Vincent Van Gogh's life was one of tragedy, pain, loneliness, and misunderstanding. But it also contained a deep sense of compassion for others, powerful feelings of love, ecstatic reactions to nature, and an abiding passion for beauty. Although he was unacknowledged during his lifetime, very few peo

Anxiety, Figurative painting, Intimate, Polychromatic, Post-impressionism, Self-reflection, Tense

Playwright, professor, and Performance artist Anna Deveare Smith grounds her avant-garde theater in the infinitely strange world of reality. "I look for the poem that the person is," Smith says of the real-people inspirations for her dramatic characters. Instead of creating intricate backgrounds for

Collage, Huge, Layered, Open-ended, Political, Polychromatic, Sincere, Social protest, Solo performance

Like an avenging angel invading the capital of high culture, Pablo Picasso came to Paris to confront the establishment and write himself across the face of modernity. He viewed art as a way of recreating himself, and invented -- only to later shed -- any number of artistic styles. The young Picas

Cubism, Distorted, Figurative painting, Geometric, Kinetic, Mythic, Perverse, Political, Polychromatic, Primal

When Romeo Gigli designs clothing, he takes his inspiration "not [from] the human body itself, but [from] the essence of the personality inside that the body can convey...I am totally convinced that 'the essential' is the greatest elegance one can have." Gigli has become a leader in the fashion world

Couture, Polychromatic, Sensual, Sexy