after: ʻSELF-PORTRAITʼ, Vincent van Gogh - 1889, Private Collection. The son of a Dutch parson, Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890), after a short stint as an art dealer and a trainee priest, eventually found his vocation as an artist at 27. His quest for full expression in his art leads him from the fields of his native Holland, via Paris, to the light of Provence. His subsequent mental breakdown and incarceration in a mental institution in St. Remy, Provence, has reached legendary proportions. The self-portrait shows the artistsʼ bandaged head, after he cut his ear off, following a row with fellow painter Paul Gauguin.
after: ʻMONA LISAʼ, Leonardo da Vinci - 1504, Louvre, Paris, France. The high Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is considered to be a universal genius; a man who knew everything. Apart from being a painter, he was a scientist and an inventor. He designed machines that people could fly. He had a thirst for innovation and invention. Many of his works have remained unfinished.