February 12

Thomas Campion (1567–1620) distinguished himself as a composer of lute songs, authoring over a hundred musical pieces that blend poetry and melody. He collaborated with leading figures of the Elizabethan era, crafting masques and court entertainments for nobility. Campion's poetry, often published alongside his music, explores themes of love, beauty, and pastoral life. Trained as a physician, he wrote on medical theory and published treatises on music and health. His interdisciplinary work reflects the Renaissance ideal of the polymath, and his songs remain part of the early music repertoire today.

Active in the 18th century, he specialized in church sculptures and ornamental woodwork in Württemberg. His dynamic figures and delicate carvings adorned altars, pulpits, and choir stalls. He collaborated with leading architects of the Baroque period to integrate sculpture with architecture. His work is celebrated for its expressive movement and detailed craftsmanship. Several of his masterpieces can still be seen in churches across southern Germany.

A leading figure in French neoclassicism, he developed bold, geometric architectural visions. He never saw many of his grand designs built, but his theoretical projects inspired future architects. His famous 'Cenotaph for Newton' featured colossal spheres symbolizing universal enlightenment. He emphasized simplicity, scale, and dramatic use of light and shadow in his treatises. His ideas influenced 19th and 20th-century architectural movements, cementing his legacy as a visionary.

Born in Bohemia, Dussek became one of the first traveling concert pianists, captivating audiences across Europe. He was renowned for his expressive playing style and innovative compositions for piano, including sonatas and concertos. His works expanded the technical demands of the instrument, foreshadowing Romantic virtuosity. Dussek also contributed to piano design, commissioning improvements that shaped its evolution. Despite financial struggles later in life, his music influenced composers like Chopin and Weber. He left a legacy as a pioneering figure in the transition from Classical to Romantic music.

William Wetmore Story was born in 1819 in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard College before pursuing law. Abandoning legal practice, he moved to Rome and devoted himself to sculpture, producing celebrated works such as the Libyan Sibyl and Cleopatra. Concurrently, he wrote poetry, essays, and plays, and edited literary journals, engaging with leading intellectuals of his time. Story’s eclectic talents bridged visual art and literature, reflecting the cultural exchanges of 19th-century expatriate communities. His correspondences with figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson provide insight into transatlantic artistic networks. Story’s legacy endures in museums and public monuments both in Europe and the United States.

Thomas Moran was born in 1837 in Bolton, England, and emigrated to the United States as a child. Inspired by the American wilderness, he joined geological surveys of the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone, producing iconic images that captured the grandeur of the frontier. His paintings, such as The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, played a key role in persuading Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park. Moran remained active as a painter and printmaker, exhibiting widely in America and Europe. His work epitomizes the Romantic vision of landscape and had a lasting impact on conservation and national identity. He died in 1926 in New York.

Eugène Atget was born in 1857 in Libourne and turned to photography in his 40s, focusing on urban landscapes and architecture. Over three decades, he captured thousands of images of Parisian streets, shopfronts, and parks, creating an invaluable record of a rapidly changing city. Atget’s work largely went unrecognized during his lifetime but was later championed by the Surrealists and modern art museums. His emphasis on ordinary scenes and atmospheric light influenced documentary photography and the visual arts. Much of his archives were preserved by photographer Berenice Abbott, ensuring his vision of historic Paris was not lost. Atget died in 1927 in Paris.

Max Beckmann (1884–1950) was a German painter and sculptor central to the New Objectivity movement. His powerful, often symbolic scenes conveyed the tensions of his era, blending Expressionist and classical traditions. After serving in World War I, he developed a distinctive style characterized by bold outlines and complex compositions. Beckmann taught at the Städelschule in Frankfurt before fleeing Nazi Germany. He later moved to Amsterdam and then to the United States, where he continued to paint and exhibit widely. His major works include The Night, Departure, and Self-Portrait in Tuxedo. Beckmann’s influence endures in modern art, inspiring subsequent generations with his emotional intensity and technical mastery.

Marie Vassilieff (1884–1957) was a Russian-born painter who became a central figure in Paris’s early 20th-century art scene. She studied at the Académie de la Palette and worked alongside artists like Picasso and Modigliani in Montparnasse. In 1919, she opened the Vassilieff Canteen, a gathering place for artists and intellectuals that fostered creativity and collaboration. Her vibrant works encompassed portraiture and still life, reflecting the bold colors and restless energy of the avant-garde. Vassilieff’s legacy endures through her contributions to artistic community-building and her trailblazing role as a woman in modern art.

James Scott (1885–1938) was a pioneering American composer and pianist renowned for his ragtime compositions. Alongside Scott Joplin, he helped popularize ragtime music in the early 20th century with works like The Ragtime Doctor and Frog Legs Rag. His music featured sophisticated melodies and inventive rhythms that bridged classical forms and emerging jazz styles. Scott toured extensively, performing at theaters and music halls across the United States. Despite a decline in popularity during the 1920s, his work experienced a revival in the 1950s, securing his place as one of ragtime’s foremost composers.

Born François Lejeune, Effel adopted his pen name and gained fame for his playful, humanistic cartoons. His work appeared in publications like L'Humanité and UNESCO, often addressing political and social themes with humor. Effel's iconic series, such as La Création du Monde, showcased his distinctive style blending caricature and storytelling. He also illustrated books and designed posters, expanding his influence beyond cartooning. Effel's art continues to be admired for its charm, wit, and insightful commentary.

Zoran Mušič was born in 1909 in Gorizia, Italy, and became one of Slovenia's most influential artists. He studied art in Venice and Paris, where he absorbed modernist and surrealist influences. His early work focused on luminous watercolors and graphic prints of Mediterranean life. During World War II, Mušič was arrested and imprisoned at Dachau, an experience that deeply impacted his art. After the war, he traveled widely, exhibiting in Europe and the United States, earning critical acclaim. Mušič's paintings are celebrated for their subtle color palettes and poetic imagery, often evoking memory and loss. He continued creating into his 90s, producing a vast body of work spanning over seven decades. He passed away in 2005, leaving a legacy that continues to inspire artists worldwide.