Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rin, known as Rembrandt was born July 15, 1606 in Leiden, United Provinces, Netherlands. Rembrandt is an eclectic artist known for his reproductions of biblical scenes with contrasting light and his many self-portraits. He entered the University of Leiden at the age of fourteen and his art was influenced by the luminism of the Roman painter Michelangelo Merisi di Caravaggio. In 1634, Rembrandt married Saskia. He was a very proud man and had passionate, sometimes violent and unstable temperament. During his most prosperous periods, he liked to spend his money on artwork. In 1641, his wife gave birth to their son, Titus. Unfortunately, Saskia died the following year, Rembrandt was devastated. To ensure the survival of his son, Rembrandt called on a young widow from the village to act as a nursemaid. Eventually they became lovers. This illicit union offended the prudish bourgeoisie of the time in Amsterdam, and sales of his artwork drop significantly. In 1649 Rembrandt begins a new liaison with Hendrickje Stoffels, this time, the demand for his work stops completely. In 1654, Hendrickje gave birth to their daughter, Cornelia. Despite rising demand for his work, Rembrandt is debt-ridden. He has to sell his house and all his possessions and move to a modest apartment. In 1663 Hendrickje died, followed closely by Titus. A year later, on October 4, 1669, Rembrandt died in turn.

Marc Chagall was the eldest of nine children of a Jewish family. He was born July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk, Russia. Thanks to the determination of his mother, Chagall has the chance to attend public school, which is normally forbidden to Jews. His singing and violin lessons helped him to make contact with the Russian bourgeoisie which had a more open view on the world. He then discovered a class of society different from his. His studies in the capital of St. Petersburg allowed him to address themes that we find in his works, such as village scenes where we see the everyday lives of the poor. In the fall of 1909, Chagall left Russia to discover Paris. At that time, the Russian ballet is all the rage in France and therefore all that is of Russian origin is becoming very popular. No sooner has he arrived in Paris that he wants to return to Russia. He is not prepared for life in the big city. He immerses himself in galleries and museums where he discovers several artists such as; Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and Braque. In 1915, Chagall returned to Russia and married Bella Rosenfeld, the daughter of a Jewish jeweler. Nine months later, his wife gave birth to their daughter, Ida. The couple was very happy. In 1922, the family moved to Berlin. Three years later, Chagall shows the Fables of Fontaine to Vollard, the famous critic and art dealer. In 1942, Bella died of a viral infection. Chagall remarried in 1952 with Valentina (Vava) Brodsky. He died March 28, 1985 at the age of 98 years.

Salvador Domingo Jacinto Dali I Domenech Flipe, born May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Spain. His father was a lawyer and notary. Salvador did not always want to become an artist. At the age of six, the young Salvador wanted to become, as he said himself, a cook.

Then, at the age of seven, he wanted to be Napoleon. Since that day, Dali has always insisted that his ambitions had not ceased to grow. Now, he would say, I have no greater desire than to be Salvador Dali. Dali has always been seen as the savior of "painting" as an art form. He believes that painting is doomed to disappear because abstract art, academic surrealism and Dadaism, in general were gaining in popularity at the time. Although Dali is recognized as one of the great modern artists along with such names as; Picasso, Matisse and Duchamp, many claim that he is crazy. Dali insists he is quite sane.

One day he said, "The only difference between me and a madman is that I'm not crazy." He proclaims that he is the only true artist of the surreal style and all the other artists have mutated to other styles. Dali was a master of public relations; journalists devour all that he had to offer.

In 1929, Dali seduced the wife of Paul Eluard, Gala. She will remain his companion until her death in 1982. In 1984, Dali suffered severe burns during the fire of his castle in Pubol. He died seven years later in 1989, at the age of 85.