Salvador Dali (1904-1989), born in Figueres, Spain, is best known for his highly imaginative, surrealistic work. In 1968, Dali created 25 colored lithographs taken from his mixed-media paintings to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. Salvador Dali’s “Aliyah: The Rebirth of Israel” collection portrays the history of the Jewish people’s return to their homeland.
Frida Kahlo’s work has been celebrated in Mexico and around the world as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the femele experience and form.
Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram (January 5, 1592 – July 31, 1658) was born in Lahore, in modern-day Pakistan, and was the third son of Prince Salim (later known as ‘Jahangir’). His mother was a Rajput princess from Marwar called Princess Jagat Gosaini. The name “Khurram” (joyous) was chosen for the young prince by his grandfather, Emperor Akbar, with whom the young prince shared a close relationship Evidence from the reign of Shah Jahan states that in 1648 the army consisted of 911,400 infantry, musketeers, and artillery men, and 185,000 Sowars commanded by princes and nobles. His cultural and political initial steps have been described as a type of the Timurid Renaissance, in which he built historical and political bonds with his Timurid heritage mainly via his numerous unsuccessful military campaigns on his ancestral region of Balkh. In various forms, Shah Jahan appropriated his Timurid background and grafted it onto his imperial legacy.
Russian dancers Artem Gerasimov, Igor Sharoyko and Alexey Kots have joined forces with Moscow-based photographer Alex Yocu, for his first artistic nude photo series, and the results are absolutely stunning!Mr. Yocu explained his inspiration behind the homoerotic series. He met Artem, Igor and Alexey as they were rehearsing for a brand new show in Moscow which features 8 men and 8 women who will perform in the nude. “We decided together to shoot a kind of promotional materials for this performance, but the result was not exactly in the concept of upcoming performance and became this series with nude dancers,” explained Yocu.
Life in the 1950s was very different from what it is today. Lacking the technology of the 21st century, it was a much simpler time. People weren’t distracted by personal devices and spent more time face to face and outside enjoying nature. While it’s often considered an idyllic generation, there were also some issues, particularly for women and minorities who lacked some of the freedoms others enjoyed. These vintage photos are sure to take you back in time.
This amazing natural formation of mountains are part of the Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park in China. Layers of different colored sandstone and minerals were pressed together over 24 million years and then buckled up by tectonic plates, creating a rich “layer cake” action and creating spectacular rainbow mountains.It was formally designated as “Zhangye National Geopark” by the Ministry of Land and Resources on June 16, 2016 after it has passed the on-site acceptance test. Known for its colorful rock formations, it has been voted by Chinese media outlets as one of the most beautiful landforms in China.
George Edward Hurrell (June 1, 1904 – May 17, 1992) was a photographer who contributed to the image of glamour presented by Hollywood during the 1930s and 1940s.Hurrell originally studied as a painter with no particular interest in photography. He first began to use photography only as a medium for recording his paintings. After moving to Laguna Beach, California from Chicago, Illinois in 1925 he met many other painters who had connections. One of those connections was Edward Steichen who encouraged him to pursue photography after seeing some of his works. Hurrell also found that photography was a more reliable source of income than painting. Hurrell was an apprentice to Eugene Hutchinson. His photography was encouraged by his friend aviator Pancho Barnes, who often posed for him. He eventually opened a photographic studio in Los Angeles.
These snapshots show moments of societal change, but they also show people taking it easy and spending time with their loved ones. Something that sounds pretty nice right about now. Each shot shows a different take on history that what you already know, showing the nuance in a well known story that only a rare photo can. Charles C. Ebbets ( above) was a pioneer in photography from the 1930s-1970s, his most famous image being that of the workmen lunching on a beam above the Rockefeller Center in 1932.
Haym Salomon (April 7, 1740 – Jan. 6, 1785) was a Polish-born American Jewish businessman and political financial broker who immigrated to New York City from Poland during the period of the American Revolution. He helped convert the French loans into ready cash by selling bills of exchange for Robert Morris, the Superintendent of Finance. In this way he aided the Continental Army and was possibly, along with Morris, the prime financier of the American side during the American Revolutionary War against Great Britain.
The Odessa Fine Arts Museum, a colonnaded early-19th-century palace, stands almost empty. Early in Russia’s war on Ukraine, its staff removed more than 12,000 works for safe keeping. One large portrait remained, depicting Catherine the Great, the Russian empress and founder of Odessa, as a just and victorious goddess. President Vladimir V. Putin knows that Ukraine’s fate, its access to the sea and its grain exports hinge on Odesa. Without it, the country shrivels to a landlocked rump state.Seen from below in Dmitry Levitzky’s painting, the empress is a towering figure in a pale gown with a golden train. The ships behind her symbolize Russia’s victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1792. “She’s textbook Russian imperial propaganda,” said Gera Grudev, a curator. “The painting’s too large to move, and besides, leaving it shows the Russian occupiers we don’t care.”
