Expert's View

One of the key-words describing USEUM’s collection is diversity. Artists from over 100 countries continue to participate in sharing their artworks with art lovers and professionals worldwide. USEUM connects graphic designers from the United States to painters from Kenya to illustrators from the Philippines, and it is wonderfully inspiring to see both the differences and similarities between artists from different countries. 

Jacques Louis David (30 August 1748 – 29 December 1825) is one of the most famous French neoclassic painters and perhaps the most important one. Alongside his astounding work, he was a leading member of the Jacobins (the revolutionary political movement of the French Revolution) and closely connected to Napoléon Bonaparte who appointed him First Painter to the Imperial Court.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) is considered to be one of the greatest painters and etchers in the history of art, and he definitely is the most important from the Netherlands. He is the prevailing artist of what is called the Dutch Golden Age, alongside Vermeer, Jacob van Ruisdael and Frans Hals. Rembrandt prevailed over the other artists of the Baroque movement, the prominent artistic style in Europe at the time, with his unique and simple style.

Through works that balance between New Objectivity and Surrealism Paul Bond invites the viewer to explore real-world settings amplified with fantastical elements that reveal the magic hidden in seemingly mundane situations.

Mo Kelly is inspired by the feelings that emerge during everyday incidents, which she expresses through her works in a truly original way. At first glance the influence of Symbolism and Edvard Munch is evident in the way that the artist treats the environment that surrounds her figures.

Juliano Lopes creates works that combine a Renaissance perception and love for the human body with a contemporary approach to painting. The subject of his paintings is quotidian matter; casual moments in the everyday life of people are brought to our attention. A typical example is the series Feet & Books (2014) with people dressed in a rather retro style and reading books, an activity that, with the increasing use of eBooks, is becoming retro itself.

Thomas Cole (1801-1848) is largely considered to be the founder of the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School is one of the first artistic movements that were developed in America after the War of Independence. It was an artistic fraternity focused on the American landscape and heavily influenced by romanticism.

The works of Maki Horanai look as if they were illustrations from medieval or byzantine manuscripts. The linear shape and serious expressions of her figures render them highly spiritual, while the golden background further intensifies their transcendence.