liberates Do from the restrictions of the mundane world. By embodying in the form of dolls his actions and thoughts, dreams and desires, and even the instincts lying in the depths of the subconscious, he transcends the secular boundaries. Dolls are his alter ego, his other self that he can construct precisely the way he wants. Sublimating the experiences and memories from his youth into various subjects of desire, Do uses dolls to paint a descriptive picture of the ambiguous feelings of contradictions from his childhood when he would abuse and kill a plaything, for example a frog, then bury the body in solemn mourning over its death. These sexual or violent games from his childhood are not likely to be limited to Do’s experiences alone. Most of us can vaguely remember indulging in sadistic acts of sexual love against a doll. Rising above a child’s simple curiosity, it is an intuitive game of the senses we play by ourselves. In a number of Do’s paintings, sticky liquid can be observed dripping down a doll’s face. This brings back recollections of the life inside our mothers’ womb where we were also enveloped by mucous waters, like the amniotic fluid. It refuses contact with the anything, and nothing wants to touch it either. The shape of such a mucous liquid is a protective layer sheltering the intrinsic identity and desires of man. It is also a substitution that satisfies the ego’s instincts otherwise suppressed by social norms. The dolls’ eyes...