"The air raids on the distant metropolis, which I watched from the shelter at the arsenal, were beautiful. The flames seemed to hue to all the colors in the rainbow: it was like watching the light of a distant bonfire at a great banquet of extravagant death and destruction." So wrote Yukio Mishima in

Dramatic, Enigmatic, Homoerotic, Intense, Post-war literature

The portion of the nineteenth century that posterity has dubbed the Romantic era saw the birth of one of Western culture's greatest archetypes: the Romantic genius. The spirit of the age was incarnated in several dozen men and women, artists whose powers of expression were matched only by the origina

Dramatic, Grand, Monumental, Moody

Looking at her life and career, Bjork is honest about what is hers: "All I have is intuition." Obviously, her intuition has served her well -- and also put her in the center of criticism and debate. She reminisces: "I was on television when I was very pregnant. I was 19 with my stomach sticking out.

Charming, Dramatic, Kaleidoscopic, Sexy, Smarty arty pop

Probably the most lyrical and emotional of the German Expressionists, Kathe Kollwitz explored the austere themes of suffering and death in her poignant prints and compelling sculptures. Born to parents with strong Socialist beliefs, Kollwitz later married a doctor but settled in one of the poorest

Dark, Death, Dense, Dramatic, Feminist, German expressionism, Gritty, Self-reflection