Shortly after arriving in Vienna to study at the Academy of Art, the 17-year-old Egon Schiele encountered the 45-year-old Gustav Klimt, then the leading figure in Austrian Art Nouveau and the Vienna avant-garde. The older painter would become Schiele's lifelong friend and mentor; his affect on Schiel

Agitated, Austrian expressionism, Dark, Erotic, Profane, Severe

Kara Walker uses the silhouette, that old parlor craft practiced by bonneted ladies, to create installations, prints, and paintings that stir intense controversy. The body of her work focuses on the antebellum South and the iconography and stereotypes surrounding African Americans, especially the ima

Figurative painting, Parody, Political, Severe, Violent

"Have mercy on me," said Henry Kissinger as he was about to be photographed by Richard Avedon. Avedon was known for his ability to lay bare the souls of his subjects, often photographing them against totally white or otherwise stark backgrounds. At one time, Avedon was the highest paid fashion an

Documentary photography, Dramatic, Elegant, Eroticism , Fashion photography, Gritty, Intimate, Severe, Spare