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Edvard Munch (12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) is a Norwegian painter who is considered the father of expressionism and one of the most influential figures in the world of modern art. His childhood was darkened by illness, death, and the constant fear of inheriting a mental condition that ran in the family. However, he managed to maintain a relative mental composure. 

He studied Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania (today's Oslo), where he became part of the bohemia and met the Norwegian nihilist writer Hans Jæger. The latter inspired Munch to begin to paint his inner emotional and psychological states, which was seminal for the development of his style.

Vincent Van Gogh was born

Vincent Willem van Gogh (30 March 1853 – 29 July 1890) was a Dutch painter considered part of the Post-impressionist movement. He created more than 2,100 artworks, including 860 oil paintings, most of which were painted in the last two years of his life. Subjects of his pictures were landscapes, still life, portrait, and self-portraits. Van Gogh's paintings are distinctive with their bold, vivid, and contrasting colors. They are characterized by expressive brushwork and a dramatic, intensive atmosphere.

He became one of the most influential figures for Modern art and Western art ever since his late posthumous recognition at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, his paintings are some of the most expensive in the world. Van Gogh's "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sold for $82.5 million and "Irises" for $53.9 million.

Paradoxically, during his life, he wasn't commercially successful at all. He was able to indulge in painting mostly thanks to his brother Theo, who supported him and his art financially and believed in his talent despite the lack of public acceptance of Van Gogh's paintings. During his life, he struggled with poverty, suffered from severe depression, and his extravagant, even weird social appearance.

Paul Cézanne (born January 19, 1839, Aix-en-Provence, France—died October 22, 1906, Aix-en-Provence) was one of the most influential French artists of the Post-Impressionist era. His ideas and works were pivotal in the development of the visual aesthetics of Modernist and Avant-Garde painters of the 20th century. He laid the foundations for many artistic movements, most notably Cubism. Artists like Matisse and Picasso claimed that he "is the father of us all." However, his art was often misunderstood and discredited by the public.

Edvard Munch's "The Scream" recovered after theft

On this date, 7^th of May, 1994, Edvard Munch's most prominent painting "The Scream" was found after being stolen from Oslo's museum for almost three months. Norway's most famous painting was recovered undamaged about 40 miles south of the capital at a hotel in Asgardstrand. It was intact and undamaged.

Sandro Botticelli

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (c. 1445 – May 17, 1510), who is widely known as Sandro Botticelli, was an Early Renaissance Italian painter. He was part of the Medici's court artistic group and was highly regarded among his contemporaries but later his work was forgotten until the 19^th century. The Pre-Raphaelites rediscovered him and since then his pictures are praised as some of the most important forerunners of the High Renaissance. As opposed to the voluminous, sculpture-like style of latter artists like Michelangelo or Raphael, he put the accent on the linear grace of the personages represented.