Aert de Gelder

On June 17, 2025 - 17th Century, 18th Century, october 26

Aert de Gelder, October 26, 1645 – August 27, 1727, was a Dutch painter and draftsman born in Dordrecht. He trained there with Samuel van Hoogstraten before working in Rembrandt’s Amsterdam studio from 1661 to 1663.

De Gelder returned to Dordrecht and remained active there for the rest of his career. He painted biblical histories and portraits and continued to use the broad handling and dramatic lighting associated with Rembrandt’s late work.

De Gelder died in Dordrecht. His works are held by the Rijksmuseum, J. Paul Getty Museum, Mauritshuis, State Hermitage Museum, and other major collections.

Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin

On March 20, 2025 - 19th Century, october 26, Russian

Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin, October 26, 1842 – April 13, 1904, was a Russian painter, writer, soldier, and traveler born in Cherepovets. After training in the Naval Cadet Corps, he studied at the School of Drawing of the Society for the Encouragement of the Arts and the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg, then in Paris with Jean-Léon Gérôme and Alexandre Bida.

Vereshchagin accompanied Russian military campaigns in Central Asia and the Balkans and traveled widely in India, the Middle East, East Asia, Europe, and the United States. He organized his paintings in major series devoted to Turkestan, the Russo-Turkish War, India, Palestine, and Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia, and exhibited them internationally.

Vereshchagin died during the Russo-Japanese War when the battleship Petropavlovsk struck mines near Port Arthur. Major holdings of his work are in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, and the State Historical Museum; other works are held by the Brooklyn Museum and regional Russian collections.