School of paris painter and wood-engraver; a pioneer of abstract art.     Born in Opocno in Eastern Bohemia. Apprenticed as a youth to a master saddler, who initiated him in spiritualism; became a medium. Began to paint and received his first instruction from studnicka at jaromer.
Afterwards studied at prague academy 1889-92 under the nazarene painter sequens and at the vienna academy 1892-3 under eisenmenger, also a nazarene. Influenced by czech folk art, abstract ornamental patterning and theosophy. Settled in 1896 in paris, where he worked first primarily as satirical draughtsman for magazines such as l'assiette au beurre and as book illustrator. A friend and neighbour of jacques villon from 1901, first in montmartre, then from 1906 in puteaux on the outskirts of paris.     His paintings influenced by symbolism, then fauvism; experimented from 1909 with ways of rendering figures in motion inspired by high-speed photography. From 1911 his work became abstract with cosmic themes and rhythms, intersecting arabesques, rectilinear vertical planes, etc. First paris one-man exhibition at the galerie povolozky 1921. Wrote a book on his theories, la cr-23ation dans les arts plastiques (first published 1923). Appointed professor by prague academy in 1922, to introduce czech students in paris to french culture. Co-founder of abstraction-cr-23ation 1931, and adopted a more geometrical and classical abstract style. Died in puteaux.

	An Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of Vienna Art Nouveau movement.    Gustav Klimt was born in Baumgarten, near Vienna, Austria. He was educated at the Vienna Kunstgewerbe Art School in the years 1879-1883. Klimt was also a honorary member of
the universities of Munich and Vienna. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches and other art objects, many of which are on display in the Vienna Secession gallery. At the personal request of John D. Rockefeller, Klimt designed the seal of the University of Chicago in 1907, despite having never visited the United States. One of the founding members of the so-called Wiener Sezession (Vienna Secession) and a periodical "Ver Sacrum". Klimt is known for his use of gold in paintings. This can be seen in the painting to the right, Judith I, painted in 1901.      Gustav Klimt died in Vienna and was interred at the Hietzing Cemetery, Vienna.

	From the biographical information at Olga's Gallery: Born into the family of a military lawyer, Vrubel first finished the St. Petersburg University (in 1880) to become a lawyer, but the same year entered the Academy of Arts. In his autobiography, written in 1901, Vrubel referred to his Academy years as the happiest in his life as an artist.
For that he was indebted to professor Pavel Tchistyakov, who was famous for his method of teaching painting and drawing. Among Tchistyakov’s pupils were such outstanding painters as Vasily Surikov, Viktor Vasnetsov and Vasily Polenov who all thought very highly of their teacher.      Vrubel received support from Savva Mamontov, a famous Moscow patron of arts, who invited the artist to work at the pottery shop on his estate in Abramtsevo near Moscow and commissioned him to paint the scenery for his Private Opera in Moscow. Mamontov also built up a clientele commissioning Vrubel to paint decor for mansions. Together with Mamontov and his family Vrubel traveled in Europe.      Later on, Vrubel tried himself at various artistic media such as applied art (ceramics, majolica, stained glass), architectural masks, stage set and costume design, and even architecture. His talent proved truly universal. In everything he did, and he could do almost everything, He searched for a lucid beautiful style. This search eventually made Vrubel the true founder of Russian Art Nouveau, a style that partially grew out of Russian neo-romanticism.

	This master of esoteric symbolism studied under Barbey d’Aurevilly, Villiers de l’Isle-Adam, and later became influenced by writer-magician Josephin Peladan,creator of the Salon de la Rose+Croix where Delville showed regularly (1892-1895). In 1896 he founded the Salon d’Art Idealiste in Belgium and after being a professor and director at the Glasgow School of Art
taught at the Academie des Beaux-Arts in from 1900 to 1905, Brussels until 1937. Delville was profoundly influenced by idealism, Cabbala, magic,Theosophy, and hermetic philosophy and became a follower of Krishnamurti. Reacting against the agnostic skepticism of the age, he felt himself completely devoted to the mission of returning the Divine Mystery to the world through art and poetry.