The Easel (by Park West Gallery)

TITLE: “Days of My Youth”

ARTIST: Marko Mavrovich

DATE: 2010

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Park West Gallery contemporary artist Marko Mavrovich (b. Jan. 31, 1960) was born 52 years ago today. Inspired by the islands of his birthplace, Croatia, as well as his many travels around the world, Mavrovich is renowned for his ability to capture the beautiful light effects and colors of the landscape and the sea.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by Marko Mavrovich is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Alice in Wonderland”

ARTIST: Walt Disney Studios

DATE: 1990 (© Disney. All rights reserved.)

WHY WE CHOSE IT: You may not be familiar with the name Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Jan. 27, 1832 – Jan. 14, 1898), but you’ll probably recognize his pseudonym, Lewis Carroll. The English author of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and its sequel, “Through the Looking-Glass,” was born 180 years ago today.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

An extensive selection of animation art is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Veritas”

ARTIST: Csaba Markus

DATE: 2006

WHY WE CHOSE IT:

“My goal is to create the most beautiful painting every time I paint. And it’s always very playful. I am always making secrets into my pictures, writing my friends names and telling stories. When people buy my art, after a year they will notice more details, but they will never know all the secrets.” —Csaba Markus

Today marks the 59th birthday of Hungarian-born contemporary artist Csaba Markus (b. Jan. 26, 1953). With his distinctive style — a contemporary fusion of Renaissance Europe and classical mythology — Markus is renowned for his ability to delicately express the Eternal Feminine in her many guises, both as mortal woman and as mythological goddess.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by Csaba Markus is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwest-markus.com.

TITLE: “Forever Young”

ARTIST: David Willardson

DATE: 2007 (© Collectors Editions. All rights reserved. © Disney.)

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Fifty-one years ago today, movie audiences first watched 101 adorable black-and-white spotted puppies rebel against the evil Cruella De Vil and her plot to wear them as a fur coat. The animated Disney classic “101 Dalmatians” premiered in theaters on Jan. 25, 1961. The film was based on author Dodie Smith’s 1956 children’s novel of the same name. A live-action remake, starring Glenn Close and Jeff Daniels, was later released in 1996.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by David Willardson is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”

ARTIST: Édouard Manet

DATE: 1882

WHY WE CHOSE IT:

“There is only one true thing: instantly paint what you see. When you’ve got it, you’ve got it. When you haven’t, you begin again. All the rest is humbug.” —Édouard Manet

French painter Édouard Manet (Jan. 23, 1832 - April 30, 1883) was born 180 years ago today. Manet was highly controversial in his time, defying traditional techniques and choosing subjects from current events and circumstances. His last major work, “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère,” depicting optical contradictions such as the intentional play on perspective between the barmaid and her reflection in the mirror behind, continues to evoke critical discussion even today.

SOURCE: The Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery (London)

To learn more about your favorite artists and the fine art available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea, visit www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Still-Life with Cheese”

ARTIST: Pablo Picasso

DATE: 1944

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Grab some crackers — January 20 is National Cheese Lover’s Day! Yes it’s cheesy, but any way you slice it, today celebrates feta, mozzarella, Swiss, cheddar and all of the 900 other cheeses available for consumption. We’re wondering if Picasso’s favorite kind was blue cheese?

SOURCE: Private Collection

Fine art by Pablo Picasso is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at http://picasso.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “The Basket of Apples”

ARTIST: Paul Cézanne

DATE: c. 1893

WHY WE CHOSE IT:

“When I judge art, I take my painting and put it next to a God-made object like a tree or flower. If it clashes, it is not art.” —Paul Cézanne

Born 173 years ago today, French artist Paul Cézanne (Jan. 19, 1839 - Oct. 22, 1906) was a highly influential figure in 20th Century art, a pioneer in the Post-Impressionist genre and an inspiration for the Cubist movement. Once called “the father of us all” by Pablo Picasso, Cézanne’s legacy in the art world remains firmly in place to this day.

SOURCE: The Art Institute of Chicago

To learn more about your favorite artists and the fine art available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea, visit www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Winter Walk”

ARTIST: Peter Ellenshaw

DATE: 2005

WHY WE CHOSE IT:

“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” —A. A. Milne

Alan Alexander Milne (Jan. 18, 1882 - Jan. 31, 1956) was born 130 years ago today in Hampstead, London. Best known as A. A. Milne, the author became one of the world’s most famous children’s storytellers with his beloved Winnie-the-Pooh series.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by Peter Ellenshaw is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Muhammad Ali I Ver. I #3”

ARTIST: Peter Max

DATE: 2007 (© Peter Max 2011)

WHY WE CHOSE IT: “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee…” Athlete, legend and tireless advocate for human rights, Muhammad Ali (b. Jan. 17, 1942), celebrates his 70th birthday today. Happy Birthday to “The Champ!”

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea offer a wide variety of hand-signed sports collectibles showcasing the life and career of Muhammad Ali, in addition to mixed-media works by Peter Max and Simon Bull, commemorating the spirit of Ali. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “A Dream Born Again”

ARTIST: James Coleman

DATE: 2008

WHY WE CHOSE IT:

“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’” —Martin Luther King Jr., from his “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C. (Aug. 28, 1963)

On Monday, the nation will honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 15, 1929 - April 4, 1968) through a day of service and remembrance.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by James Coleman is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Friday’s Black Roses”

ARTIST: Tim Yanke

DATE: 2006

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Ooh ooh ooh… aah aah aah… ch ch ch… it’s Friday the 13th! Friggatriskaidekaphobics (frigga, after the Norse goddess for whom Friday is named; triskaidekaphobia, meaning fear of the number thirteen), or those who (irrationally?) fear this particular date, should probably beware of black cats crossing their paths, walking under ladders, opening umbrellas while indoors and any other superstitions in general today… mwuahahaha!

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by Tim Yanke is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery-yanke.com.

TITLE: “Madame X”

ARTIST: John Singer Sargent

DATE: 1883-84

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Today marks the 156th anniversary of the birth of American artist, John Singer Sargent (Jan. 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925), considered by many to be the leading portrait painter of his generation.

Sargent’s famous portrait of “Madame X” incited quite the scandal during its debut at the Paris Salon of 1884. The image of pale-skinned socialite Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, in her form-fitting black dress with its plunging neckline and hanging strap, were deemed “flagrantly insufficient” by French society. Sargent eventually removed “Madame X” from the exhibition for fear that it would be destroyed. He also altered the strap so that it hung upright — the only time he ever changed a portrait out of deference to critics.

SOURCE: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

To learn more about your favorite artists and the fine art available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea, visit www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror”

ARTIST: Parmigianino

DATE: 1524

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Italian Mannerist painter, Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (Jan. 11, 1503 – Aug. 24, 1540), commonly known as Parmigianino (a nickname meaning “the little one from Parma”), was born 509 years ago today. One of the first of his day to rebel against the techniques of High Renaissance painting, Parmigianino was “celebrated as a Raphael reborn,” as noted by art historian Giorgio Vasari.

SOURCE: Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna)

To learn more about your favorite artists and the fine art available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea, visit www.parkwestgallery.com.

TITLE: “Moonstruck”

ARTIST: Scott Jacobs

DATE: 1998

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Here in the Motor City, there’s an annual event eagerly anticipated by car enthusiasts with the coming of each new year. The North American International Auto Show begins this week at the Cobo Exhibition Center in downtown Detroit. The 2012 NAIAS promises to reveal some incredible new concept cars, but in the meantime, here’s a painting by photo-realist Scott Jacobs to whet your appetite.

SOURCE: Park West Gallery

Fine art by Scott Jacobs is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwest-jacobs.com.

TITLE: “Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII”

ARTIST: Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres

DATE: 1854

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Six hundred years ago today, Joan of Arc (Jan. 6, 1412 - May 30, 1431), one of the most emblematic saints of the Catholic Church was born.

SOURCE: Louvre

TITLE: “Mama, Papa is Wounded”

ARTIST: Yves Tanguy

DATE: 1927

WHY WE CHOSE IT:

“I believe there is little to gain by exchanging opinions with other artists concerning either the ideology of art or technical methods. Very much alone in my work, I am almost jealous of it. Geography has no bearing on it, nor have the interests of the community in which I work.” —Yves Tanguy

Surrealist painter Yves Tanguy (Jan. 5, 1900 - Jan. 15, 1955) was born 111 years ago today. His intriguing landscapes are immediately recognizable, typically executed in muted colors and filled with mysterious objects.

SOURCE: Museum of Modern Art

TITLE: “Determination”

ARTIST: Dominic Pangborn

DATE: 2008

WHY WE CHOSE IT: Lose weight, quit smoking, find a new job… what are your New Year’s resolutions? Whatever they may be, we hope you reach all of your goals in 2012 — or at least make a valiant effort until next year!

SOURCE: Park West Gallery Collection

Fine art by Dominic Pangborn is available through Park West Gallery and its cruise art auctions at sea. Learn more at www.parkwestgallery-pangborn.com.